I, Millennial

by Tom Ballard

After 30 years of his entitled Millennial life, one world-changing pandemic and a seismic shift in Australian politics, 'comedian' Tom Ballard has had enough of the smashed avocado jokes. He’s furious at the raw deal his generation and those to come have been given, and he’s pretty sure things can’t be this crappy because of brunch. In his first book, through the power of swearing and funny pictures, he shows us how we got here, and why the need for a radical change is no joke.
 
The world is in chaos. It’s time for a revolution, goddammit, and Ballard is ready to serve as its glorious leader. (Or at least to tweet about it to #raiseawareness.)
 
It’s not your imagination: Millennials really have inherited the bill for our current ‘prosperity’, and it sucks. Millions of Baby Boomers got beach houses, free education, jobs for life and a franking credit-fed retirement; Millennials have been handed a housing crisis, crippling student debt, the gig economy, a cooked planet, a truly broken political system and now a global pandemic, as a treat. For a moment it looked like COVID-19 might radically change things – like housing the homeless and lifting the unemployed out of poverty – but it ended up just making rich ghouls like Gerry Harvey even richer.
 
In I, Millennial: One Snowflake’s Screed Against Boomers, Billionaires & Everything Else, Ballard unpicks how we got here and why. Through the power of jokes, history, interviews and sass, he decodes the state of Australian society today, and lets his fellow Millennials in on just how outraged they should be. Fact-filled and furiously funny, this sprawling book reveals shows that the real joke is how much the ruling class has been getting away with at our expense, and why a flaccid Labor government isn't going to be enough to get us out of the poo. 

It will be a must-read not just for Millennials wondering whether they’re alone in thinking things are weird and bad and massively unfair, but for anyone with an interest in how we’re making our future impossible.
 
 

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Audiobook, Humor, Australia, Autobiography, Economics

368 pages, Paperback

Published November 30, 2022

About the author

Tom Ballard is an award-winning comedian, broadcaster, philanthropist and virtue-signaller. He pretended to be cool on the triple j breakfast show for years, then went on to perform stand-up all over the world and front his own naughty late-night show for #theirABC, Tonightly with Tom Ballard. (The program was cancelled because it was too funny). He’s also guest hosted Q&A for some reason, and since 2015 he’s sat down with everyone from Lyle Shelton to Yassmin Abdel-Magied for his political interview podcast Like I’m A Six-Year-Old.

His first book, I, Millennial will publish November 2022.

Reviews

[Kirsten Forbes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A refreshing and well researched look at where we are in Australia and how we got here. Funny and informative, while being succinct and palatable. Thoroughly enjoyed and recommend.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a legend Tom is for unleashing upon the world this biting political screed against the powers that be. Ballard covers topics such as the Australian housing crisis, otherwise better known as the housing 'market'; the burden of student debt; the politics of climate change; and the rise of neoliberalism in Australia. Turns out the ALP (Australian Labor Party) oversaw much of this neoliberal shift in the closing decades of the last century before Howard came into power and shafted us even more.*

At once Ballard’s writing is informative, incisive, and...somewhat funny. Just kidding, Ballard is verrrrry funny. And while it's cliché to say this, his humour helps the medicine go down. What is the medicine, you ask? It’s learning about how monumentally things are stacked against us Millennials, forcing us to buy into a system that is perpetually selling us out.

Ballard is clear to point out, however, that while divisive generational politics makes for some great comedy, the problem is not the Baby Boomers per se (#notallboomers), but the system! He encourages us to rage against the machine, not against that poor generation who have mostly just figured out how the internet works and are now non-stop posting memes on Facebook.

Okay, okay, so if making boomer jokes isn’t the answer, then what is? This is where Ballard shines, being an Australian public figure who actually has some sound politics. He writes:

“Any political movement that’s serious about making life better in this country for ordinary people has to first and foremost be about wrenching power away from capital and towards labour, and doing everything possible to tame, erode and finally smash this system, so that it might be replaced with something better for everyone.”**

Ballard looks to the Greens as the only serious federal electoral outfit that embodies this anti-neoliberal outlook at the moment. While he acknowledges that it may be a long time before parties like the Greens can seriously change the direction of the country, he points out that the Australian people are well to the left of the major parties on most issues, and that there is room for major breakthroughs because of this.

There you have it. It’s not all doom and gloom, but we have to be serious about what we’re up against. We also have to be serious that we can win, and that we must if we want this world to be liveable for the generations (whatever they’re called) to come.

---

*Please read Elizabeth Humphrys' How Labour Built Neoliberalism: Australia's Accord, the Labour Movement and the Neoliberal Project for more on this. An excellent read.
**What a quote! Can you believe it's this guy’s first book?

[Keen Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!

“One of the more insidious consequences of privatisation is the way that it takes things that we should consider to be universal, guaranteed social rights and turn them into optional ‘treats’ that you may or may not receive, depending on how capitalism is feeling today.”

Do not be fooled or put off by the dreadful choice of cover, this is a great book. Ballard shows how the path of Australia like so many other nations in the world since the 70s has followed a path of rampant deregulation, privatisation and speculation all fuelled by greed and self-interest, with devastating consequences. The consequences of when everything is left to the markets and ideas of community are left behind.

This is packed with grim statistics, and shows how successive governments of both persuasions have went to great lengths to make the world just that bit worse for the vast majority to enrich the elite. Australia like most of the Five Eyes nations seems to work on having two major political parties, both crammed with awful lying scum, but one narrowly less awful than the other, but the one on the so called “left” has a habit of pushing through many of the right wing policies.

As well as the silly photographs and other Aussieisms, Ballard’s book has great depth and breadth and the extent of the research is impressive, and this is a hugely enjoyable read.

[Sam Carton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, just a shame how depressingly accurate it is. 340 pages detailing how screwed we are as millennials and how it got that way, 3 pages of optimism that social democracy will save us. 10 MHCP sessions won’t quite cover it.

[Aidan Tringas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Succinctly written and well researched, Tom’s book is a easily readable deep dive into the inequalities and failings of the modern Australian system, and a wonderful explanation of how it came to be.

Perfect for the lefty in your life, anyone seeking to understand how we ended up in the unbalanced universe we find ourselves in, or just for you if you feel a desire for more rage against the capitalist market driven society to overtake your body until your vision shakes and your eyes hurt.

I, Millennial is the quintessential deep dive into Australia, and why young Australians are so fed up.

Start the year right, rage against the machine.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sometimes wonder about younger people who didn't live through the 1970s, the tail end of the period of the most equal wealth distribution in Australia. How can they understand how much better things could be? Ballard’s book fills in this gap for me. It is a narrative of a younger person understanding not only how f*cked everything is now, but the hopefulness of just how much is possible.

He is funny, which makes the difficult subject easy to read. He’s well informed. From my involvement in politics, there is nothing particularly new here, it’s just a refreshing take. I feel like I’ve had a pep talk, full of little gems like:

“The trickle-down mindset and capital’s grip on our politics has created a society in which the wealth that flows from assets and investments is taxed way more lightly than people’s labour, so younger, asset-poor working Australian households tend to pay much more tax than older, asset-rich households on the same income.”

These truths, that illustrate the way the deck is stacked against people without capital, illuminate the way forwards to a fairer and better world. Ballard explains it all much better than I can. Read this book!

[Tony Tone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the title and cover art alone it would be easy to mistakenly dismiss Tom’s work as a light, fluffy HILARIOUS “comedy” book soon destined for the bargain bin. What it is is an erudite, heavily researched and brilliantly written piece of social and political analysis. Tom has said publicly this will be his first and last book, but if that’s truly the case it would be a great shame.

[Gemma Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know much about Tom Ballard but I spent the whole time reading this book saying “that’s what I’ve been saying!” The book is well written and researched and for people who are skeptical of politicians but don’t really know why, perhaps it will give you some clarity.

[Grace C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good! But sad! But very good! But so so sad.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I wasn't already furious at the state of play, I a now. Feels like this book radicalised me whilst making me laugh constantly.

[Connor Keir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good book. Some of his takes are a bit too red hot and misguided, a chase for perfection typical of greens. Also a lot of the book carry’s a tone of “me me me”. I think the major failing is that this is, for the most part, important information that is meant to be presented in a dumbed down way in comedic mater. Unfortunately it’s just not funny so it just ends up being stupid. Tom does have a very unique personality in his writing though that comes across nicely.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t even know how to summarise this one, other than to say it’s a neat summary of what led to our current day political clusterfuck through a socialist lens. It was a surprise.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who cares about rising inequality, future generations, the planet etc. should read this.

[Peter Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom is a well established and respected Australian comedian, whose recent live shows follow to a large extent the tract of this book, the observational and first hand experiences of an Australian millennial.

It is the mark of a good artist, in my opinion, that they create thought and result in emotion. My emotions to this work however were in no way what I expected.

I struggled with it. It caused ongoing emotional responses that made me pause. Reflect. Pick up again, and then again be driven into another reflective pause.

They are not, we’re not, happy thoughts.

Rather I felt somewhat like a goldfish swimming laps in its bowl and passing its new castle every 8 seconds, or the frog not to leaving its ever increasingly warm bath, my reality of reality was tempered somewhat until I picked this up.

Yes I am aware that there is increasing inequality in the world, yes I am fully conscious of the current cost of living crisis and housing affordability and availability issues that plague my immediate world and in many places globally, but Tom’s stark confrontation of the confrontations of many millennial realities are forthright and, well, horrifyingly confronting.

I’m not putting in spoilers, or examples, or quotes. I will say however that as a father of two teenage boys, I found this petrifying, of immense concern and at a wider level, as sad and poor enditment of the free market restructuring the world has followed since the 1970’s. Where that has brought us to now. Where that will very likely take our children in the years to come.

As the world continues to move further to the right politically, as the fiscal policies continue to move with it and as our general level of a societal collectivity becomes more and more individualistic, this work has created a sense of despair, distaste, disappointment and disillusionment in what we have, and will continue to leave, for the millennials who follow not that far behind from where I am now

I can’t see the castle for the first time or enjoy my warming bath today

And that’s the sign of a great artist and a great work.

If you have kids, read it.

[Holstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book about inequality along intergenerational and class divisions in Australia. A great companion read to the Serious Danger podcast too.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first you might think that this book would just be a transcribed stand-up comedy set about millennials and the current state of the world, but it becomes quickly evident that this is a much more serious investigation into what it means to currently exist as a young person in Australia. With plenty of witty remarks and humour sprinkled throughout, Ballard has conducted extensive research into the current state of the country and the challenges that face many young people and future generations. I don't know if the book would be received well by older generations, but as a millennial, I felt that Ballard perfectly explained the basis for my generation's challenges and elegantly positioned progressive politics as a possible path to a brighter future.

[Amin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK. Early on I was enjoying the book more compared to the final chapters.
Work, House and education chapters were good.
I think by design as you ease into the essays, the humour gets less and it gets more serious.
In terms of climate change it ends up with the same issue as many other, who approach the topic with an outsider view, less than a paragraph on nuclear and dismissing it with a naive and ridiculous argument.
Another observation I had was how Australian who migrated here are non existence in any serious discussion about the future and current affairs of the country.
I like Tom Ballard still, I like his comedy and I think overall he is a force for good but I don't think this would be a book that people will remember or talk about in a few years.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite funny and can be divided into following chapters:
1. Unions and how work used to be
2. Millennials and the Housing Market problem
3. University and vocational education
4. Privatisation
5. The wealthy getting wealthier
6. Global warming
The author rails against those injustices in expletive-laden and funny polemic.
By lefty / Sydney Uni socialist alternative standard this is quite tame and not enough Trots.
We want more Trots!

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a baby-boomer, the topic of this book interested me - I wanted to get to the bottom of all this inter-generational warfare - plus Nazeem Hussain said it was "a damn hilarious read". Well I wouldn't say it was hilarious -although Ballard's footnotes were laugh-out-loud funny, and it was a bit sweary, and when he got all righteous and ranty - then ok yes hilarious. But then so not funny BECAUSE HE WAS RIGHT. ON. THE. NAIL! Everything Ballard says in this book is true - it is well researched, historically accurate and very insightful - and makes so much sense. Us baby-boomers were lucky because we were born at a time in history that pre-dated the upheavals of the 70s and 80s - everyone else is a victim of the economic and political decisions of that time, and this has created division and inequality on an epic scale. This is Essential reading.

[Jennifer Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this more. It's mostly a big rant about how the world is unfair. It's packed with lots of facts and figures. Many of which are interesting, but Ballard draws some sketchy lines between those facts and figures to draw conclusions that he is unfairly disadvantaged due to the date of his birth. He fails to acknowledge that others from other generations have the same challenges. He also barely recognises that he grew up in a relatively privileged family and experienced privileges that others didn't. At times, it is a pessimistic 'woe is me' rant, BUT when he steps out of this mode, he makes some really interesting and valid points. The chapter on unionism was particularly eye opening and well written. So it's a mixed bag for me. I honestly wanted more from this book.

[Ada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incisive, funny, very well researched and more than a little bit depressing. I highly recommend this book.
With a focus on Australia, Ballard sets out how the relentless pursuit of growth and the privatisation agendas of successive governments, both Labor and Liberal, have perpetuated an ever growing gap between the mega rich and the working class, and served to wreck the planet with little regard for future generations. Particularly depressing how Labor was the architect of some of the worst aspects.
Once again, I listened to the audio book and it was great to have Tom reading it.
Everyone, please read or listen to this book!

[Emma Gerts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was brilliant. It should be mandatory reading for any millenial or zoomer who has been called a snowflake, told we don't have it any worse than our parents, or that if we ate less avo toast we'd be able to buy a house. Tom Ballard is hilarious, sharp, and this book is full of facts on why, exactly, things suck for Millenials and how capitalism has fucked us.

Gift this to any boomer in your life who needs reminding that we're part of a casualised workforce, suffering surging houseprices, on a burning palnet. And get a giggle out of it anyway.

[Smasher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-researched, well-explained, humorous¹ exploration of Australian society's ills and the awful awful systems of capitalism and neoliberalism that brought these ills on. Despite being chock full of information, it's also very accessible, so if you're not politically minded, this is probably a great intro into everything fucked about our current political/economic system.



¹The little footnoted email address provided at the end of the book, to send feedback to, gave me a big belly laugh.

[Hung · Rating 5 out of 5]

A conservative parents worst nightmare? It's like a feature length episode of Hungry Beast.

This book advocates for liberal ideology, explaining why capitalism is evil plus other economic, social, and political concepts that makes me feel smart when I am listening to it, but unfortunately went out the other ears just as quickly.

Recommended for ABC viewers and people who want to learn more about what else they can do to help make the world a better place.

[Chloe Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks Tom for making me more infuriated with the state of society!! This book was very informative and enraging, while also being an enjoyable read. As a millennial that didn’t know too much about politics a few years ago, this book has well informed me on how politicians have heavily influenced the society we live in today

[Brigid O'Meara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a giant millennial whinge - and I get that’s exactly the point. I can hear Tom’s voice in reading this, and whilst I enjoyed it I did have to take breaks and read other things (due to the aforementioned overwhelming whinge haha). Well researched and very witty.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusingly and wittily written, but - at lots of times - a rather scary portrait of the world us millennials have inherited and struggle through.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic and informative, this book has certainly opened my eyes and potentially will be influencing who gets my vote in the next political election

[Rowena Eddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read a sampler of this work. It seems well researched and his opinions are well grounded. However, his style of writing is such that I don’t feel inclined to read the remains chapters.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars