The ‘younger generation’.
They’re lazy and expect everything handed to them. They don’t have a work ethic and can’t save money because they spend it all on $22 smashed avocado dishes at hipster cafes. They need to get proper jobs and save for the future.
Sound familiar?
Millennials, ‘Generation Lazy’ to some, get a bad rap. Criticism often comes from Baby Boomers, who grew up in a time when the internet didn’t exist, the gig economy was non-existent and rapidly rising housing prices were unthinkable.
Millennial stereotypes are so entrenched in the Australian psyche that ‘smashed avocado’ has become a measure of Millennial entitlement.
Do they deserve this treatment? Where does the truth lie?
At ‘Smashed avo: Is there a war on youth?’, La Trobe University’s fifth Bold Thinking Series event for 2018, these questions were addressed. The panel featured Dr Sara James (La Trobe cultural sociologist and lecturer), David de Garis (senior NAB economist and La Trobe alumnus), Natalie O’Brien (youth activist and GetUp! Chief of Staff) and Melissa Browne (entrepreneur and financial advisor).
Nest caught up with Dr James to discuss her take on the smashed avo debate and Millennials.
Why is the generation gap between Baby Boomers and Millennials a dominant theme in Australian popular culture?
Conflict between the generations is nothing new, but the gap between Boomers and Millennials has gained a lot of attention in recent years as Millennials enter their late twenties and early thirties. Often, they struggle to set themselves up independently from their Boomer parents. In the years following the Global Financial Crisis, both Boomers and Millennials have struggled with financial insecurity, balancing work and care responsibilities and housing issues.
For Boomers, smashed avo was a symbol of reckless spending and irresponsible lifestyle habits. For young people, these comments came to symbolize the extent to which older generations misunderstood the challenges they face.
Why has something as banal as smashed avo become a symbol of the war between the generations?
The Smashed Avo debate erupted when Boomer commentators suggested that if Millennials stopped wasting their money on expensive brunches they’d be able to afford a house deposit. For these Boomers, smashed avo was a symbol of reckless spending and irresponsible lifestyle habits. For young people on the other hand, these comments came to symbolize the extent to which older generations misunderstood the challenges they face. They responded with a number of articles showing that even if a young person saved all their coffee and avo toast money, they would be nowhere near a house deposit if they live in a major city, where most of the jobs are.
Additionally, in Melbourne, ‘smashed avo’ and the kind of cafes it’s served in, symbolises hipster culture more broadly. And hipsters are often critiqued in the media and popular culture as being elitist, superficial and a cause of gentrification.
Has the media played a role in these skewed perspectives?
Perceptions of Millennials are just as skewed. From gripes about wasting money on ‘smashed avo’ to complaints about not moving out of their parents’ home, Millennials are often labelled as ‘kiddults’ who refuse to grow up.
Media depictions of Boomers and Millennials tend to focus on the stereotypes of ‘greedy’ Boomers and ‘lazy’ Millenials, but the reality is more complex.
For example, while the media focuses on wealthy Boomers, many can’t afford to retire. Post Global Financial Crisis, one survey found that 40 per cent of women and 30 per cent of men had to postpone retirement plans or come out of retirement for their ‘encore’ career.
Perceptions of Millennials are just as skewed. From gripes about wasting money on ‘smashed avo’ to complaints about not moving out of their parents’ home, Millennials are often labelled as ‘kiddults’ who refuse to grow up.
What is often overlooked is the significant systemic challenges young people face, including more precarious work and fragmented careers. Many casual workers are underemployed and have little job security.
In 1982 the casual employment rate was 13%. This has increased to 25%. Additionally, the casual employment figures do not capture those employed on fixed-term contracts. The insecurity of short-term and casual work is a significant factor in young people delaying starting a family and being able to afford and commit to a mortgage.
Will these skewed perspectives change over time? Does the War on Youth have an end in sight?
For the War on Youth to end, we need to change our thinking about Millennials and Boomers and move past the stereotypes. More research is needed on the challenges faced by both groups than can inform policy.
For example, I’m about to commence a project with my colleague Dr Anne Maree Sawyer on Baby Boomer women’s experiences of retirement. Boomer women often experience financial insecurity in older age, due to histories of discontinuous employment, higher rates of part-time work, significant periods outside of the workforce and caregiving responsibilities. They have been described as the ‘sandwich generation’, as they often balance intergenerational care duties of elderly parents, grandchildren and sometimes spouses.
It’s common for Boomers to help their Millennial and Generation X children who are struggling to pay for child care by taking care of grandchildren regularly. And it’s important to recognise that beyond the simplistic media depictions, within families the different generations offer much emotional and financial support to each other.
But at the broader societal level, we need to look for new initiatives to support vulnerable groups.
Want to get involved in the media discussion around Millennials and Baby Boomers? Why not take a look at La Trobe University’s Bachelor of Media and Communication.
