The video above was made by Alexis Bloomer from Texas. Bloomer hosts her own show called “Alexis Bloomer Live” where she interviews various individuals and celebrities, especially during rodeo finals. She felt the need to record this video after she encountered a few young men ignoring a limping old man at a post office.

For weeks, I scrolled passed this video on my Facebook feed. After finishing my last final of my freshmen year of college, I finally decided to watch her video rant. Upon reaching the video’s ending, I was unsure what to feel. Was I angry with her accusations of our generation? Did I agree with her opinions? Or was I conflicted because I feel as though I am guilty of what she says millennials do? I have concluded that I felt--honestly--all of the above.

So, I decided to find out more about Miss Alexis Bloomer and found some clips of her show on Youtube and an interesting interview with her on Fox News (video below). After watching parts of her talk show, as well as the interview, she seems like an interesting individual who has something to say, whether it be profound or just fun to her. While it is hard to get a feel for someone’s true self after seeing how he or she acts in front of a camera, the fact that she was not angry or over-the-top in anything that I have seen her in makes me have some respect for her.

However, there are some parts of the rant that made me squint and turn my head in thought and judgment. What follows is the criticism and praise I have about her rant.

Criticism

This video suffers from the common mistake many opinion pieces contain called generalization. Bloomer implies that the problems she mentions are present in all millennials. If this were true, our generation would be useless, cruel and a waste of precious life. Obviously, this is not the case. Friends of mine still in high school continue to make significant impacts on society, such as raising awareness of teen suicide or sending thousands of meals across the seas to families in need. The reason generalization is a mistake is because it places every individual underneath that umbrella of criticism even if he or she deserves more praise than ridicule. Bloomer's statements: "Everything that used to be wrong is now celebrated” and “Nothing has value in our generation ‘cause we take advantage of everything” exemplify generalization. We all celebrate what was once wrong? Nothing matters to us? I call shenanigans.

Additionally, Bloomer's argument contains a misconception along the lines of giving back to society. Bloomer says, “[millennials] are just existing. We are not really contributing anything to society.” This is a major accusation that lacks definition. The first things that comes to mind when someone talks about contributing to our society include fundraising for those in need, volunteering weekly or traveling overseas to better our world. While this is all well and good, one can find, smaller ways to contribute to society. The only way one can not give anything is if he or she avoids contact with people and works only for him- or herself, even if that means taking from others. If you make someone smile that day or give someone the happiness that turns a day from Hell into heavenly bliss, there lyes contribution. What’s even better is that it is a contribution everyone can give.

Thirdly, Bloomer made comments that forced me to shake my head and say, “Woah woah woah." The first one that came up was “we mock the men and women that are fighting for us, but we praise the people that are fighting each other…” The “woah” moment came from not understanding who she is referencing. Does she mean that we are mocking our troops? I have never seen a piece of propaganda against those serving or have served in our armed forces, let alone heard anyone do or say anything of the kind (ignoring the Westboro Baptist Church). Maybe I am missing something in this statement, but maybe I am not alone. Bloomer also said, “we use words like ‘bae’ to describe someone we love, and we idolize some people like Kim Kardashian, and then we shame people like Tim Tebow.” Firstly, I have not met a single person that idolizes Kim Kardashian. I am not lying nor am I exaggerating. Secondly, criticizing slang that is not demeaning or hurtful is pretty wasted space in an argument. The casual use of "bae" provides our generation with a kind of culture unique of us and there is nothing wrong with that.

Praise

Of course, I must be fair and say that Alexis Bloomer made some points that are almost spot-on. For example, she says, “We listen to really obscene music that degrades women and that pretty much glorifies drugs and crime.” Because I live in a college residence hall, I hear this kind of music often, and the lyrics lean too far toward the ridiculous and downright hateful. Not all of it is bad, but the fact that this kind of music is out there and listened to by the public on a regular basis is a little unsettling. However, obscene/degrading music is not a new thing. Past national anthems of other countries--such as Germany--that glorify alcohol consumption and say that women are objects for men’s enjoyment. Yet, how commonplace it is for today’s music industry to talk about sex and drugs freely is not putting youth on the path to a respectful culture.

One of the main points Bloomer hits says that our generation feels lazy and entitled. Again, this falls under the mistake of generalization, but she has a point. Procrastination is commonplace and is a current source of humor. Social media and television take precious hours from our day, and we would rather deal with our current pain than work toward a better future. Now, I just generalized, but the influence of everything I mentioned is present, and it is a dangerous villain ready to send your world crumbling if you give it enough power and ability. Entitlement is earned by hard work not by where you live, who your parents are, or what you believe to be true. You can believe what you want, and you can express your beliefs, but they do not trump everyone else’s just because you think it. We are a culture of unified individuals, and with glorified entitlement, that unity is threatened.

Finally, Bloomer says, “We have more opportunities to succeed than any of those before us, yet we don’t appreciate the opportunities we have now.” This is seen clearly at college. When students do not put their best foot forward and work as hard as they can to succeed academically and otherwise, they squander the opportunities they are provided by parents who work their lives away for them and give them money from their own pocket. Students also insult the faculty of the college whose job it is to give them a brighter life. Yes, work is hard. Work is time-consuming. Yes, you will have to make sacrifices. Yet it will all be worth it, and if you do not believe that, I feel sorry for you. Sorry that you cannot see how amazing you can be. Sorry that your external locus of control has taken hold over your independent mind and buried you in doubt. Do not give up, or happiness will be short-lived.

Overall, I believe our generation is going in the right direction. We have our problems, but every generation has their own. As long as we stick together, we can change the world for the better. We have the resources and the charisma. Let’s rally together and stop squabbling. Let us make the battle not against ourselves, but against the tyranny of injustice that plagues our beautiful Earth.