Every Millennial has heard nasty things from older people about our generation being lazy, worthless, whiny, etc. I’m not saying none of us are any of these things; there are rotten apples in every generation. Some of us are in fact lazy, worthless, and whiny. One day in class, my professor told a story about how someone said, “Millennials are all lazy pieces of crap.” My professor, being the open minded, caring person he is, stood up for our generation and said, “Millennials are not pieces of crap. I work with them.” He then proceeded to tell us how he stands up for our generation every time he hears something like that. I immediately got the idea for this article because I don’t know too many people like this and think that it is a great thing to do for us (Millennials).
This is because my professor is someone who works directly with our generation and sees how great we are. He works with those who are driven, motivated and have so many experiences to share. With those who share perspectives (like me), take time to show other generations we all don’t just sit around like bums, on our phones all the time. This professor is one who doesn’t stereotype our generation based on a few bad apples.
Millennials have so much to be praised for. I’m not sure why some of our elders refuse to see those things and just put us down based on those few bad things. Forbes, one of the most respected business journals in the world, also sticks up for Millennials with the article, “Six Reasons Millennials are Actually the Best Workers.” It explains how Millennials see failure as an opportunity to grow, because that is what we grew seeing. For example, entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs who put their stories out there is what instilled this mentality in many of us. The mentality to be ready for anything, take risks and find new ways after failure. Social media, despite the negativity many associate with it, has taught us things like how to communicate and how to use the internet to our advantage. I used social media for my internship and it was something I already knew how to do. As the only millennial in the office, I was able to show them all the different ways to use certain platforms that they didn’t already know. Technology, in the same way, is something that comes naturally. We grew up watching all those cool gadgets marketed toward us and sometimes get opportunities to use them. We are used to a fast paced world. We get things done quicker because we have the right tools and the expectation to do so. We are also motivated in our jobs and do our best to excel in them. That being said, we expect high expectations of ourselves and are more than capable of meeting them. We’re driven enough to change things because we have seen a lot of changes in society, and know it’s possible. We speak up, which is what this platform is for. My favorite part of this article is where it states that Millennials are the most diverse generation in US history. We grew up with a minority population of ⅓, meaning we learn a lot by being around those who are different. By being around those who are different, we learn about other cultures, religions and ways of life. When we get into the real world with real jobs, we expect diversity and are more than capable of working with it.
Something overlooked is that the people who criticize our generation usually come from the generation that raised us. Even if they didn’t directly raise a millennial, they’ve probably interacted with one and shaped them one way or another. I mean, they must have if they know them well enough to criticize them and say awful things. The worst part is they probably don’t; they just had bad experiences with a few or one millennial and think it’s okay to stereotype this amazing generation as “lazy pieces of crap.” I already explained why that isn’t true and why that needs to stop.
As a Millennial, I have seen things I didn’t like with people in my generation. So I use my voice. I hate being phubbed. I hate how some of them allocate their time in wrong places and bring themselves to a place in their lives they don’t like. I published an article about how I avoided that after seeing those ways. I also published an article about how I got to a good place because I wanted others to see how I did it and give them the opportunity to see if those ways work for them. I hate how some of them claimed to be my friends but treated me so badly, so I didn’t keep them in my life. I hate how some of them feel the need to play the victim or bully others through articles, so I published an article about it with solutions at the end with hyperlinks to my other articles to show how I did it. When I see these things I think to myself, “I’m embarrassed to share a generational name with them. Because this is why we’re criticized the way we are.” I’m not saying we’re all perfect (including myself) because that isn’t possible, I’m saying we’re not all lazy pieces of crap and there is evidence of it.
Bad things said about millennials also come from people within the generation. I found articles and met people and I agree with a few things they say because I’ve seen it to be true for some. They are also overlooking all the great things about this generation and I don’t believe it’s right. I feel they think this because they see too much of the bad sides in people. For example, I found an article stating that millennials are more likely to sleep around if they’re not dating. I agree that is something common and I don’t agree that it’s a good thing, but that doesn’t make them horrible people. This article also stated that someone who sleeps around probably won’t do good in school. That is definitely a possibility but it isn’t necessarily true for every single person who sleeps around. I know plenty of people who’ve slept around and stay in school; some even do better than me. Things like this are not reasons to put down a whole generation because of the few things they see, even if they see it first hand.
We also have seen some change in this country, which are major reasons for it being as great as it is today. Being this young, there will be so much to tell the generations after us, some of which we will have to explain thoroughly.
The first minority president. In 2008 (and again in 2012) we saw Barack Obama elected as the first African-American president of the US.
Females running for office. Also in 2008, the republican candidate John McCain had Sarah Palin as his running mate (vice president), making her the first female running mate in US history. The 2016 election consisted of the first female candidate, Hillary Clinton.
The body peace movement. Now, there are “plus-sized” women walking runways and on magazine covers. It is no longer frowned upon to wear sizes that are larger than average. Beauty is not longer seen through size.
Gay marriage being legalized. The same way we don’t understand discrimination against African-Americans, the next generation won’t understand prejudice against the LGBTQ+ community. We have gotten used to LGBTQ+ people being equal to any heterosexual person.
If you’re a Millennial, don’t allow anyone to put down Millennials. Explain why you’re not the things they’re saying and how Millennials are great for the world. Explain how we do some things better than our predecessors, and show them. If you’re a Millennial who is embarrassed by our generation, I hope you see the light in our generation as well. No one is perfect, but we’re the future of this country. All you can do is lead by example and not be one of the ones you’re embarrassed of. If you’re not a Millennial and you don’t like us, I hope my article gives you perspective. On how we’re not “lazy pieces of crap.” Not all of us are. We’re the future of this country and it looks bright, despite what you’ve seen. If you’re not a Millennial and you stand with us, thank you. Your kind of thinking is what keeps us millennials motivated to keep this country great. I promise I won’t let you down, and I know most of my peers won’t either.
Sources
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesleadershipforum...
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