Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation Book Review

Every generation has it’s myths. The myth of the millennial generation (born between 1981 and 1996) is one or more of the following: we are lazy, we are too into technology, we are stuck in perpetual adolescence, etc.

The truth is as far from the stories as one can get.

Can’t Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation, by Buzzfeed writer Anne Helen Petersen, was published last fall.

According to the author, the millennial generation (of which I am a part of) is defined by one word: burn out. Between the pressures to succeed in the workplace, create a perfect image online, and keep busy, it is no wonder we are exhausted. Her thesis is that this generation was trained early on by parents and teachers that we are judged solely by our achievements. That pressure was compounded by the Great Recession of 2008. Through no fault of our own, the opportunities for professional and income growth will forever be limited. The job security that previous generations were used to no longer exists.

She further explores the growing mental health crisis, the expectations from social media, and that in spite of how far we have come, women are still doing much of the housework and childcare.

I loved this book. It once and for all puts to bed the ideas of this generation and reveals the facts. We don’t want a handout, we are not glued to our phones, and we are far from lazy. We just want the same chances as our parents and grandparents. The problem is that those chances do not exist in the same way as they did in the past.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

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Covid-19: You Know Who’s Tulsa Rally & the Woman Who Learned the Hard Way

If there is one thing I have come to appreciate in the last few months, it is that the scientists are the truth-tellers. The information they have about Covid-19 may change as new facts come to light, but the basic truths about this disease remain unchanged.

I’m not usually the type of person to smugly remark “told you so” when someone does something stupid, but sometimes, it is warranted. According to an article on Buzzfeed, a woman in Florida had a girls night out with fifteen of her friends. All have tested positive for the virus.

Speaking of, you know who’s rally in Tulsa is scheduled for Saturday. According to his campaign officials, the event is nearly full. Public health officials are concerned because the number of cases in Oklahoma is rising fast. Attendees are not required to wear masks or follow social distancing rules. They also must sign a waver when they register for tickets. The waver is as follows:

“By clicking register below, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present,” the disclaimer reads. By attending the rally, it goes on, “guests voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19” and “agree not to hold the campaign or venue liable”.

What sticks out to me is that the people who are running the campaign know exactly what they are doing. They know that the risk of getting sick rises exponentially when one is in an indoor venue with thousands of other people while ignoring the warnings from the scientific and medical communities. The fact that attendees are required to sign the waiver speaks volumes.

The fact is that this virus has killed and will continue to kill. Given that we know that much, our political leaders should be doing all they can to minimize the number of deaths. They should not be holding massive rallies, knowing full well the damage this disease can cause. The fact that you know who is holding this rally, in spite of this knowledge, tells me everything I need to know about his leadership abilities.

G-d help us if he wins another term in November.

Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman Book Review

From an early age, women are taught to conform. If we do not conform, we are labelled as outsiders and called names that are meant to shame us for our rebellion.

Earlier this year, Buzzfeed culture writer Anne Helen Petersen published Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman. She writes about a number of women who by reputation have stepped out of what is considered to be a normal woman. The list of women profiled includes tennis star Serena Williams, actress Melissa McCarthy, Madonna and Hillary Clinton.

This book is one of my favorite books of 2017. I loved it because not only did it call out the b*llsh*t that women have to deal with on a daily basis, but it also honors the women who give a middle finger to conformity and choose to live as they want to.

I absolutely recommend it.

Men Experiencing Childbirth… A Dream Come True

It can be said that until you walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, you can never truly understand their perspective on life.

With that, I present, men experiencing simulated childbirth.

I have to admit that I got a little kick from this video. If men could truly understand what the experience of childbirth is like, I could possibly predict with a fair amount of certainty that the laws that prevent a woman from making her own decisions about her body would disappear in a heartbeat.