Millennials are known for our lack of interpersonal communication skills and our inability to keep information private and personal, which is owed largely to our shortened attention spans and the exponential growth of social mediums. But, most importantly, millennials are notorious for our innate instinct to locate, track down and photograph our holy grail: brunch, regardless of what it looks like outside.
This past weekend, winter storm Jonas took New York and several other eastern coastal states by, well, storm. Approximately 30 inches fell from Friday through Sunday, and many states were forced to declare a state of emergency. Hundreds of flights were cancelled, cities were on temporary shut-down, and power outages were abundant. That didn’t stop our generation from braving the cold to get that perfect angle of poached eggs in the few local restaurants that were open and serving mimosas and hot coffee as a way to lure in those willing to make the trek on foot.
As we enjoyed Utah’s less severe temperatures, I noticed a surprising amount of outdoor activity being displayed on my East Coast friends’ Instagram accounts. Sledding, snowball fights, frolicking, you name it — the storm didn’t deter my peers from making the best of cancelled flights and snow days to stock up on groceries and food with friends.
Today’s young people are strangely resilient, in a pretty backwards way. We will literally find any way we can to make money (plasma donations) and save money (frantically checking eBay and Amazon for used textbooks) in order to spend it on our plethora of true vices: brunch, coffee, clothes, alcohol. Basically, you name it, people are finding a way to buy it on a budget. In this same headspace, we also are guilty of “selective living,” meaning we may complain and pout about the cold weather when we are trudging through the snow on our way to class or work, but when it comes to getting the perfect Insta filter for your adorable sledding picture, we suddenly forget how cold we’ve been all winter.
This weekend’s storm uncovered some true intentions of the youth of America and somewhat reinforced our generation’s powerful, self-serving drive for tireless work, taking what you want or making sure you find a way to get it for yourself — but only if it’s going to serve us in the way we want it to.
Luckily for a handful of local businesses, this “go get ‘em” attitude turned out to be beneficial. The demand was definitely still there, and they knew providing the supply would add extra brownie points for their business in the future. People would remember how dedicated and generous the staff and managers had to be in order to be open in spite of the apocalyptic climatic conditions.
Storm Jonas proved to be debilitating, dangerous and short-lived, but revealed, in its wake, the fun, carefree world that is quickly being crafted and molded by Millennials. Let’s just be thankful that we haven’t had to snowshoe to Blue Plate Diner for a country Benedict yet this year, but who knows what Mother Nature has in store for us next.