If you were lucky enough to be born in the time frame of 1983-1999, you understand exactly what this article entails. You can't look anywhere without hearing the words, "Millennials are destroying the future." As a millennial myself, I have a strong urge not to turn around and berate them for their ignorance.
In fact, just the other day I was sitting in my Adolescent Development class in college when a non-traditional student around the age of 45 proceeded to tell my professor why my generation is so awful. She used examples such as the economy plummeting, our entitled nature, and the sudden dependence of technology that has swept first world countries by storm over the past decade. She started off her cliche argument with the words that can get anyone's blood boiling: "Back in my day..." In fact, once I heard this woman spout off about my generation and explain why we are so beligerent and ignorant, I decided to write this article, and put everyone who truly believes that in their rightful place.
The most common argument I hear on why my generation is so "bad" is due to our "entitled" nature. Well, when you really think about it, this argument is laughable. You often hear that people say my generation isn't entitled to free college, or higher minimum wages. You are absolutely correct. But "back in your day," the cost of living was much more manageable on a minimum wage. In 1962, the cost for one semester of Harvard was a mere $1,520.00 per semester (1). The minimum wage in 1962 was $1.15 (2). Yes, that may seem low, but tuition to Harvard has increased by 1,120% (3) and minimum wage has only increased by a mere 6.52%. So, back in your day, it was much easier to support yourself through college by holding only one job. Nowadays, students often have to balance multiple jobs, school work, and time to take care of their basic needs. That is not entitlement; that is asking for decent living conditions.
Another argument I hear so often is one that claims that the millennial generation destroyed the economy, which is completely ignorant to claim. My generation has had little to no impact on how the country runs. Most of us can't even hold office in order to make decisions. Whose generation forces government shutdowns for not agreeing on a budget (4)? Whose generation started a 15-year-long war for oil? Whose generation oversaw the stock market crash in 2001, and again in 2008 (5)? Oh, that's right. That can be put on the same people who complain about my generation's failures. All we want to do is get through college and eat Mac n' Cheese.
Technology dependence is another big factor that comes into play as these arguments unfold. Well, I hate to break it to you, but without that technology you hate so much, you wouldn't be reading this article right now. Sure, we sit around and play with our phones, perhaps more often than we should. But if you think about the amount of time people are on their phones talking with loved ones across the globe, FaceTiming their grandparents who are too old to travel, or Googling information that they need for a lab experiment, and compare that to the time we spend playing Pokemon, it is a small price to pay. The technology that you hate so much has connected people across the globe and made relationships where there preivously weren't.
I understand the frustration of the generation before mine. Every older generation complains about the newest one. In the sixties, they were "hippy stoners." The seventies saw the rise of "coke heads," and the eighties brought about the oldest millennials. I'm aware that change is scary, and I know you don't really know how to handle yourself when change occurs. But that doesn't give you the right to bash on a generation who has done the impossible.
We millennials have never seen a time of peace in America. My younger brother, born in 2001, has grown up in an America constantly at war with the Middle East. We have grown up in an economy that you ruined, and we still struggle to manage to get an education that really does us no good anymore. We have learned to balance multiple jobs along with school as we try and combat the pressures of the economy that you bestowed upon us. We are the ones who pushed for marraige equality and change. We are the ones who are cleaning up the environment that you so carelessly destroyed. We are millennials, and quite frankly, we are not the problem. We are the solution.
1. https://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/cost-of-living...
2. https://splicer.com/2013/12/10/chart-minimum-wage-...
3. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/15/cost-of-c...
