Whether you raised us, watched us grow up or judged and hated us from afar, we have made an impact on this world. Positively, we have pushed for reform and developed new technology and ideals that have taken this world by storm.
Negatively, we have the most unemployed people and some millennials have poor work ethics and "all about me" attitudes, but we did not end up this way on our own — so here are 5 things older generations need to understand about millennials.
1. We are not all lazy, unproductive members of society.
There are more than enough of us that have been trying to be useful and been shot down than any other generation. It is damn- near impossible for any of us to get a job while attending school since we have to have a degree or experience, which we can hardly get because no one will hire us. Our high school and college graduation numbers are higher than ever and there are more millennials volunteering or donating to charities. We were raised by "helicopter parents" who can't let go — so forgive us for using a crutch that forced onto us our entire lives.
2. We are a social media based generation, but that does not mean we are less educated about current events.
For one, there have been more benefits of electronically based news sites than there have been downfalls — so that is not a factor. For two, social media sites are a quicker, more convenient and accurate way for news to get to people. It can alert an entire state quicker than the breaking news announcement on channel 6 can. Saying "you get your news from Twitter, what do you know" is NOT an insult to someone who read and was able to research an incident quickly before the news vans could get across town to research the incident.
3. We have feelings, and we aren't going to hide them so that your day is smoother.
As much as we complain and cry, we also know when it is time to get to business and move on with our day. We may have coined the term "mental health day" and been called "too emotional" but why are those negative? Having emotions is completely human and being empathetic or having a rough day is not something I should be bullied about. No one has it easy in this life - and the way that I express my feelings doesn't need to have an impact on you at all, I can have my day off to get myself together and be fine; I don't need to come home and drink a 12 pack and pretend my feelings don't matter.
4. You may be the people we are failing to impress, but not due to lack of trying.
When we have an opinion, we talk too much. When we don't, we are ignorant. When we try being advocates for something we believe in, we are "starting a problem." When we ignore it and move on we don't care enough and are lazy. We are doing our best — if we keep being berated and belittled we are never going to learn which is better. Constructive criticism would be appreciated and helpful if we are ever going to be able to live up to the sky-high expectations set for us.
5. We are humans, just like you, so we are going to make mistakes.
Like I said before, we aren't perfect but we are doing our best. Sometimes we may push for something that is not beneficial. Sometimes we may do something that poorly reflects our character, but how many times have you guys made mistakes? The need for a civil reform movement and immigration reform are prime examples that you older gens have made mistakes and bad judgment calls that put us in some turmoil we are in today. We aren't a united nation — because older generations put restrictions on basic human rights, so I think you could probably cut us some slack?
As a millennial, I guess I may be biased, but I think we have made some great advancements in the world. We have cleaned up political messes, gathered people together in times of crisis, saw the country at it's worse and hoped for better and we can't continue without acceptance from every generation for every generation. There are so many things that still have some work to be done, but with some partnership, we will figure it out. Give us some time and patience, you will see that we can change this world.
