Each generation has a distinct characteristic. Apparently, my generation, the generation in charge of our future, is obsessed with ourselves. Millennials are entitled and lazy and only care about likes on Instagram.
These statements infuriate me.
Millennials are not entitled. We've been told our whole lives to follow our dreams. We were taught that with faith, trust, and pixie dust, we could be anything we wanted in life. Needless to say, we are scared and disappointed now that we're of age and have to face reality. You really think we want to apply right out of college for the job of our dreams and see it requires 20 years of experience? It's heartbreaking.
Millennials are not lazy. The economy today is not what is was in the 1950s-60s. We can't work part-time over the summer and believe that will pay for college. We're expected to have a 4.0 GPA plus be involved in extracurriculars, have a healthy social life, have family time and still get eight hours of sleep when we're drowning in homework and responsibilities. You really think we want to live at our parents' houses past college and be in debt forever? It's humiliating and discouraging.
Millennials are not obsessed with technology. We appreciate it. We understand it makes life easier for everyone. Without modern technology, there wouldn't be closed heart surgery or non-invasive spinal surgery. Without modern technology, there would be no quick way to communicate to those overseas. Without modern technology, we would still have to carry a camera, a watch, a calendar, a calculator, an address book, a notebook and a video camera around, rather than one single device that fits into our pockets.
So what if we act disappointed when things don't go our way. It's okay to be upset when you're let down. So what if we complain about our workload. It's hard to stay sane when six professors, three advisors, your whole family and all your friends have certain expectations you need to live up to it. So what if we "stare" at our phones all the time. We might be reading the news, watching a cooking tutorial or talking to a friend we haven't seen in years.
We are motivated, just not traditionally. We are not buying a house and starting a family. We are making the changes we wish to see in the world. We are marching for race equality. We are picketing for equal wealth distribution. We are petitioning for equal health care. We are rioting for gender equality. We are parading for marriage equality. And, we're winning.
The next time you go to bash millennials, remember this. Remember, more and more people are graduating high school, which is making a diploma basically pointless and the job market even more competitive. Remember, people are living longer than ever and taking longer to retire. This means that careers, houses and other resources are not as readily available as they were before. Remember how life was before microwaves and television, since that's what smartphones are for my generation.
And isn't it ironic that you're demonizing my generation by posting a Facebook comment or making a comic strip on Photoshop when that technology wouldn't even be there without us?
