Why do older generations keep branding Millennials and Gen Z as “lazy” and “entitled” when the evidence shows they’re grinding harder than ever just to keep up?
The answer lies less in reality and more in projection. When Gen X and Boomers look at younger generations, they often see their own disappointments reflected back at them. Unfortunately, it’s easier to blame their kids than confront the systems they built or enabled.
Gen X’s Unfinished Business
Gen X (1965–1980) was supposed to be next in line for power. They were the “cool, ironic” generation. They were skeptical of authority, and refused to sell out because they were so sure they’d rewrite the rules.
Instead, many found themselves sidelined. Corporations skipped over them, either keeping Boomers in charge or handing the keys to younger Millennials.
What did Gen X get in return? Bitterness. They feel like the overlooked middle child. They’re not reaping the rewards of their hard work like Boomers and that sting fuels resentment, with Millennials ending up in the crosshairs.
The Projection Problem
Here’s where it gets messy. The same Gen X that grew up mocking institutions now mocks Millennials for distrusting those same systems. The generation that prided itself on slacker irony now calls Gen Z “unmotivated.” The ones who fell into unstable jobs or gig work now accuse younger workers of being fragile.
It’s projection 101: unload your own disappointments onto someone else. What Boomers once said about Gen X, being “lazy,” “directionless,” “soft”, Gen X now hurls at Millennials and Gen Z. The cycle repeats, getting louder every time.
Millennials Weren’t Dealt the Same Hand
The facts don’t back up the stereotype. Millennials (1981–1996) and Gen Z (1997–2012) entered adulthood in the middle of back-to-back economic crises. The dot-com bust, the 2008 recession, skyrocketing student debt, unaffordable housing, and a shredded job market. What looks like “laziness” is often exhaustion from running on a treadmill that never stops moving.
Instead of cushy pensions and affordable homes, Millennials got side hustles, gig work, and endless “networking.” They didn’t fail the system. The system failed them.
Brainwashed by Headlines
The worse part is that Millennials have been gaslit into believing the lies. For years, headlines, think pieces, and gossip have hammered the idea that they’re weak, entitled, and not enough. When you’re told you’re failing long enough, you start to believe it. Even when the evidence says you’re holding up the sky.
This is what sociologists call a moral panic. Every generation convinces itself the next one is lazy, soft, or doomed. It’s not the truth, it’s deflection.
Breaking the Cycle
If Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha want a better future for themselves, they need to shake off the projections and stereotypes that older generations place on them. Learn from Gen X’s mistakes. Don’t drown in irony. Don’t cling to cynicism as a shield. Don’t keep your heads down and doomscroll while older generations laugh as you crash out.
The world you’re inheriting is messy, unfair, and scarred by the unresolved disappointments of the people who came before you. Take the wheel. Keep learning. Keep pushing yourself. Keep educating yourself and never stop learning about the world around you. You don’t have to carry the ghosts of Gen X’s unfulfilled promises. The cycle of projection can end here… only if younger generations stop believing the story they’ve been told and start writing their own.
