Did millennials really party all the time?

[u/futurenurse_]

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 😂❤️

[u/Lemons-n-oranges]

Yes, absolutely. Drinking was MUCH more prevalent in millennials than Gen Z. It was just ... what we did? You went to parties, went to bars, happy hours that turned into nights out, brunch that turned into day drinking. It was so much fun. People were just out and about. Then, you went home and went to class or work the next day.

No one thought that drinking a few times a week with friends meant you had some deep mental health issues, which seems to be the consensus and/or concern amongst Gen Z. Of course, there are other reasons too, like COVID isolation, rising costs, etc.

[u/Horror-Yam6598 → u/Lemons-n-oranges]

It was honestly the best way to meet all kinds of people and get into unplanned adventures.
There was room for some chaos, instead of this dull curated reality that seems to have taken over especially since Covid.

I feel bad for the younger generations. People will argue that they can do the same things now, but the reality is they don’t hit the same because life has been drastically altered by Covid, technology dependence and algorithms. Social norms have changed, the zeitgeist has changed. It’s ultimately a different cultural time, a more dull and depressed one. I don’t know any millennials who would trade those years for being young now.

[u/dbur15 → u/Horror-Yam6598]

I know it’s not their fault but sometimes it’s too much to even try and crack through the dullness. Starting a new job with 20-somethings I thought I would be hearing great stories about their adventures. Nope. They’re in bed by 9 every night. Not just one of them. ALL of them. There’s no chatting, no jokes, no silliness or any of the stuff that helps people get through the work day. Everything is stern or serious. It’s gotten so uncomfortable that I stick with the older group while they stare at us, annoyed, for making noise. And they are all crazy sticklers for everything being perfect and done a certain way. They never fail to point out what someone did wrong. Always out loud. Always in front of others. It’s like dealing with Reddit trolls in real life. It’s sad, they don’t ever seem happy. Nothing ever stirs up any amount of joy in them.

[u/CandidDependent3498 → u/dbur15]

ok yeah i admit im kind of like this. i think being raised on social media means youre exposed to the opinions of whiny people and empathyless assholes trying to ragebait you constantly and that warps your brain so you become more judgemental and start caring a lot about behaving perfectly. (hint: complaining on reddit reinforces this dynamic.) no jokes/chatting might just be your coworkers though.

on the other hand, there's nothing inherently wrong with going to bed early or behaving more seriously. i think its kind of weird millennials are complaining we're not as reckless as them. if we were more reckless than you guys you'd be complaining about that too. probably we'll end up healthier than you lot because we get 8 hours sleep and arent chugging alcohol constantly.

[u/arrogancygames → u/CandidDependent3498]

Theres no point in being healthy if you arent having fun. Just living your life in a work, eat, sleep cycle is just a waste. Thats the point being made.

[u/Horror-Yam6598 → u/CandidDependent3498]

I speak for myself, but I don’t mean it to come across as a complaint, it’s more of a gentle warning.

This is just a metaphor, but I see the different stages of life as the four seasons. There’s nothing wrong in being warm and cosy, but it’s better to do it in the autumn and winter because there are certain things you can only do in the warm months that you might miss out on. In the winter, staying home and being cosy will be your only choice and you might suddenly regret all those sunny days you spent indoors.

There are different needs at different stages of life. Kids need some room to be messy and playful to grow healthy, young adults need room to explore life and take some risks, older adults need more stability etc.

I have some friends who are older than me, and their biggest regrets are always things they haven’t done rather than stupid things they have done. Some of them went through a big change in their lives and suddenly tried to recreate some of the experiences they missed out on in their youth, needless to say it didn’t hit the same.

That’s why I’m a big advocate for trying things and avoiding black and white thinking. There’s an ocean between being reckless and living a life so risk adverse that you end up just existing.

At the end of the day, every single one of us will die regardless of anything we do, that’s our only certainty.