You Want Millennials to do WHAT?!

Hey y’all — Imani here, In the “Melanin Moi Millennial Corner” I’ll be here giving you my take on all things millennial, financial, and political.

It’s April 2020, and some of you are already TIRED of this year. Let’s be honest, 2020 is going nowhere as we planned. Flights are getting cancelled, bars are closed, and I can’t remember the last time I heard “would you like to start your meal with an appetizer?” I absolutely hate it here.

Obviously, the “coronavirus” also known as COVID-19 has put a damper on all our plans, and devastated our nation. Coronavirus has affected daily living activities such as going grocery shopping, going to work, hanging out with friends, and so much more. More importantly, coronavirus has left a huge impact on things like political elections, the global economy, the stock market, and paying student loans, to name a few.

Millennials, the demographic that America loves to blame EVERYTHING on, has now been tasked with another assignment: stopping the spread of the coronavirus. “Millennials are the core group that will stop this virus,” says Dr. Deborah Birx, U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy. Why Millennials you ask? Apparently Millennials are more at risk for contracting coronavirus and being asymptomatic – this means that we may carry the pathogen for the virus, but may not display any symptoms, and still pass the virus on to others.

Here’s the problem: Most millennials honestly cannot afford, or do not have the option to WFH so they can avoid contact with others. So where does the government step in? For years, we have raised concerns about the lack of basic human rights such as, paid sick leave, universal health care, basic universal income, and other ideas that could have altered the way the coronavirus is affecting the economy. Let’s take a look at how some of the things we’ve been asking for could help:

• Paid sick leave would allow for individuals to call out of work and take care of themselves and their families, without the fear of not being able to provide. Many people just can’t afford to miss out on a paycheck.
• Universal healthcare would encourage people to go to the doctor and seek help, instead of avoiding doctors and hospitals for the fear of a medical bill that could possibly later cause them to declare bankruptcy.
• Universal basic income would stimulate the economy. Have you seen the stock market lately? Investors are afraid that people will not spend money, and guess what? If they aren’t making money, they won’t spend money. In times of hard economic pressure, families stop spending on amenities such as fashionable clothing, restaurants, technology, etc., and focus on essentials such as, bills, home cooked meals, water, etc. Small businesses are hurting as a result.
• Universal basic income, would also allow for sick people to stay home. (I know former Democratic Presidential nominee, Andrew Yang is somewhere thinking, “I told you so”, and Republican Senator Mitt Romney recently proposed this in light of the Coronavirus.)

The amazing part of all of this is the gall of the American government to ask Millennials to stop the spread of the coronavirus, and not incentivizing or creating an environment that would allow Millennials to do so. Instead of blaming every failure of the United States on Millennials and telling us to, “pull ourselves up by the bootstraps”, create a society that exemplifies that human life matters. How dare the government ask “broke Millennials” to stay home, and not ask greedy big corporations to step up and do their part? Paying essential staff, like warehouse employees, grocery store workers, nurses, and doctors, hazard pay. If the government, and by extension, the community is continuously ignoring Millennials, why would Millennials listen to this message, and stay home?

It is worth noting that on March 27th, 2020 the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Security Act) was signed into law by Trump. Giving many individuals a single payment of $1200 with an additional $500 for each child under the age of 17. Although the checks will provide temporary assistance to many families, it has numerous faults, but more on that next time.