Rugged individualism killed the Millennial activist. While social and political issues were impressed upon this generation from childhood, when the cards are down it's everyone for themselves. Individualism was the other value they we're raised with.
It's why in spite of holding enough electorate power they do not assert it. It's why millennials don't run for office or if they do they have zero solidarity among their own cohort.
I think a key difference lies in the way Baby Boomers were born in huge families with many siblings and first cousins. The parents cranked out half a dozen kids. They had to raise each other. They grew up in a period of collectivism.
Millennials were born to an age of the nuclear family in the era of mass production. It was a time of over abundance. It was Fukuyamas "end of history". The parents had one or two kids. They were treated like little princes and princesses destined to inherit humanity's final social and political form that is liberal democracy. That is faltering and Millennials have no idea what to do about it.
edit: I also want to add that a lot of millennials are comfortable enough to not have to care. This has been very unpopular to point out on reddit. While the middle class has been disappearing that doesn't mean everyone got pushed to the lower class. A lot of millennials made it to the upper half. There's no reason for them to be protesting.
