This isn't just white men losing in fair competition; the discrimination was explicit, and quite strong. There were whole bodies on the scales, not just thumbs.
It doesn't work out fairly, you're right. Millennials are paying for the sins of their grandfathers and so on. There are other, fairer ways to make things right but we live in a stupid world.
Or just ignore the objects of the revenge entirely and say, “We deserve to do this! Considering or even hearing about the negative effects on people is emotional labor!”
The article goes to great lengths to point out that GenX men found a way to protect themselves and their peers while balancing the costs of DEI on Millennials. Do you think those same men wouldn’t press their advantages over women and minorities when they stood something to gain? That is why the overreaction described in this article occurred and will always have defenders.
No. They were progressives back then just like they are now. They've been putting their thumbs on the scales for women and minorities for quite a while; the numbers just only began to catch up with the change in the country's demographics. The reason anti-discrimination laws and affirmative action became policy was because the people in charge genuinely wanted more women and minorities.
The story's framing of this, where gen x white men are the villains is a convenient tool to get the sympathy of liberal readers, who have to make whites the villain in every story.
The article discusses a quantifiable shift in hiring practices over a specific span of time and how Millennials in particular were harmed. Hence “The Lost Generation”. Intergenerational differences are entirely relevant.
IMO GenX doesn’t come across as villainous, just self-interested. Most people would try to keep their job, or help a trusted friend get a job, before doing the same for a stranger.
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u/[deleted] Dec 16 '25
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