Replace “X” with anything from napkins to Applebee’s to, now, mayonnaise, and you have one of the viral headlines that have been circulating for the past few months.

The term “millennial” has a relatively shaky definition, but Pew Research Center defines it as including anyone born between the years 1981 and 1996.

So why have millennials been mercilessly killing off industry after industry? Probably because of, according to common sense and the Forbes article “5 Industries Millennials Are Killing (And Why),” the significant increase in the cost of living.

Add huge student loans and take into account that incomes have not kept up with such giant increases in cost, and there’s a clear answer as to why millennials aren’t buying things like diamonds.

I don’t think this is the real question that this slew of articles brings up.

The real question doesn’t really have anything to do with the specific industries at all. Rather, why are we using such harsh rhetoric when referring to millennials?

Why say an industry is being “killed” and not just experiencing a downturn in sales? And further, why start flinging blame on a particular group of people?

Society is far too entrenched in its idea of how people should live. Some often forget to take into account that 2018 is not the same as 1988. Technology has advanced by leaps and bounds in the last decade, rendering certain products and industries obsolete.

When was the last time anybody seriously bought a cassette player or VHS tape?

No one set out to bring about the downfall of the VHS, but as time moves forward, it should be expected that some things will be left in the past.

Technology aside, societal issues of stifling student debt and low-paying entry-level jobs requiring a college degree leave millennials without the resources to eat at a sit-down chain restaurant every night or buy a diamond engagement ring.

Older generations have a difficult time accepting this reality, that what they experienced during young adulthood is not the same as what we can expect.

This is not to say that past generations didn’t have their share of hardships, only that millennials have their own set of problems that can’t be solved well within current society.

Few people blame the Baby Boomers for abandoning the typewriter in favor of the computer. They weren’t “killing” an industry, but simply moving forward.

Change has always been a fact of life. Dragging millennials through the mud because we might not be able to order the Applebee’s two for $20 for the rest of our lives isn’t going to stop that.

Let’s accept that certain products are going to go out of style, most industries aren’t going to last forever, and that neither of these is necessarily a bad thing.

Stop using millennials as a scapegoat because some people refuse to accept change.