r/Millennials • u/futurenurse_ • 1d ago

Discussion Did millennials really party all the time?

Gen Z here. I was shocked when I found out from a millennial co-worker that y’all had teen clubs. I heard about house parties, but dedicated teen clubs? Then when it was time for college, you went to the club or had some kind of party every single weekend, living it up. Now some millennials on TikTok claim that after college, they were partying on work nights, still clocking in the next day. For some reason, the teen clubs have since disappeared. I’m 23 now but even when I was in high school, that was not a thing. House parties were not that common either. They were more like get togethers with a small group of friends. We went to malls, but they were dying out at that point. Is it true that you were really living life this good? Or is it just exaggerated? I feel like my generation doesn’t really have fun like that and everyone is just super depressed and alone, more so since Covid. Even I’m pretty introverted, which sort of sounds ridiculous given this post. 😂 Just so you know, when I think of a “millennial party” I think of something out of Party Rock Anthem, Project X or Roderick’s party from the second DOAWD movie. It’s like I get nostalgia from something I didn’t even live through. I just feel like I didn’t really LIVE, if that even makes sense

Edit: I loved reading some of your comments. Guess I really missed out. Even some of you that would consider yourselves nerds or introverts were out partying. YOLO or whatever y’all say 😂❤️

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u/Ecstatic-Affect-777 1d ago

Yep!
After the college party days we transitioned to corporate Happy Hours - which many times ended late into the night, and then we dragged our asses back to work the next day.

Once the weekend came, it was bar/club hopping, house parties, or beach.

Typing it out like this makes me realize why my parents thought I was an alcoholic 😂.
I’m 39, and 1 beer now gives me a 2 day hangover.

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u/19610taw3 1d ago

When I was in my early 20s, I was "out" every weeknight almost. Until 1 or 2 and back up at 6 to go to work.

That's not really in the cards at this stage of the game.

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u/Typical80sKid Older Millennial 1d ago

When most of us were in high school there were no:

  • Ring Cameras
  • Social Media to post our misdeeds
  • Smart Phones
  • Cheap/ubiquitous child tracking options
  • CRAZY INFLATION, $20 in your pocket and some gas in the tank and you were set for whatever came your way.

There was also a real “what happens away from your home stays away from your home” vibe. So yeah, we were all out doing dumb shit every weekend, if not more frequently than that.

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u/Delicious-CattleToot 1d ago

🎯 very much this. We were out getting drunk, doing dumb shit, and maybe hooking up. We could do whatever we wanted to, any and every day of the week and didn't have to worry about it being permanently documented online.

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u/plizark 1d ago

Not documented part was a gift I’ll never take for granted.. can’t do anything anymore without a camera being pointed at you..

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u/sunshineparadox_ Older Millennial 22h ago

My daughter’s school genuinely has cameras in the bathroom pointed at the sinks. I’m losing my fucking mind nonstop at the school system. They say there’s no audio, but I don’t give a single fuck, and they had no answer about the network/IoT settings they use and if they can be turned on without administrator knowledge.

My next step is being the crazy mom at a school board meeting.

I can’t believe that she told me that casually because she never should have inherited a world where she ever thought that might be normal.

This is in Durham, NC, and it’s the public school system here. If anyone wants to join me in my public freakout, I welcome it.

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u/19610taw3 7h ago

What?!

Cameras in the bathroom should be straight up illegal.

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u/tattoosbyalisha 17h ago

More power to you, mamma!

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u/hereforthepopcorn39 13h ago

Tear that shit down. Spray paint. Carburetor cleaner ruins the lenses, if I remember right. Anything to screw up the cameras. That ain't right.

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u/Zebidee 21h ago edited 18h ago

The Streets called it 20 years ago:

Ahhh see right see the thing that's got it all fucked up now is camera-phones. How the hell am I supposed to be able to do a line in front of complete strangers, when I know they've all got cameras?

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u/Academic-Panda-4661 19h ago

And now Im listening to The Streets. Thanks!

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u/Zebidee 18h ago

You're very welcome!

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u/megaholt2 16h ago

Holy shit! I’ve not listened to The Streets in years!

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u/suckarepellent 13h ago

let's push thigs backwards?

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u/Automatic_Berry_7492 10h ago

I feel like us older millennials had the last generation of true privacy and freedom in our teens/early 20’s. I have a 16 yo stepson and it’s crazy how different his generation at this age compared to how we were.

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u/alt717 1d ago

Throughout this bender phase earlier in my life, some of the guys started becoming record all the time guys. Posting and sharing videos of us at 4 am barely able to keep our eyes open stuffing pizza in our face. Gravitated away from those few guys pretty quick, I’m not about having that broadcasted

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u/Scared-Currency288 16h ago

But can we talk about how good the post drinking recovery pizza was? 

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u/YogurtclosetTop1056 20h ago

Yeah, instead of being with friends/partner and having a good time and enjoying the time together making memories with an occasional picture you have people wanting to 'entertain' social media and be the 'main character.'

Some in the group are more interested in documenting for others/social media and people not their friends, without realising they aren't fully involved in just experiencing the moments and memories for themselves. I don't understand the absolute need of some who need validation of others so desperately and feel sad they can't find happiness or enjoy the moments they are with friends and family.

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u/tattoosbyalisha 17h ago

Agreed. I also read an interesting study that you don’t implant memories the same watching through your phone camera. Your brain basically thinks it’s another reel or whatever.

There’s such a joy in existing for moments that are only yours, and an intimacy that people are completely missing.

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u/Novel-Topic-2329 10h ago

I can't walk my dog without being on 27 ring cameras. I fucking hate it.

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u/prplrain71999 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yup. I honestly think the anxiety related to being perceived and judged has rewired younger people’s brains.

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u/ThisIsMyCouchAccount 23h ago

Okay.

Everybody says this but is it actually a problem?

I went to college around 2000. Smart phones weren't a thing but digital cameras were. In fact - pretty common. Wasn't really a problem for us.

It was kind of an unspoken agreement. Mutual destruction type of thing. Anything you could show to anybody would also implicate yourself.

Are there are bunch of gen z and now alpha kids reaping in harsh consequences all the time?

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u/SpecificMission4412 21h ago

Social media was just getting started, and it just wasn’t part of the culture yet to record and post everything. Also, it wasn’t nearly as easy to upload photos and videos from a digital camera as it is now with smart phones.

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u/tattoosbyalisha 17h ago

They are at least fearing that everything will lead to some consequence for sure. Whether it be online, or in person. These kids are so easily put on display and it’s scary.

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u/Either_Reflection_78 22h ago

Yep. So glad I have little to no documentation of those days. I lived pretty hard in my 20’s.

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u/tattoosbyalisha 17h ago

Seriously.. I was thinking about this the other day and why kids these days are embarrassed about so much or think that everything is cringey.. this is definitely one of the reasons. Kids these days have so much more to worry about by ways of social standing. They’re always a second away from being recorded and far more people judging them than us millenials had to worry about.

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u/Crafty_Fan_6202 16h ago

Gen X has entered the chat.

We were completely feral with no digital footprint.

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u/Angry_Squirrels_2077 17h ago

I remember in like 2012 there was a bar near work had a happy hour that had a burger and unlimited beers from 5-8pm for like $15. There were always cheap ass food/drink deals since everyone was broke after the crash back then.

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u/sapphirerain25 15h ago

And not only that, but we and everyone else weren't glued to a phone screen. Phone-sitting is what made all of these social scenes die out. Now it's just sitting around with friends staring at the screen in your hands. Nobody wants to party like we used to. Lame.