As an individual who was born near the end of the millennial generation, I think I can attest to the fact that Millennials take a lot of criticism. We are lazy, entitled, narcissistic and we spend too much time on our phones. At least that’s how we are labeled. I’m not here to tell the general public to stop calling us names, because I’m sure that is exactly what they would want to hear, and I would be just another “whiny Millennial” who can’t take a joke. However, I do feel that my generation is more than what we are made out to be. We know who we are and we can handle the criticism.
Are Millennials lazy? Well I can tell you that we like to sit and watch Netflix for hours, but that is no different than the generations before us who spent hours on end watching cable TV. We may spend a little too much time staring at our smart phones, but that says nothing about our drive and ambition. You say that we need to move out of our parents’ houses and get real jobs, but it takes much more time and money to do so than ever before. You push and push every single one of us to go to college, but the cost has skyrocketed in recent years. I am not saying that we don’t want to pursue higher education and have full-fledged careers instead of low-paying jobs. The fact is that we have more obstacles to overcome to do so than previous generations did. As I said, education costs more, and the degree requirements for some careers continue to increase. Bring on the astronomical tuition and student loan debt.
Are Millennials entitled? I can’t say that we’re walking around looking for handouts if that’s what that means. Last time I checked, we never asked to be given participation trophies, or anything else that rewards anything less than success. That idea is a product of the generation that raised us. As a result of this “Yay, you tried!” attitude, are we really entitled? I don’t think that Millennials feel the world owes us anything. We value hard work as much as any generation. We are aware that we must put in time and effort in order to get a diploma, scholarship, or promotion. Why do we tend to ask for more? Because we were born into a time when the cost of living and getting an education is much greater than what many can afford. And who drove the cost of college through the roof? Who outsourced jobs in fields such as manufacturing? I can tell you that it wasn’t us Millennials.
Are Millennials narcissistic? Okay, we might take too many selfies. But why is this a problem? We are more focused on self-love than any other generation, and I think this is breaking down many of the cultural norms about how people are expected to look and present themselves. We are the generation of tolerance. We are diverse and we welcome differences with open arms. We are masters of self-expression on social media, which leads us to be more engaged with our communities and the world around us.
As Millennials, we are fortunate, yet we face adversity. We are so lucky to grow up in such a technologically advanced age, and I think we tend to take this for granted. We don’t think we are entitled to the advancements that the present day offers, we just happened to be born into it and we don’t know anything different. We love social media because we love to be connected and share our ideas. But we were born into a time in which the American Dream seems like just that, a dream. I have faith that we can make it a reality again. We will prove them all wrong. Millennials are not lazy, self-centered and looking for handouts. We will work toward our goals and become the most educated generation ever. Our numbers are powerful, and we have the power to create so much change. Watch what you say about us, because we are the future.
