Is anybody else tired of being a millennial?

The irony is not lost on some of us.

There seem to be different understandings of what exactly a "safe space" is. This site, of course, is one, by one definition. As I've said before: people who are explicitly anti-gay cannot post on this site. They will be banned. That is not the real world; in the real world you cannot always avoid people who are explicitly anti-gay. But this site caters to people who may experience that kind of hostility in real life and ensures a place where they will not have to encounter that kind of opposition and hostility.

Any club or organization could potentially be seen as a "safe space". A Christian group on campus is obviously not going to allow anti-Christian atheists to join. A woman's group won't allow misogynists, a Republican group won't allow vitriolic Democrats. These are all potential "safe spaces" and I bet many people on this site who denounce safe spaces are involved in several, notwithstanding this site, the most obvious example of all.

 

I think the idea of opposition is getting mixed up with aggression.

Is this site just a chat room for gay people? Or is it a place where people who are questioning, feel troubled, or are going through a rough time can look for advice and help?

The act of questioning yourself is you challenging what you think about yourself, right? Isn't that a good thing? So, isn't it a good thing for others to challenge you?

I see many posts here that go something like this:

"I have feelings X, Y, Z and my parents/friends/peers don't accept me/hate me ."

Now if the response to this is something like...

"If they don't accept you for you then why do you want to continue to have a relationship with them?"

...then often times, but not always, you will be ignored or attacked.

If however you say...

"Oh, don't worry. You're just the most special person ever and those people are wrong and evil and you should just continue being friends/family with them until you've worn them down to the point where they like you"

...then you are praised and thanked for confirming how they feel inside, and this confirming of their feelings might not actually help them beyond a temporary reprieve from depression. It's similar to giving a homeless man a bag of McDonalds. He's full for now, but in a couple hours he's going to be hungry again. I'm not saying you shouldn't try to help. I'm just saying it's a band-aid on a stab wound and will only do so much.

So what is the point of a safe space if all it is about is patting you on your head and sending you on your way? It seems to me that a "safe space" isn't about a lack of opposition, just a lack of violent aggression. Without opposition, and without others challenging irrational behavior this is just a gay themed chat room to make you feel better for a minute or two.

 

Nope. While there are annoying parts of being a Millennial, I'd take it over being a gay guy in the '50s any day.

 

You are right. I am old enough to do the comparison. Some of the tragic threads on this site notwithstanding, today is real progress.

And indeed Millennials sure get a lot of bashing these days. Unfairly, I think. In contrast to the LGBT conditions today, there are some things about the 1950's that were better than similar things today, I think. We had freedom to go out and discover things on our own, visit our friends, ride our bikes around the neighborhood. Now, parents are "required" to keep their kids under surveillance, observation, and custody 24/7. I honestly don't know how your generation has survived this.

As I recall us Boomers, most of the time when I have an interaction with a younger person today I am very impressed with many things about them. Generally speaking. You're doing all right. And I can't wait until you start taking more positions in the House of Representatives and state legislatures, too.