Millennialnoun mil·len·ni·al : a person born in the 1980's or 1990's —usually plural

We've all heard the term, usually followed by something negative. Millennials aren't respectful of their elders, millennials are so dependent on technology, so on and so forth. People summarize our entire generation by our actions, but what about those of us who don't fit the standard?

I'm sure you've heard the rant about how awful millennials are, saying "we're just existing" and "we're not really contributing anything to society." I call bullshit. 14-year-old Taylor Rosenthal (great name kid!) just patented his first-aid vending machines. 11-year-old Lily Born invented the Kangaroo Cup, a cup for people with Parkinson's disease. You're telling me that's not contributing to society?!

So how can this girl come along and tell me I don't contribute to society, I don't have manors or respect, that I'm just existing? She doesn't even know me, and neither do the other billions of people who assume I am exactly like the "rest of my generation". Stop calling me a millennial. If being a millennial is a bad thing, I don't want to be one.

You might say "of course there's exceptions to the rule." Why? Why can't you just say that there are some deadbeats in my generation, just like there were plenty in the last one, and the one before them. Why does my entire generation take the fall for the people who's parents never taught them manors? How can you look at me on my phone and blame me for the decline in society as a whole?

I am not going to say that technology isn't a huge part of my life. I am so thankful for it and I am thankful to be a part of the growth of technology. Why does that make me a bad person? Just because I have the option to have any information I could ever need in the palm of my hand and kids didn't have that 30 years ago doesn't mean I'm missing out on anything! Technology opens so many doors. Society is constantly changing, growing, and it's not my fault that technology happens to be a huge part of society today.

When you say "she's a millennial" you've made that word into an insult. You're throwing all kinds of implications at me when you might not even know my name. You have molded my generations defining word into something bad and rude when all I've done is adapt to the society I live in. Don't you dare tell me my generation is the only generation without manors. I can't tell you how many truly awful adults I've come across in my 18 years. Stop shooting the blame at the young adults and take a second to consider why we are the way we are. We are a product of our parents. Don't blame me for acting the only way I know.

Stop calling me a millennial because society has turned it into something I don't want to be a part of. If millennials are rude, have no respect, and don't contribute to society, I cannot be called a millennial. My parents raised me right, with respect for those who deserve it and good manors. So don't call me a millennial, because I'm not one.