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When in doubt, blame the millennials

For nearly every topic, there's a study saying Generation Y is ruining things.

August 30, 2017 at 10:38AM

Upset crying girl sitting on the mobile's screen and hugging her knees surrounded by the dislike symbols / editable flat vector illustration, clip art (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

It's possible the trend of blaming millennials for killing everything from cherished traditions to entire industries might be a bit overblown.

Millennials, also called Generation Y, are generally considered the generation born from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s or early 2000s. In recent years, a slew of articles have blamed millennials for pretty much everything wrong with the United States, from societal woes to business misfortunes.

Here's a comprehensive list of everything millennials are blamed for killing. Well, as comprehensive as we can be, given their apparently unquenchable thirst for slaying.

1. Golf. They're just not into it, reported Business Insider in 2016.

2. Road cycling. The same story says millennials are into fitness classes, but not so much biking on the road.

3. Movies. The number of ticket buyers ages 18 to 24 dropped by more than one-third between 2013 and 2016, reported the New York Post.

4. Napkins. Millennials favor paper towels, according to a February 2016 survey by marketing intelligence agency Mintel covered in the Washington Post.

5. Class. A 2014 story on Unwritten says millennials are selfish and lack manners.

6. Vacations. According to a 2014 Inc. story, they don't take enough time off.

7. Bar soap. Three in five millennials are convinced that soap bars are covered in germs, reported MarketWatch in 2016.

8. Relationships. A 2016 Elite Daily story blamed online dating apps like Tinder and OKCupid for creating an impulsive dating climate that motivates millennials to keep on searching for a soul mate.

9. Marriage. If millennials aren't into relationships, it seems to follow that they're not getting married. An April report by Bloomberg found that more than half of people 25 to 34 are single, while two-thirds of people in the same age range were already married in 1980.

10. Sex. If they aren't forming long-term relationships or getting married, are millennials at least having sex? Not so much, said a 2016 New York Post story that found young people are having less sex than previous generations.

11. Homeownership. An April report found homeownership among millennials at an all-time low of 34.3 percent.

12. Wine corks. Even the lowly wine cork's not safe. Millennials drink nearly half of all wine in the United States, but they favor cans or bottles with twist-off tops, found USA Today in 2016.

13. Diamonds. Millennials would rather spend money on travel or handbags than baubles, reported the Daily Beast in 2016.

14. Department stores. A February report on Fortune said changing shopping habits among millennials are driving Macy's, J.C. Penney and Nordstrom to close stores.

15. Running. The number of finishers in U.S. races dropped 9 percent in 2015, the Wall Street Journal reported in 2016. You can guess who got the blame.

16. Cruises. A 2016 story by Caribbean News Service reported that millennials are turning up their noses at cruises, preferring "more authentic" experiences.

17. Casinos. The same story noted that millennials are by and large also uninterested in casinos, for similar reasons.

18. Dinner dates. Are online daters too busy or too cheap to eat out when they first meet? Either way, it's bad news for dinner dates, reported MarketWatch in March.

19. Focus groups. In a 2015 story, Digiday reported that millennials are so aware of marketing that it's impossible to use their input on marketing.

20. The 9-to-5 workweek. Millennials want more flexibility at work, whether working from home or setting their own schedule, reported the Huffington Post in 2015.

Is there anything they can't kill? Perhaps it's avocado toast, the much-reported favorite food of millennials. Americans spend $900,000 a month on it, reported CNBC.