Members of Generation Y, also known as the Millennial Generation, have made a name for themselves as entitled and out of touch, thanks in large part to helicopter parenting. This past year brought out some of the worst of this kind of behavior.
5. Ariana Grande
Remember Ariana Grande’s donut-licking antics in which she proclaimed that she hates Americans? Yeah, that wasn’t so cool. Her apology proclaiming herself to be “an advocate for healthy eating” who was just looking out for the well-being of fat kids made the whole thing so much worse.
Perhaps the worst part of her apology was how brilliantly millennial it was. Get caught doing something bad, then just pretend that you were doing it for a cause like childhood obesity, and everyone will forgive you. Hopefully Ariana will keep her tongue away from donuts in 2016.
4. Affluenza Teen
After killing four people and injuring nine others in a drunken driving accident, Ethan Couch’s defense attorneys argued that he shouldn’t have to go to jail for his actions because his privileged upbringing kept him from discerning right from wrong.
A judge actually bought this defense, and handed out a 10-year probation instead of jail time. This apparently wasn’t light enough of a sentence for the 18-year-old and his mother, as the two took off to Mexico in an attempt to flee from his punishment. They were apprehended on Monday and will be extradited to the United States, where they will face additional punishment.
Couch’s story is perhaps the ultimate example of helicopter parenting endemic of millennial upbringing. Instead of allowing him to face the consequences of his deadly actions, his parents tried to keep him out of jail.
3. Pharma Bro
Martin Shkreli gained notoriety when his pharmaceutical company raised the price of a life-saving HIV drug from $13.50 to a whopping $750. He added fuel to the public’s ire when he dropped $2 million on a limited-edition Wu-Tang Clan album, becoming the only person in the world to have it.
As it turns out, gouging HIV patients wasn’t Shkreli’s only questionable scheme. He was arrested earlier this month when the Department of Justice found out that Shkreli had allegedly managed his past pharmaceutical companies like a Ponzi scheme, defrauding investors of millions. Oops.
2. The Campus Protestors
a katz / Shutterstock.com
This year, college students across the United States rose up in protest all things offensive. They demanded that school officials police their speech in order to dissuade students from saying things that might be perceived as offensive. They even fought to ban “offensive” Halloween costumes and cafeteria foods in order to keep campuses a safe space.
If this wasn’t ridiculous enough, some student protestors complained about the Paris attacks because it stole the media spotlight away from their demands. Because making sure that there’s enough fried chicken certainly deserves more attention than the 130 people who lost their lives in one of the most brutal terror attacks ever.
1. Bowe Bergdahl
by nypost.com
Bowe Bergdahl, the Army deserter and former Taliban prisoner, perfectly exemplifies why everyone hates millennials.
In this season of the podcast “Serial,” Bergdahl explained that he ran from his post because of a grievance he had with his commanding officer. He knew that his disappearance would set off an alarm, and that afterwards he would be able to get an audience with a higher-up official, to whom he could complain about his commanding officer.
After he left the base, Bergdahl realized that he was in serious trouble and decided to go looking for hidden explosive devices, information he thought could spare him some punishment upon his return. He also figured it would make him look like a “super soldier” akin to fictional movie character Jason Bourne.
His plan is the most millennial thing ever. To think one’s personal complaints are more important than a war is the type of self-important behavior we can come to expect from Generation Y. I mean, pretending to fight for a quasi-social-justice issue to cover your stupidity, with the added benefit of looking like Jason Bourne? It’s the ultimate millennial win-win.
5. Ariana Grande
Remember Ariana Grande’s donut-licking antics in which she proclaimed that she hates Americans? Yeah, that wasn’t so cool. Her apology proclaiming herself to be “an advocate for healthy eating” who was just looking out for the well-being of fat kids made the whole thing so much worse.
Perhaps the worst part of her apology was how brilliantly millennial it was. Get caught doing something bad, then just pretend that you were doing it for a cause like childhood obesity, and everyone will forgive you. Hopefully Ariana will keep her tongue away from donuts in 2016.
4. Affluenza Teen
After killing four people and injuring nine others in a drunken driving accident, Ethan Couch’s defense attorneys argued that he shouldn’t have to go to jail for his actions because his privileged upbringing kept him from discerning right from wrong.
A judge actually bought this defense, and handed out a 10-year probation instead of jail time. This apparently wasn’t light enough of a sentence for the 18-year-old and his mother, as the two took off to Mexico in an attempt to flee from his punishment. They were apprehended on Monday and will be extradited to the United States, where they will face additional punishment.
Couch’s story is perhaps the ultimate example of helicopter parenting endemic of millennial upbringing. Instead of allowing him to face the consequences of his deadly actions, his parents tried to keep him out of jail.
3. Pharma Bro
Martin Shkreli gained notoriety when his pharmaceutical company raised the price of a life-saving HIV drug from $13.50 to a whopping $750. He added fuel to the public’s ire when he dropped $2 million on a limited-edition Wu-Tang Clan album, becoming the only person in the world to have it.
As it turns out, gouging HIV patients wasn’t Shkreli’s only questionable scheme. He was arrested earlier this month when the Department of Justice found out that Shkreli had allegedly managed his past pharmaceutical companies like a Ponzi scheme, defrauding investors of millions. Oops.
2. The Campus Protestors
a katz / Shutterstock.com
This year, college students across the United States rose up in protest all things offensive. They demanded that school officials police their speech in order to dissuade students from saying things that might be perceived as offensive. They even fought to ban “offensive” Halloween costumes and cafeteria foods in order to keep campuses a safe space.
If this wasn’t ridiculous enough, some student protestors complained about the Paris attacks because it stole the media spotlight away from their demands. Because making sure that there’s enough fried chicken certainly deserves more attention than the 130 people who lost their lives in one of the most brutal terror attacks ever.
1. Bowe Bergdahl
by nypost.com
Bowe Bergdahl, the Army deserter and former Taliban prisoner, perfectly exemplifies why everyone hates millennials.
In this season of the podcast “Serial,” Bergdahl explained that he ran from his post because of a grievance he had with his commanding officer. He knew that his disappearance would set off an alarm, and that afterwards he would be able to get an audience with a higher-up official, to whom he could complain about his commanding officer.
After he left the base, Bergdahl realized that he was in serious trouble and decided to go looking for hidden explosive devices, information he thought could spare him some punishment upon his return. He also figured it would make him look like a “super soldier” akin to fictional movie character Jason Bourne.
His plan is the most millennial thing ever. To think one’s personal complaints are more important than a war is the type of self-important behavior we can come to expect from Generation Y. I mean, pretending to fight for a quasi-social-justice issue to cover your stupidity, with the added benefit of looking like Jason Bourne? It’s the ultimate millennial win-win.
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