Blowing Water | The problem with millennials? It’s not what you think

You’d be apathetic too, if you felt like you had no control over your life, Luisa Tam says

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Hong Kong’s young graduates have many challenges ahead of them. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 3:45pm, 18 Sep 2017Updated: 8:15pm, 27 Sep 2017

If you think millennials are a lazy, entitled and commitment-phobic crowd of youngsters incapable of growing up, you are not alone.

People like to moan and groan about millennials and are quick to pass harsh judgment and stereotype this so-called Generation Y. But let’s not lose sight of the real story and ignore the reasons that have driven them to become what they are today.

Sure, they are knee-deep in debt before they even start working and will need many years, if not a few decades, to pay off said debt. According to a 2013 survey by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, some of those polled said it would take them at least 20 years to pay off their student loans, which amounted on average to HK$200,000 per borrower back then.

They are stuck living at home with their parents because they can hardly afford their own place on their meagre salaries. One young local politician who has since been ousted from the Legislative Council infamously said that a lack of affordable housing in Hong Kong meant that young people do not even have enough sexual privacy. While we can agree with her logic, her delivery wasn’t as well thought out, so her comments stirred widespread criticism.

Disqualified lawmaker-elect Yau Wai-ching is no stranger to controversy. Photo: Chris Lau

To be honest, when you look at the problems millennials are facing, it all comes down to not having control over their own lives.

We all know what it’s like to be in debt, but just imagine you already owe hundreds of thousands of dollars before you even start working. Having debt hanging over one’s head would keep anyone, no matter how motivated, from reaching many important milestones in life, such as owning your first home.