Whoopi Goldberg blamed laziness for falling birth rates and homeownership among millennials and generation Z. On Wednesday, The View discussed new data that shows the younger generations are not achieving the same economic and family goals that their predecessors had by the same age. While other co-hosts on the panel chalked it up to economic struggles and changing societal expectations, Goldberg pinned it all on work ethic, and commenters were not happy.
“Apparently millennials and gen Z have a much different view of the American Dream than past generations,” Goldberg said with a sardonic tone while introducing the segment. “Data shows that soaring inflation, student debt and limited room for advancement in the workplace has made them feel that milestones like affording a home, starting a family and excelling within the corporate structure are out of reach. Does every generation feel this way at some point? I say yes, what do you think?”
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Former Trump administration staffer Alyssa Farrah Griffin, 34, weighed in first by pointing out all the economic hurdles millennials have faced – multiple recessions including the 2008 housing crisis, the economic strain of constant wars since 9/11 and the uphill battle to afford college. Griffin also tried to articulate the mindset of struggling millennials when it comes to having children – that they might not want to start a family if they couldn’t offer their children the same economic status they enjoyed while growing up. She cited a statistic that 45 percent of people ages 18 to 29 living with their parents.
To Sunny Hostin and Sara Haines, this was a good sign that young people were thinking carefully before having children rather than just succumbing to societal pressure. However, to Goldberg these were just excuses for lazy people. She said: “Listen, every generation comes and wants to do better than their parents did. But, I’m sorry, if you only want to work four hours, it’s going to be harder for you to get a house. I feel for everybody that feels this, but, I’m sorry, we busted our behinds, we had to bust our behinds, because we didn’t have the option of going back. We had all kinds of stuff.”
When Griffin pushed back on the circumstances, Goldberg insisted that baby boomers faced equal economic struggles to millennials. She said “every generation is told you’re going to do worse than your parents,” but “You know what, people pick it up, and they do what they do and they raise themselves. This is what you’ve got to do. It’s called being a good citizen.”
Unsurprisingly, commenters were not pleased to hear this lecture from Goldberg – a 67-year-old multi-millionaire. who is paid $8 million per year for her work on The View, according to a report by CelebrityNetWorth.com. Here’s a look at how Goldberg was criticized in the hours after this segment aired.
Four-Hour Work Week
Commenters pointed out that Goldberg’s “four hours” comment came from out of nowhere and was not a citation any data. Moreover, many joked that it was ironic coming from Goldberg who is paid a huge salary for what amounts to four hours of unscripted TV per week. Of course, Goldberg likely works more than that as a producer and moderator on the show, but critics couldn’t help pointing out how spot-on the comment was.
Past Struggles
Many fans were surprised to hear this kind of commentary from Goldberg as they believed she had faced her own personal struggles early in her life. Goldberg was born in Manhattan to a nurse and a Baptist clergyman and raised in a public housing project. She dropped out of high school and worked blue collar jobs while taking acting classes until she could support herself as a performer. During that time she supported a young daughter and shared finances with spouses both in and out of the entertainment industry.
Other Factors
Fans pointed out other economic factors that weren’t covered in this brief segment, including the impact of increasingly frequent natural disasters and the rapidly growing wealth gap.
Respect is Mutual
Some defended Goldberg, saying that younger generations should respect her perspective and try to learn from it. Others fired back that Goldberg was the one being disrespectful and dismissive in this discussion.
Patience
This segment spent a lot of time on the subject of freezing eggs to put parenthood off until the economy changes, but commenters pointed out it is not that simple.
End the Struggle
Some commenters pointed out that, even if Goldberg’s logic was correct, there is nothing wrong with wanting a life free of economic struggle.
Mutual Enemy
Finally, viewers pointed out that many baby boomers are struggling in today’s economy as well, and that the frustration about families may be misplaced. In reality, the factor affecting all generations is the growing wealth gap. The View airs on weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.
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