Millennial is a dirty, nasty word.

Make sure to scrub your eyes thoroughly after reading this article. We millennials are entitled, self-absorbed and ungrateful. Suddenly everyone is offended, outspoken and gay.

But what is a millennial?

Merriam-Webster places millennial birth years between the years of 1980 and 2000. Pew Research Center claims the millennial birth years are from '77 to '92. Everyone seems to have a vague idea of the age range for millennials, some even arguing that those born from 1995 and up are not millennials. You might be reading this right now and realize you're not even considered a millennial. One thing is for sure, Millennials are America's largest living generation to date.

So the real question is: How do you group the largest, most racially, ethnically and sexually diverse group into one dismissive category? Let's take a look at the facts.

Smarter Than You

Here’s a fun fact: 53.3 percent of young adults from 20-21 years of age were enrolled in higher education in 2015 compared to the 31.9 percent in 1970. Similarly, according to the U.S. Department of Education, 81 percent of the high school population graduated in the academic year of 2012-2013, marking the highest graduation rate the United States has ever seen.

Poorer Than You

In the same breath, student loans are higher than ever. As of 2018, the student loan debt is over $1 trillion, Bloomberg reports. This is interesting because, according to Pew Research Center, “more millennial households are in poverty than households headed by any other generation.” Millennials are also earning about $10,000 less than their parents. Pew Research also says 63 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds “say they know someone who had to move back home because of the economy.” I guess you have to spend some money to…lose some money.

More Generous Than You

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce says young people are more tolerant of racial diversity and other groups than older generations, a 47 to 19 percent difference. 61 percent of millennials are worried about the state of the world and feel responsible to make a difference. A survey shows 84 percent of millennials have regularly donated and 70 percent have volunteered annually.

More Technologically Advanced Than You

With the millennial generation being the first to grow up with the internet, studies have suggested our “multitasking” between different types of media at once could help rewire our evolving brains to be more efficient and perform faster. Interesting enough, unlike what most people think, an Intel Security study reveals millennials are better at “unplugging” from social media than generation X while on vacation.

Addressing The Stereotypes

To claim an entire generation of adults is made up of entitled, self-centered complainers is an unhelpful stereotype of an opinion. To accuse millennials of being entitled or self-absorbed is ignorant of those who don't have that luxury (those with disabilities, immigrants, etc.) as well as being borderline classist, considering America's shrinking middle class. Similarly, to dismiss all complaints as insignificant would be to dismiss social outcries of injustice, which is also on the rise.

Nothing is more annoying than seeing 83.1 million people of the United States' population all labeled under the same stereotype and shoved into a tiny box. Funny enough, those complaining about others complaining don't see the irony, which reminds me of a quote by Eldridge Cleaver:

"You are either part of the solution or part of the problem."