Judged by the generation above, and now below, Millennial is said like a curse word, usual followed by an eye roll. I was born in 1981, so I don’t like to consider myself a Millennial. I am right on the cusp. I don’t think I have a lot of Millennial stereotypical attributes? Here are the top 10 Millennial attributes, and how I fit into them (I found these by googling it, and when has google ever led anyone astray?):

1. Millennials don’t want to get married: I wanted to get married, but I waited until my mid-30s.
2. Millennials find their dates online: I met my husband in person, but I tried (and hated) online dating.
3. Millennials can’t afford to own a home: I can afford my own home, but only after marrying my non-Millennial husband and combining finances.
4. Millennials love avocados: I do love avocados.
5. Millennials are more focused on personal life than careers: I was VERY career focused, but when my child was sick, I gave up my career to stay home.
6. Millennials can’t survive without their phone: Really? No one can.
7. Because of participation trophies and social media, Millennials need constant validation: I like a good “atta boy” every once in a while, but I don’t follow my likes on social media, so maybe half a point on this one?
8. Millennials choose to live with their parents: I love my parents, but I would rather live ANYWHERE than with them.
9. Millennials are lazy: I never stop moving.
10. Millennials don’t vote: This is embarrassing, but I rarely vote. I am getting better, but before the last few elections, I hadn’t voted since college.

I also know my Harry Potter house, so maybe I am a millennial. It’s Ravenclaw. I know everyone is surprised. (For the non-millennials, Ravenclaws are the studious ones.)

I recently read an article about how Millennials have been hit the hardest by financial crises over their lives, and it surprised me that this concept surprised me. I have always joked that I am bad luck on the world. When I graduated high school the dotcom bubble had recently burst. When I graduated college, it was the tech bubble. Law School, the housing market crashed. Needless to say whenever I was looking for a job, so was everyone else. Being a self-centered Millennial, it didn’t occur to me that my entire generation was suffering through this. So now, my generation is in its 4th financial crisis in its adult life. Currently, the unemployment rate is 6.3%, but it was as high as 14.7% in the last year. So let’s look at these “stereotypes” through an economic lens.

When taking on work in bad economies, people start at lower wages with less benefits. They are just glad to have a job, but as the economy goes up, they are starting from a lower base, so it takes more time to acquire wealth. These lower wages equate to a lower a net worth which prohibit things like home ownership.

Millennials are not lazy. They are the most educated of any previous generation, but that education brought a large amount of student debt. Then when two millennials couple up, they get to combine their debt to create even more debt. This is a strong argument to not get married, because in most states, you assume your partners debt at that point. No one wants to inflict their problems on someone they love. When Millennials do get married, they have the lowest divorce rate of any generation, so clearly it is not fear of commitment that keeps them single.

When you are constantly changing occupations with changing economies, it would make sense that people would think you care more about relationships than careers, but is that a Millennial choice or something forced onto them by the economic world around them?

Living with their parents may be the only choice when the housing market crashes, due to mortgages being distributed to people who clearly cannot afford them. People lose their homes and rent begins to soar as people flock to the renters market.

Voting is difficult in this world where it seems like the politicians get very little if anything done, and no matter the party and what they “say” are their values, they all seem the same at their core. Our president is 78 years old. The previous one was 74. It is difficult to feel like you have a voice. Times are changing and I feel that Millennials are getting more involved in politics and do believe they can make a difference, but this has been a slow process.

I would argue we live in a society where no one can live without their phone, but if you are searching for dates, jobs, booking reservations, getting directions, etc. and are constantly on the go, then your phone is essential.

Avocados are just delicious with everything the Millennials have faced, don’t they deserve some good, healthy fat? So give your Millennial friend a high five and some avocado toast for attempting to survive this crazy world. Consider perhaps, Millennials do not have these characteristics to annoy you, but because of what life has thrown at them. Besides, we all deserve a participation trophy for living through 2020.