The government should provide friends for these poor kids. Where’s the system?

“Some people may feel sorry for all the 23-to-38-year-olds out there today. They sound like a disadvantaged bunch.

A study published earlier this week, conducted by the dating site Match, concluded that some millennials don’t even feel they can afford to date in the first place. The survey of more than 5,000 men and women in that age group revealed that 21% believe they need to reach a certain income level in order to pursue a romantic relationship and that 30% feel that their financial instability is having a negative effect on their dating life.

That financial instability is substantial: Another recent survey, this one of 1,000 men and women in the same age group, by the financial advice site Money Under 30, found that some 45.7% of millennials receive regular monthly support from their parents, while 22% of them still live at home or get rent assistance from Mom and Dad. That said, there are certainly numerous examples of American cities where millennials own homes.

Now comes the latest bad news for the generation: 30% of the millennials polled by the market research and polling firm YouGov revealed that they feel lonely — and 22% said that they flat-out had no friends. Even some of those who did have friends replied that the had “no close friends” (30%) or “no best friends” (25%). In comparison, only 9% of baby boomers and 16% of Gen Xers complained of being friendless.

The poll offers no theories as to why millennials should feel so bereft, though it’s tempting to blame the phenomenon on increased screen time, and there is evidence that Facebook and other social media may add to loneliness and depression.

On the other hand, a 1990 meta-analysis called “Age Differences in Loneliness” pointed out that there are natural cycles in the ebbing and flowing of friendship, and that “loneliness was highest among young adults…[and] declined over midlife….”

Maybe millennials just need to get older.

Or maybe they need to take more time socializing. Like many generations before them, millennials are often accused of being lazy. Yet many young people have worked hard and created a new wave of businesses that have changed how people live.”

http://247wallst.com/media/201...hey-have-no-friends/

It’s hard for them to make friends when they spend their lives in their mom’s basement playing computer games

No friends? Put down your phone and actually interact with another human.
No money? Work. Example: My friend was hired to work in a local grocery last week. Five others were too. Four of them have called in sick for their shifts already. All of them are under 30 years old.
But in the romance department, who would want to date nowadays? Women can be a huge threat to a man, given the whole #metoo "movement". And marriage is out too. Devastating divorces, loss of your kids and the cost of child support can ruin a man. Toss in a false charge of domestic violence and you can go from your happy home to a jail cell in short order.
Maybe you are better off alone!

If they have money, there's no excuse not to have a 'friend'...

https://www.amazon.com/Lifelik...eleton/dp/B075S2GS4T

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
Maybe you are better off alone!

Not that it applies to me because I, very fortunately, am not married to a woman like that, but I have had that exact thought for some time now about young men who would be considering marriage or even any sort of domestic relationship.

quote:

But in the romance department, who would want to date nowadays? Women can be a huge threat to a man, given the whole #metoo "movement". And marriage is out too. Devastating divorces, loss of your kids and the cost of child support can ruin a man. Toss in a false charge of domestic violence and you can go from your happy home to a jail cell in short order.
Maybe you are better off alone!

Sad... but true.
We now live in a "hook-up" culture where marriage and even a "relationship" can be pretty dangerous, especially for men.
Besides, why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free? The cheap, ready availability of both contraceptives and abortion have contributed to this.
The formation of strong families has effectively been destroyed.

No friends, huh. It could be that nobody likes hanging out with losers.

Only 25% say they have no friends? I would've thought it be more like 75%. Put down the Playstation controller, iPhone and try to actually talk to other human beings.

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
No friends, huh. It could be that nobody likes hanging out with losers.

You’d think that, as smart as they are, they’d realize that being a millennial would put them in a class by themselves.

Welcome to the wonderful world that social media and electronic devices have given us. Maybe 25% of kids have no friends, but I'd wager a far larger percentage cannot communicate face to face with each other in any meaningful way. Interpersonal skills are virtually non-existent in today's youth.

Not sure if serious....

Seattle is overrun by Millennial snowflakes who all seem to work in IT, have beards and have as a best friend a controller, iPhone or computer..

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
Welcome to the wonderful world that social media and electronic devices have given us.

I'd say that's absolutely correct. Sad, empty people, whose idea of friendship is being "friended" in a non-existent world. No, not a "virtual" world- a non-existent world- a phantom, a mirage. The internet is merely a conduit, not a place, virtual or otherwise.

When I was young, you had to see people face-to-face or you simply did not meet anyone. Those acquaintances who stuck with you through the good and the bad were your true friends. I thank God that I grew up before the age of the wasteland of the internet.

quote:

though it’s tempting to blame the phenomenon on increased screen time, and there is evidence that Facebook and other social media may add to loneliness and depression.

You think? I’m not a got damn psychologist but I could have told you this years ago. Fucking Einsteins.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
You think? I’m not a got damn psychologist but I could have told you this years ago. Fucking Einsteins.

No one needs an advanced degree in any of this to see the effects. Try this. Have a church youth group party at your house. When the kids arrive, have them turn off their phones and leave them in a bowl near the front door and see what happens. I tried this and some of the kids turned around and left while the ones who stayed sat around looking at each other with any dialog appearing to be minimal and painful. There is a glimmer of hope though. After the kids had been at our home for a while, and me and another adult interacted with the group, some of the kids began to come out of their shells and participate. Just like illegal controlled substances, once the addict begins to wean off the addiction, they begin to move toward normal behavior. Unfortunately, this is never going to happen for a majority of millenials because they're unwilling to admit they suffer from an electronic addiction.

quote:

Originally posted by gearhounds:
No friends, huh. It could be that nobody likes hanging out with losers.

Couldn't imagine why no one would want to hang out with someone in skinny jeans and a fuckin man bun that's self absorbed with Twitter, Facebook, tinder, and whatever other social media apps are out there. Or the dude that thinks it's a woman, but dresses like a man, and purple/ green/fire engine red hair, and enough piercings to set off public school metal detectors, whines all the time because all the attention "it" gets is negative, and can't figure out what pronoun it wants to be called.

I'm seriously shocked that no one would like to actually, as in real life, hang out and have a few gluten free beers and quinoa salad vs on a computer.

That shit is at the top of my fuckin list of things to do today!

[/scarcasm]



Let's start with the overwhelming obvious.
Look down your pants, if you have an "outie", act and dress like you have a fuckin "outie".
If you got an "inny", act and dress like you got one of those.
Names- Don't give a fuck what mommy and daddy named you. Sky, Tree, Zee... This is where a nickname can go a long way- try John, Mary, Sue, Chet, Butch (here's the kicker about "Butch", great if you're a dude! But if you're a woman, you should be over 225lbs, probably have a mullet, heavy into woman's softball, flannel, and other women... Just an FYI) Along with this, use words like: He, She, Him, Her... It's not hard.

Don't give a fuck how "special" mommy and daddy called you... You ain't! Realize this and move the fuck on, snowflake. Your life will be better off.

Try some chicken, fish, a pork chop, move on up to a steak. One day, you might be allowed by normal people to eat this magical food we call "Bacon".

Shower. Shower again.
Use some soap while your at it. Do this stuff on a regular basis! (As in daily)
Cut your man bun off! The only exception is if you are an actual Samurai.
Shave. Just because you have a beard doesn't mean you're a man.

Learn how things work. Like a door lock, a hinge, a light switch, a faucet. Learn how to use simple tools: screwdriver, hammer, wrench... Then work your way up to sharp things such as pocket knives.

Somewhere along the line, please learn HOW TO THINK. And please THINK.


On second thought, DONT!
We need someone to point and laugh at.

quote:

Cut your man bun off!

Can't do that. Their boyfriends need a horn for the saddle.

If I find myself needing to look for another job, I'm going to say, "Yeah, I'm old, but I can take the place of at least two millennials, because I show up for work every day." With one legitimate exception, I haven't missed a scheduled day of work in … I can't even remember. At least 10 years.

I think it started well before the internet/smart phones. It was set up, what, thirty or more years ago by video games.

Back in the day, decades of driving throughout southern Illinois in Summer, every small town had baseball diamonds, they were busy everywhere. It seemed almost over night, they were mostly vacant. Not all but the vast majority. Driving through those towns, it seemed the rare kids outside were the same ones in all these towns. Overweight or skinny as a rail, pasty, dressed all in black, aimless shuffling and usually alone. The internet certainly ramped the isolation way up.

Smart phones and social media, combined with parents who overscheduled and "protected" them from _everything_, has led to some very fragile and socially crippled people.

Rates of depression and suicide are up among people whose whole lives have known smart phones. It makes me very conscious of how we allow my son access.

And once again, Hara Marano was SPOT ON back in 2008 when she published her book...



You're either a wolf or a sheep...thank you Alonzo! Millenials are FINALLY discovering that everyone doesn't get a trophy. You have to work your ass off, and yes...even have some FAILURES along the way. Yup...weep for the future.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
Welcome to the wonderful world that social media and electronic devices have given us.

I'd say that's absolutely correct. Sad, empty people, whose idea of friendship is being "friended" in a non-existent world. No, not a "virtual" world- a non-existent world- a phantom, a mirage. The internet is merely a conduit, not a place, virtual or otherwise.

When I was young, you had to see people face-to-face or you simply did not meet anyone. Those acquaintances who stuck with you through the good and the bad were your true friends. I thank God that I grew up before the age of the wasteland of the internet.

Para nailed it here. This is why I quit Facebook. I lost contact with a lot of people, but it didn’t really make a difference in my life. Para's statement about a non-existent world, makes me think if the movie the Matrix. I never did watch it really get into those movies, but it makes me think of them.