In a world overrun by controversy, scandals, and arguments, it seems that there can never be any peace or agreement in our world. However, there is one thing that truly brings people together, really creates a sense of community. Trash talking millennials.

“Millennials,” or people born from 1980 up to year 2000, are widely known for being entitled, self centered and lazy. Everyone loves a good facebook post showing how technology dependant, self centered, lazy and *gasp* how politically correct millennials love to be. It’s obvious that my generation loves to whine about having to work, still live with their parents and would rather live-tweet a house fire than call 911.

Okay, if you haven’t already noticed the puddle on the floor from my words dripping with sarcasm, I think that this is absolute, for lack of a better word, crap. People my age, these so called “millennials” are some the hardest working, most intelligent and committed people that have ever walked this earth, and I can prove it to you. I’m going to tackle these stereotypes: lazy, self centered, and technology obsessed one at a time, so get ready for some #facts.

“Millennials are lazy” is one of the most loved phrases in America right now. However, a study done on work ethic showed that millennials actually work significantly harder than older generations. Weforum.org’s article “Millennials aren’t lazy – they’re workaholics” breaks it down. People who do not use vacation time, for any reason but the most common reasons being guilt, wanting to work hard, and fear of being replaced, have been dubbed “work martyrs” by said study. According to this study, 24% of these “work martyrs” are millennials, compared to generation x’s 19%, and baby boomer’s 17%.

Now, if that isn’t enough for you, another study showed that millennials not only work harder, but also work more than older generations. It showed that millennials in the US, Norway, and Brazil are actually working an average of 45 hours a week, rather than the usual 40. And in India, the average millennial works 52 hours a week. 21% of millennials in America have taken at least one extra job to keep the bills paid.

In Adam Conover’s video “Millennials Don’t Exist!” which is an incredible and hilarious presentation on misconceptions about millennials, he highlights some of the recent achievements of these “lazy millennials,” such as the 10 millennials that are on the Forbes Richest list, the 8 MLB pitchers who pitch over 100 miles an hour (30 years ago there was only one), and the young performers regularly playing classical music pieces thought to be impossible..

“Oh yeah? Well millennials are entitled, narcissistic brats!” Sorry, but false once again. Actually, every generation throughout history has thought that the younger generation was entitled. “Even as I said it, I knew the phrase ‘to make a living’ could have no meaning to these children of the affluent society.” While reading this, you probably are thinking “wow, that sums up millennials so well!” Actually, this is a quote from Ernest Fladell in Life Magazine about, you guessed it, baby boomers.

What? Those people who so constantly drag down millennials and talk about how lazy and entitled we are were once exactly like us? But how could they have any time to be lazy and entitled when walking to school uphill both ways in a blizzard? Similar things have been said about generations long before baby boomers, and have been said every generation after.

Now, let’s include some statistics. Referring back to Adam Conover’s video, he says that despite millennial’s reputations of being entitled, in actuality 61% of graduating seniors held internships, of which nearly half were unpaid. He says “can you imagine a previous generation that willing to work for free? Do you think Rosie the Riveter was doing that just because she loved riveting? She was doing it for the cash!”

Also, when it comes to narcissism, millennials rated “being a good parent”, “helping other in need” and “owning a home” all above “having lots of free time” and “becoming famous,” which everyone seems to think we are so obsessed with.

“Well, they always have their nose glued to their phones!” This predicament is similar to the one talking about how narcissistic millennials are. Every older generation that has seen something new be invented and utilized by younger generations has demonized it, and made it seem to be the downfall of society. For example, bicycles, movies, and radio are all things that have been similarly said to be evil, that it destroys our society and the children in it.

Douglas Adams once said “Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works. Anything that’s invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things.” This is true for smartphones and most adults. Yes, I will be the first to admit that people my age use social media often, but I know many older people who use it twice as much as myself or many of my friends. Using social media often hasn’t negatively affected myself, or anyone I know. Those who think that social media is making us dumber, or that kids my age only know how to speak in “text speak” are extremely over exaggerating things to fit their opinions.

To sum things up, stop giving millennials so much grief. Not only have we overcome rising tuition costs, a broken economy and a job crisis but we’ve also come out smarter and harder workers than many generations before. The only thing we have yet to overcome is stereotyping.