If you are late to the party, let’s bring you up to speed – millennials are ruining everything! At least that’s what the non-millennials say. Companies have made the demographic their favourite whipping boy to pin all their failings on. Millennials or those born between 1981 and 1996 are accused of ruining a laundry list of things – from “destroying” the institution of marriage to popularising plastic money. (Now, if there was only a way to blame millennials for causing the meteor shower that killed the dinosaurs, right?) The latest to lead the charge against millennials is Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. She said that the demographic group was responsible for bringing down the automotive section by favouring cab aggregators instead of buying cars. The FM may or may not have hit a bullseye with her comment, but doesn’t mean millennials aren’t to be blamed for ruining anything. Here is a list of things millennials are accused of destroying. Who Are Millennials? Why Is #BoycottMillennials Trending on Twitter?

Brace yourself; it’s not going to be an easy read!

1. Marriage!

Millennials with their hook-up culture and casual romances have been blamed for destroying the institution of marriage. A Gallup survey found out that a measly 16 percent of millennials were married. The Gallup Daily Tracking says 59 percent of millennials are single and have never been married. A Pew Research Center study found out that millennials refused to get married citing financial, age-related and compatibility-related reasons.

2. Handshake

A good handshake tells you a lot about a person’s confidence, say body-language experts. If that were to be true, millennials have none! A study published in the Journal of Hand Therapy has accused millennials of having a weaker handshake compared to people from the older generations. To be fair, a lot has to do with our changing work patterns, which doesn’t require us to meet and greet a lot of people.

3. The Nine to Five Routine

Working nine-to-five isn’t millennials’ cup of tea. Most millennials don’t believe in spending the customary eight hours at work. And it doesn’t have to do with their sincerity. If anything, millennials are a more hardworking lot than Gen X and Baby Boomers. They are drastically changing the work culture thanks to high-speed internet and other technological advancements. Work from home? Sign me up, please!

4. Vacations

Too much work and no play is making millennials a dull generation. This demographic doesn’t believe in jet setting to exotic locales with family no matter how many “Wanderlust” inscribed paraphernalia they own. A report from Project: Time Off says that American millennials are forgoing their vacations for work. Millennial-Aged Parents Are Comparatively Distracted While Driving Than Older Parents.

5. Owning… ANYTHING

This is where FM Sitharaman may be right. Millennials suffer from commitment phobia when it comes to not only marriage but also ownership. Says the Dummies website: “Major, long-term financial commitments are not as important to Millennials as they were to previous generations. In a world where the share economy and on-demand services have exploded, ownership is less important than access.” That’s right. So no owning houses, yachts or cars for millennials. Millennial Women Are Working More As Well As Doing Most Household Work.

6. Beer

The boorish beer may make snooty millennials turn up their noses. Fox Business says that Goldman Sachs downgraded the shares of Boston Beer Company and Constellation Brands stating that the millennials weren’t into beer as much as their previous generations were. They preferred wines and spirits to beer. In the words of Homer Simpson: “Doh!”

But on a brighter note, millennials may have driven a lot of industries. Sectors like fitness, casual dining, frozen foods, houseplants, skincare and personal finance have benefitted from the millennials. Don’t go blaming us for everything!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 12, 2019 05:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).