“Oh kids nowadays, they know nothing about _________” (Insert something we actually do know something about.)

If you’re of the Millennials generation, you’ve heard this line spoken from well-seasoned adults numerous times, and, to say it nicely, you’re annoyed. Although I am a part of a said generation, it doesn’t mean I behave the way the majority does. So many other groups are sick of being grouped and having others form opinions about them based on a stereotype, and I am sure most of us are too.

And this is what I find sad. It is too bad that some of us have gotten to the point of being ashamed of what generation we come from, but instead, we should be proud. We should be proud of our strengths, because that's all we are. And that sure scares those in older generations.

We were thrown into a world already crumbling from poverty and heating up from global warming. We grew up surrounded by technology, and were raised by the same generation that continues to criticize us.

We've been called “The needy generation,” “The entitled generation,” “The lazy generation.”

But for the most part, I disagree with those. Yes, maybe we are needy. We have a need to create a life for ourselves that we want to live. We dread falling into the typical 9-to-5 routine that we have seen digging our parents' grave. But we are not entitled. We know how the world is today, and we know that, if we want anything to happen, we will have to work until our bones are coming through our hands. So love our parents, yes, but we will be doing something we love, not something we have to do. Also, we are not lazy. More students are in college and finding work right out of high school than ever before.

As a generation willing to defy the rules and go against the grain. we shouldn’t tolerate the name calling and the belittling done by those of older generations. We need to stand up for ourselves, because what are we if we don’t have pride.