Millennials. What comes to mind when you hear this term? Narcissistic and entitled? Or contrastingly, passionate and intelligent? I went straight to my good friend Mr. Google to see what the vast amount of media thinks about this generation. When you type in the words "why Millennials are" in the search engine, the first suggestion that pops up is "why Millennials are the worst".
Ouch.
As you can probably infer from my means of research, I contribute to just 1 of the 75.4 MILLION Millennials in the United States. That number surpasses the Baby Boomers, who used to hold the title of largest generation.
I'm not writing this to bash on our predecessors who "make us look bad" with their condescending remarks towards the "Me Me Me Generation" (thanks, Joel Stein). I fully believe that Millennials bring those negative views of selfishness and laziness upon ourselves.
But I am writing this because I'm tired of people only looking at the negativity of Generation Y. Of course we carry our faults and our weaknesses. But I don't think we should simply be thrown into a stereotype of only caring about selfies, social media and all things hipster-related. There is plenty of positivity and motivation that we bring to the table.
For example, our generation proves to be more accepting of those from different cultures, races and backgrounds. We love people, and our close friends groups are often formed with much diversity. This means that our generation has the foundation to work together even better than before, and become united towards our goals together.
Another thing we have going for us is our connectivity. There's this super cool gadget called the Internet, and we use it a lot, usually to the annoyance of our parents. But our knowledge of all things technological provides us with facts and ideas that we can capitalize on and advance with. However, this tool can be used to bring people down and destroy lives. It's up to us and our morals to use this whole new world of connectivity to our advantage, which brings me to my next point.
We have pretty amazing role models. The generation ahead of us brought us world-changers like Bill Gates and Michael Jackson. There are so many influential people before us who helped make the world what it is today, and they inspire us that we can do the same.
Some of these people are the ones who encouraged a trait that Generation Y is known for - a lack of conformity. We are the first ones to not blindly chase after the typical American dream. We aren't all about the 9-5 job, picket fence daydream life. We refuse to keep our mouths shut and sit still when we see something we think is wrong, something that tugs at our conscience. We will stand up and fight for our beliefs. We will push to lead the life we want to live, follow the dreams we know we can achieve. This mindset, lifestyle really, in itself gives millennials a chance to change the world.
We also reject the idea of consumerism. If a company is known for pollution of our beautiful environment, or mistreating impoverished workers, it's likely we won't purchase these products. We often will spend a few extra dollars to support fair trade goods and environmentally friendly items. This again shows how we make our own choices, and pave our own path when we don't agree with the common one.
Often, those older than us believe that we are wasting our lives away by constantly typing away on our devices, and usually bouncing between part-time jobs and interests. But I think that this is what makes us powerful. This is what molds us into who we are. It's actually the very key to our success. Working at two different jobs can result in DOUBLE the impact in our community, and eventually, the world. The ability to reach out to thousands of people at the click of a button on our ever present companion gives us the opportunity to voice our thoughts, beliefs, and ideas for change more so than any other generation has had the chance to do.
Yes, we may be the generation that is terrible at picking one thing to stick with, never able to sit still, and we just can’t resist the urge to check our phones every few minutes. But Millennials are actually on a fast track become the highest educated generation in America, with 40% of us pursuing a degree in college. This desire for intelligence, our foundation of community and connectivity, the passion to pursue what we want (not just what people THINK we should want), and desire to make the world a better place can work hand in hand to make us world-changers.
