{"id":9915,"date":"2014-03-12T19:25:35","date_gmt":"2014-03-12T19:25:35","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2014-03-12T19:25:35","modified_gmt":"2014-03-12T19:25:35","slug":"understanding_the_millennials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2014\/03\/12\/understanding_the_millennials\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding the Millennials"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Listen<\/a><\/p>\n

RUSH: Back on March the 7th, it was five days ago, as I was deep into show prep, I ran across — this stuff fascinates me, and I think a factor in explaining it is getting older. I\u2019ve always wanted to be older. When I was a teenager I wanted to be 21. I never have wanted to be my age, because the way I looked at it, the older you got, the freer you got. The older you got, the more independent you became, and, obviously, the more self-reliant, but the more successful you became. It just seemed that life seemed to be more fun. <\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not one of those people — I didn\u2019t go to college, four years of screwing around and all that. I worked, and I worked every summer in high school. And so I\u2019ve always been focused on work and oriented towards it. I rather do that than anything else, but at the same time the idea of having fun with something was always deferred to me, something that you did later on. Aside from liking the job, I\u2019m talking about sybaritic pursuits, not professional career pursuits. In my case, that is my first love, and that is what is most fun for me, is doing this. But still, I\u2019ve always wanted to get older. Now that I\u2019m older, I\u2019m 63, I have a different opinion of younger generations than I had when I was in the younger generation. Not negative or positive; just different. <\/p>\n

I find it fascinating \u2019cause I care about the future of the country, and so I\u2019m always interested in learning what the future of the country thinks. Like the people for whom I\u2019m writing these books, they are the future of the country. And I don\u2019t mean in a commencement address kind of sense. They really are. And like I told you yesterday, a friend of mine became a grandparent for the first time, sent a note, “This is why we care.” And that\u2019s exactly why people care. Kids\u2019 future, you want the circumstances to be the same or better for your kids and grandkids than you found \u2019em when you were their age and growing up. <\/p>\n

So, since the future of the country is so dependent on the younger generation, their value base, their intelligence, their level of knowledge, all that, I find it fascinating now. It\u2019s all part of growing, and it\u2019s all part of continuing to expand my mind, even though half of it remains tied behind my back. The half that I use still has lots of room to be filled. <\/line>Now, for some reason, the Millennial generation is intriguing to me. I don\u2019t know why they\u2019re more intriguing to me than Gen X was. It\u2019s maybe that I\u2019m enough years older than Millennials, and the Millennials are also coming of age. They\u2019re reaching adulthood at a truly unique time, unique era in the nation\u2019s history, vis-a-vis citizens\u2019 view of and relationship to government. And it is my hope that younger generations will decide on self-reliance and individuality and success and not turn to others for those things. And by that I mean not turning to government, not becoming a ward of the state. So that\u2019s why it interests me. <\/line><\/p>\n

So whenever I run across a story — and some people, “I don\u2019t want to hear about damn Millennials, Rush. They\u2019re just a bunch of kids and they\u2019re gonna make all those kid mistakes. They\u2019re gonna figure it out, don\u2019t worry about it.” And some people said, “Don\u2019t talk about \u2019em. You\u2019re just gonna give \u2019em the big head, and you\u2019re gonna make these 25-year-olds think they\u2019re more important than they are.” And that\u2019s not my intent is to assign to them the officious future of the country. I\u2019m just trying to get a handle on things. Where we think younger generations are headed is where the country will end up, at least if we can get as close as we can to knowing it. <\/p>\n

So I found this story at The Atlantic<\/a>, and the headline hooked me immediately: “Millennials Are Deeply Confused About Everything.” Now, I will admit when I saw the headline, that buoyed me. That headline encouraged me. I would hope people are confused by what\u2019s going on now. So then I said, okay, well, let me read it and find out what they\u2019re confused by, or about. <\/p>\n

“Millennials — or Generation Y, which, by varying definitions, includes you if you\u2019re somewhere between 14-34.” That\u2019s the lines of demarcation for Generation Y or the Millennials, if you\u2019re between 14 to 34. And these Millennials “are the subject of constant obsession and worrying from the managers trying to hire them, the marketers trying to sell to them, and the parents and grandparents trying desperately to get them to call once in a while using the ‘phone\u2019 feature on their smartphones. So what can we possibly learn that\u2019s new from Pew\u2019s massive survey,” that was released back on March 7th about the Millennials? <\/p>\n

The author of this piece a man named Derek Thompson, and he says, “Many things, actually — and mostly contradictions. Which is about right when you\u2019re trying to sum up 85+ million people in a handful of adjectives. This generation is getting totally screwed by the economy … but,” and this is as an illustration of the contradiction. The Millennial generation “is getting totally screwed by the economy … but we\u2019re the most optimistic generation in the country.”<\/p>\n

Now, that stands to reason. When you are in your twenties, just coming out of college and you\u2019re all fired up and ready to go, you are naturally optimistic. Tradition has been that\u2019s when you\u2019re optimistic because now you\u2019re finally on your own, you\u2019ve moved out — those who have — and here comes adulthood. Here comes the things that everybody associates with adulthood. Most reasonably adjusted people are optimistic, because most people think they\u2019re gonna make it. Not everybody. Most people think they\u2019re gonna be a success. <\/p>\n

Some in the Millennial generation expect it rather than think they have to work for it, but still there\u2019s optimism. Yet they\u2019re optimistic while they\u2019re getting totally screwed by the economy. Try to make sense of this. And what does that mean? Well, there aren\u2019t any jobs. No matter what their degrees are in, there aren\u2019t any jobs. They are faced with mountainous student loan debt. They are faced with runaway costs for necessities. The odds are that they are not gonna be able to afford the things they want any time soon, which is standard operating procedure. But, remember, these people have expectations of getting what they want a lot sooner than you and I did. <\/p>\n

I mean, even though I wanted to get older, even though I couldn\u2019t wait \u2019til I was 21, I didn\u2019t expect — this was just the way it was when I grew up — I didn\u2019t expect to actually, quote, unquote, make it until I was 40, because the culture, the society just didn\u2019t let you, outside of the exceptions to the rule, the inventors, the entrepreneurs, and what have you. But if you were salaried and working as employee climbing a ladder, you had to have enough time in to prove your worth, reliability, and all that, and that took you to age 40. This generation expects it much sooner than that, and we have an economy that\u2019s not gonna be able to provide it for \u2019em. <\/p>\n

“Another report that came out this morning, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, found that unemployment rate for young people is still elevated: 13.5 percent for people between 15 and 24 and 12 percent between ages 20 to 24. Just awful. So how come young people are so stubbornly optimistic? About their finances of all things?” And, of course, “One good explanation is that they\u2019re young,” as I have explained. <\/p>\n

“This is the most technologically connected generation in modern history … but also the least trusting.” Now, on the surface, “This just barely makes any sense. Here is a generation that trusts peers enough to meet random strangers in bars … ride in cars with strangers on Uber X and Lyft, visit strangers\u2019 apartments through Craigslist, sleep on their beds,” do whatever you want, but you don\u2019t trust \u2019em? <\/p>\n

You still do it, but you don\u2019t trust the people that you are opening up to? Again, a huge contradiction — which, to me, means that they are ripe for being reached, in a cultural and political sense. The Millennial “generation has record numbers of single parents,” according to the Pew research, “but it also has the most negative attitudes toward single parents.” That stands to reason. Maybe it\u2019s not a contradiction. <\/p>\n

This generation has a record number of single parents and doesn\u2019t like it. That\u2019s, on one handm a contradiction; on the other hand, it\u2019s good. Single parenthood is an economic death sentence for the vast majority of people involved in it. It\u2019s just a ticket to nowhere. So this is ultimately a potential positive. “About 43% of Millennials are non-white, higher than any American generation on record. <\/p>\n

“But since the slim majority of newborns in America are non-white too, it\u2019s much more fair to say that Millennials are the most diverse generation of adults.” They\u2019re only the most diverse generation in the country if you decide not to consider people under 14 a generation. So there are all kinds of things happening for the first time to this generation, all kinds of consequences and facts that they are dealing with, that are happening to a Generation Y group of people for the first time. <\/p>\n

“This is the most educated generation ever … and the deepest in student loan debt” because of it, and this education isn\u2019t leading them anywhere because there aren\u2019t any jobs. Go back to the unemployment rate for people in this age group. In fact, it\u2019s not just there aren\u2019t jobs; there aren\u2019t any career openings. Yet they followed the rule: “Go to college. That\u2019s the ticket. If you don\u2019t do that, you don\u2019t have a prayer!”<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve done it. They\u2019ve gotten their parents in debt, they\u2019re in debt, and they\u2019ve invested all of these years in it. Now they come out, they\u2019re highly educated, formally — we don\u2019t know what kind of common sense they have yet, but they\u2019re formally educated — and they\u2019re in debt to the tune of being faced with a lifetime of paying it back. “The US economy has never been bigger … but it\u2019s never been harder to live better than our parents did.” <\/p>\n

This has been a concern every generation of parents has had. Every generation of parents wants their kids to live better, to do better, to have more, to be smarter, and it doesn\u2019t matter what demographic group you\u2019re talking about; this is a standard wish every parent has and grandparents, too. The Millennials think — and they\u2019re right. We have to the point where it\u2019s not possible. It\u2019s harder than it\u2019s ever been now to do better than your parents. So the confusion continues. <\/p>\n

“Millennials are less likely to self-identify as Republicans or Democrats,” according to Pew, “but they also have the highest approval rating of Congress.” They rate Congress\u2019 approval higher than any other group of people. Yet they don\u2019t self-identify as Republicans or Democrats. That\u2019s rooted, I am convinced, in the idea that being independent is somehow to be smarter and less closed-minded, more open-minded, and more malleable. <\/p>\n

They probably are more one or the other, but they don\u2019t want to admit it. They “oppose benefit cuts to Social Security,” but they don\u2019t think there\u2019s gonna be any for them. I\u2019m not sure about that one, but that\u2019s what it says. They “voted overwhelmingly for Obama, want universal health care, and are fine with a bigger government … but they oppose Obamacare just like everybody else.” <\/p>\n

Now, they voted overwhelmingly for Obama; they want universal health care. <\/p>\n

This is a product of their education. It\u2019s exactly what they\u2019ve been taught. I contend to you that when you strip all this away — the way they\u2019ve been taught, the education they\u2019ve got, the curricula they\u2019ve faced — that\u2019s why they are endlessly confused. And I\u2019ll give you an example in a second. These people, the 14 to 34 demographic? “The Millennials don\u2019t give a hoot about the environment.” They could not care less about it. <\/p>\n

Global warming? How many of you believe that? Most people think these are the people leading the charge. Well, they don\u2019t care about the environment as a political issue. “They\u2019re less likely to consider themselves environmentalists than any other generation, including older senior citizens…” It\u2019s just a typical story about education in America today that would lead you to conclude why so many of \u2019em are confused. <\/p>\n

BREAK TRANSCRIPT<\/p>\n

RUSH: Now, just one more thing on the Pew Center, People in the Press, on the Millennials. And don\u2019t get all bent out of shape about this. The Pew report finds that this Millennial bunch are the only generation that prefers Big Government and more services to small government and fewer services. However, there\u2019s a caveat, and it is that research has shown that Millennials don\u2019t really think of Big Government the way older generation people do. The conclusion here is what is important. And that is that the Millennials — and I think this is common. I don\u2019t think this is exclusive to them at all. It\u2019s common to young people, they don\u2019t like what they\u2019re hearing from either side. <\/p>\n

They\u2019re smarter than everybody. They don\u2019t like what they\u2019re hearing from the Democrats, they don\u2019t like what they\u2019re hearing from the Republicans, which means that they are up for grabs and they can be persuaded. But Big Government, it equals charity, folks, it equals caring for people. And hearken back to the exit polls from the 2012 election, when I saw in that first wave, “cares about people like me,” 81% Obama, 19% Romney. I mean, that\u2019s it, in a nutshell, when you talk about Republican brand and where it\u2019s gone wrong. And then of course “still blame the economy on Bush” is a real political issue. But leadership, the first presidential election in exit polling history where best leader did not win; “Cares about people like me” did. It\u2019s a challenge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RUSH: Back on March the 7th, it was five days ago, as I was deep into show prep, I ran across — this stuff fascinates me, and I think a factor in explaining it is getting older. I\u2019ve always wanted to be older. When I was a teenager I wanted to be 21. I never […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nUnderstanding the Millennials - The Rush Limbaugh Show<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2014\/03\/12\/understanding_the_millennials\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Understanding the Millennials - The Rush Limbaugh Show\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"RUSH: Back on March the 7th, it was five days ago, as I was deep into show prep, I ran across — this stuff fascinates me, and I think a factor in explaining it is getting older. I\u2019ve always wanted to be older. When I was a teenager I wanted to be 21. I never […]\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/live-rush-limbaugh.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/listentoit.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"GeorgePrayias\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/\",\"name\":\"The Rush Limbaugh Show\",\"description\":\"Excellence In Broadcasting\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2014\/03\/12\/understanding_the_millennials\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/live-rush-limbaugh.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/listentoit.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/live-rush-limbaugh.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/listentoit.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2014\/03\/12\/understanding_the_millennials\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2014\/03\/12\/understanding_the_millennials\/\",\"name\":\"Understanding the Millennials - The Rush Limbaugh Show\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2014\/03\/12\/understanding_the_millennials\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-03-12T19:25:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-03-12T19:25:35+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9a33276eb9dc5b6d3f8218957f30e6b4\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2014\/03\/12\/understanding_the_millennials\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2014\/03\/12\/understanding_the_millennials\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2014\/03\/12\/understanding_the_millennials\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Understanding the Millennials\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9a33276eb9dc5b6d3f8218957f30e6b4\",\"name\":\"GeorgePrayias\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d290ab65e2eaca3719268528f83b85bf?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d290ab65e2eaca3719268528f83b85bf?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"GeorgePrayias\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/author\/GeorgePrayias\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Understanding the Millennials - The Rush Limbaugh Show","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2014\/03\/12\/understanding_the_millennials\/","twitter_card":"summary","twitter_title":"Understanding the Millennials - The Rush Limbaugh Show","twitter_description":"RUSH: Back on March the 7th, it was five days ago, as I was deep into show prep, I ran across — this stuff fascinates me, and I think a factor in explaining it is getting older. I\u2019ve always wanted to be older. When I was a teenager I wanted to be 21. I never […]","twitter_image":"https:\/\/live-rush-limbaugh.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/listentoit.jpg","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"GeorgePrayias","Est. reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/","name":"The Rush Limbaugh Show","description":"Excellence In Broadcasting","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2014\/03\/12\/understanding_the_millennials\/#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/live-rush-limbaugh.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/listentoit.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/live-rush-limbaugh.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/listentoit.jpg"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2014\/03\/12\/understanding_the_millennials\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2014\/03\/12\/understanding_the_millennials\/","name":"Understanding the Millennials - The Rush Limbaugh Show","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2014\/03\/12\/understanding_the_millennials\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2014-03-12T19:25:35+00:00","dateModified":"2014-03-12T19:25:35+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9a33276eb9dc5b6d3f8218957f30e6b4"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2014\/03\/12\/understanding_the_millennials\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2014\/03\/12\/understanding_the_millennials\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/2014\/03\/12\/understanding_the_millennials\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.rushlimbaugh.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Understanding the Millennials"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9a33276eb9dc5b6d3f8218957f30e6b4","name":"GeorgePrayias","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d290ab65e2eaca3719268528f83b85bf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d290ab65e2eaca3719268528f83b85bf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"GeorgePrayias"},"url":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/daily\/author\/GeorgePrayias\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9915"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9915\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/admin.rushlimbaugh.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}