We are witnessing history. My generation is witnessing history. I recently read an article on one woman’s interpretation of the “Fat Acceptance Movement” and truly became disappointed in the adults of today’s society. There are actually ideas titled the “Fat Acceptance Movement” and “Skinny Shaming.” Who thought of these titles? I can assure you that people in Generation Y did not. We do not have as excessive a need as adults do to immediately categorize. See, that is the problem with fully developed adults. Everything must fall under a label. Everything is given a name. Nothing can be ambiguous. Why must there be titles to all beliefs and ideas?
I’ll tell you.
Fear.
I have heard nothing but a negative connotation about my generation since I can remember. “The Technology Generation.” “The kids who do not have social skills.” I disagree. I think I am growing up in the smartest and most progressive generation there has ever been and ever will be. The smartest people I know are people who are my same age. I believe that this terrifies the older generation. The world is changing. This fear of the unknown and “what the kids are going to do with the world” is causing adults to try to crowd our thinking into even smaller boxes.
Thinking does not belong in boxes.
Everything must be black and white. My generation is fighting back. We are adding red and yellow and every damn color of the rainbow to this world. We are watching the deaths of police officers by civilians, the deaths of civilians by police officers. We are watching movements shaming people for being fat, but also shaming people for being thin. We are witnessing history. We are sitting on the edges of our chairs watching everything. We are literally changing the world. We are fighting back.
My generation does not bat an eye at biracial relationships, but many adults will disapprove. My generation will produce the best engineers the world has ever seen, improving our quality of life and the environment in which we live. My generation will spew out multitudes of well-educated leaders. However, my generation is only given compliments when adults agree with the way we are thinking.
We are only credited when our thinking agrees with the previous generation. Why is it that thinking must be right or wrong? Is thinking not just an idea in itself? Thinking is right. All thoughts are right. Who is to say they are wrong? Why must everything be categorized into titles and labels and microscopic words that do, in fact, mean absolutely nothing?
It is time for the people who blame my generation to accept us as we are. It is not my intention to try to deflect the blame for anything that is wrong in the world. No, it is my intention to shed some light on my generation. My generation did not raise itself, however, my generation is strong enough to change itself.
