Ah, the never-ending battle of the generations. Which generation is the most entitled, and which is the most hard-working? This is one of the hottest topics on the internet right now. Are the boomers right? Has Gen Z no respect for boundaries and authority? Or are the Zoomers revolutionizing the way we understand work?
To put this debate to rest, a woman made a TikTok about the misconception that the younger generations are lazy. She explained the controversial "Millennials and Gen Z don't want to work anymore" idea. It's not just about laziness – the rising cost of living and stagnant wages are also to blame.
Bored Panda reached out to Mik (aka thatginger4567) about her video and she was kind enough to answer a few questions. Scroll down to find our interview with her below!
Different generations disagree on most things, and what role work should play in our lives is one of them
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)
This TikToker explained what Gen Z and Millennials mean when they say they “don’t want to work anymore”
Image credits: thatginger4567
“I don't want to work anymore. And now everyone who's not going to watch the full video can go comment about how lazy I am, how lazy my generation is, and how we 'just don't want to work anymore.' And now for those that are still here, I will explain what we mean by that.”
Image credits: thatginger4567
“I do want to work. If I didn't work, I think I would honestly probably get so bored that I would just want to off myself. Most of us want to work. It helps give you purpose, it helps give you something to do. Hopefully, you do something you're passionate about. Luckily for me, I do do something I'm passionate about. So I genuinely like my job.”
Image credits: thatginger4567
“But the problem is, the purpose of a job is supposed to pay for you to be able to afford to live. And that's just not the case anymore. People in my generation who went to college, who did everything they were supposed to do - worked hard in school, went to a good college, graduated with their degree, yada yada, got their first job, and they can't afford to live. And we're working 40 to 60 hours a week, on average. And we cannot afford to live. We just do not make enough to pay rent, to pay for food. Everything is so expensive right now. And wages are not keeping up with the cost of living. So we are working full-time, giving up a huge portion of our lives to work, and we can't even afford to live.”
Image credits: thatginger4567
“That is why my generation is frustrated. That is why we don't want to work anymore. Because we work really hard, and we still can't afford to even get by. So what's the point? We can't afford to save. We can't afford to buy things we want. We can't afford to go out and do fun things. We can barely afford to pay our rent, and buy food.”
Image credits: thatginger4567
“A lot of us have two or three jobs or work a full-time job and have several side hustles. That is the case for me. And then older generations just look at us and they're like, 'You're not working hard enough. This is your fault. You're not working hard enough.'”
Image credits: thatginger4567
“The reason we can't get by is because the cost of living since the '90s has gone up 67%, while the wages have only gone up 18%. So wages have not kept up with the cost of living. That is why we can't afford to live. Not because we're lazy, not because we don't work, not because we don't want to work anymore. That is why. That is all.”
Image credits: thatginger4567
“We're also in extreme debt because everything is so much more expensive than it used to be. College is way more expensive than it used to be. Cars are way more expensive than they used to be. Housing - way more expensive than it used to be. And on top of all that, politicians and older generations are destroying our environment, not doing anything to protect it. So we don't even know that there'll be a habitable earth when we're older, to live in. So yeah, that makes us pretty pessimistic and nihilistic and not want to work.”
Image credits: thatginger4567
The woman’s video was relatable to many -- it went viral and got over 2 million views
The creator of the video says she feels frustrated because of the financial crisis and the attitudes of the older generations
The motivation behind making this video for Mik is the situation many young people currently find themselves in. "I made this video because as a young person in the workforce, I have become very frustrated by how little wages have kept up with the cost of living," she tells Bored Panda.
"The cost of living has gone up almost 67% since the ‘90s whereas wages have only gone up 18%. As a result, workers cannot afford to pay their bills and make a living on their current salary."
And she's not wrong. Self Financial did a report in 2023 that found the annual salary for U.S. college graduates decreased by over 10%. After adjusting for inflation, graduates earned $68,342 in 1984, $7,254 more than graduates in 2023.
Mik also feels frustrated because of the older generation's attitude towards her peers. "To make matters worse, older generations blame younger generations for not being able to make it in today’s economy."
"They label us as 'lazy' and entitled for not being able to make enough to live even though most of us work very hard and have multiple jobs. The reason we cannot make it in today’s economy is because we don’t make enough to keep up with the cost of living, not because we are lazy," the woman explains.
Image credits: charlesdeluvio (not the actual photo)
The reactions to the video highlight the generational divide between Gen Z/Millennials and Boomers
We asked Mik how she feels about the feedback she got from people on TikTok. "I didn’t really expect a particular response," the creator says. "I guess I thought younger generations would agree with me while older generations wouldn’t and that is basically the response I got."
This is still the most-watched video on her page with 2.2 million views and over 300k likes. Although the amount of comments is massive, the overall reactions are what Mik more or less expected.
"Most Gen Z and Millennial commenters seemed to agree with the sentiments I shared," the TikToker admits. "Whereas older generations continued to comment that my generation was lazy and entitled."
Like many people in her generation, Mik doesn't have any delusions about how the world works. "Honestly, I think a lot of people in my generation struggle to cope with feelings of uncertainty about the future. Many of us have pessimistic and nihilistic outlooks."
How does one cope with these feelings of uncertainty about the future? "I feel like we just try to live in the moment instead of focusing so much on the future since it is so uncertain," the creator says. "We focus on living in the now instead of living for a future that isn’t promised."
Image credits: Ibrahim Rifath (not the actual photo)
Gen Z approaches work differently, but does different mean worse?
Resume Builder published a survey on May 15, 2023. In it, 74% of people in managerial positions said they find Gen Z difficult to work with. Young employees clash with their older colleagues because of their different approach to work.
One young worker told the New Zealand 1News the essence of the Gen Z and Millennial work ethic. "I should be providing value for you, and I should only want to work for you if you can provide me the value as well. It should go both ways."
The things that the younger generations are demanding are not astronomical changes. 3 out of 4 boomers and Gen Xers also say they care more about who they are outside of work. The difference is that Gen Z and Millennials voice their demands to achieve that work and life balance.
The younger generations want to know that their boss values the time and effort they put into their work. What's the point of being an invisible cog in a giant corporate machine if you can't even pay for your apartment? That's the question the younger generations are asking.
Image credits: Marten Bjork (not the actual photo)
People flocked to the comments to share why they also don't see the point in working
