This year, the 18 to 30 set was blamed for destroying everything from the military to the beef industry. And just about everything else.
The Auto Industry
Fewer 20-somethings than ever have their licenses, and beyond that, they're not buying cars. There are plenty of reasonable explanations — people are starting families later, they're more insecure about finances, and more are living in cities where cars aren't necessary.
But the bottom line is: car manufacturers are kind of FREAKING out.
Image by Larry Downing / Reuters
The Housing Market
For many of the same reasons people in their 20s aren't buying cars, they also aren't buying homes. A Huffington Post report says: "Millennials could be dragging down the housing market, and — in effect — the national economy."
Oops.
Image by Shannon Stapleton / Reuters
Restaurants
in 2012, Millennials, on average, enjoyed one less meal out per week than they did five years ago. Harry Balzer, chief industry analyst at researcher NPD Group told USA Today: "This is a shift of biblical proportions for the restaurant industry."
Biblical! What Would Millennial Jesus Do?
Image by J Pat Carter / AP
The Nation's Capital
An older Washington, D.C. blogger railed against the city's attempts to engage residents in their 20s this year: "Gracious streets have become clogged with bike lanes, bus shelters are lit up with advertising, and national parkland is threatened with children’s play equipment."
Advertising and bike lanes: the demise of culture as we know it.
Image by Jacquelyn Martin / AP
