In the past few months, I have heard more and more criticism of my generation coming from the ones before it. We are criticized for our work ethic, our love of technology, our "apathy," our sensitivity, our "participation trophies," and many other various things. I, for one, am sick of hearing it. So I feel that it is time I write in defense of Generation Y: the infamous millennials.
First, let me start with a story.
This past week, I was studying for a particularly difficult engineering final, and decided to go to the local donut shop. This donut shop is a personal favorite for my fiancé and me, and because he was helping me in my studies, I decided to treat him to a donut.
After we arrived, we settled on a couch on the upstairs floor to look over some old notes. Across from the couch, there was a table of girls studying for another final. On the end of the table was a small sign that read "Meeting Table." These young women were studying very diligently when a young man came running up the stairs and sat at the end of their table. It was very apparent that these young ladies did not know this young man, but they made room at their table. Only a few seconds later did this young man's mother and father come upstairs and explain that he was deaf and autistic, and he was their blessing. The parents offered to bring the boy along with them while they worked on a maintenance project in the donut shop, but the girls were very polite to the boy and his parents, and continued to study with him by their side.
Not five minutes later did an older woman (presumably in her sixties) come upstairs and (very brashly) ask the girls if they were having a meeting. They explained that they had decided to meet to study for an upcoming final. Disgruntled, the older woman took off down the stairs. The girls quickly packed up their stuff and left the donut shop, right as the woman came back upstairs with the manager of the shop, complaining that these "young college kids were playing on their computers and phones and wrongfully taking up the 'Meeting Table.'"
At this point in time, the young man was still sitting at the table, and sensing trouble, his mother quickly came and hand-signed for him to move seats for the woman and her now-assembling book club. The boy, having gotten uncomfortable with the idea of switching places, as autistic individuals sometimes do, was reluctant to leave the table. The woman and her friends refused to sit down until the boy left the table, despite the fact that the table was very large, and there would have been enough room. When the boy's mother had finally coaxed her son away from the table, the "book club" took their seats and the first woman criticized the mother, saying that if she had spanked the boy enough, he wouldn't be having these "fits."
In my experience, millennials are one of the most accepting generations in society, and watching this story unfold solidified that in my mind. There were many other ways that these women could have handled the situation, but instead they decided to presumptuously put down a group of young college girls and an autistic boy.
Additionally, I have heard "baby boomers" talk about how "lazy" we millennials are. Many say that we only go to college to avoid the real world, and the only reason we cannot afford our tuition is because we refuse to work. The U.S. Census reported that in 2011, 71 percent of the nation's 19.7 million undergraduates were employed, not including unpaid internships. In 2012, 71 percent of students graduating from four-year colleges had student loan debt. Clearly, employment is simply not enough to cover tuition anymore--almost all of us are employed as college students (I work three jobs myself) and those wages come nowhere near covering college tuition.
Nothing makes a millennial want to roll their eyes at you more than babbling about participation trophies. Are you referring to the participation trophies that older generations gave us as children? The participation trophies our parents' generation gave us, because they felt so offended that their children weren't all equally talented in all ways? We didn't ask for them, so stop bringing them up at every opportunity.
Many millennials love technology, but it is purely because technology is the future of information, medicine, and infrastructure. There is nothing wrong with technology and our collective interest in its advances, when the future of humanity relies on it. It helps us stay connected in our busy world, and that is not a bad thing, especially when older generations are also employing social media and smartphones to keep in touch with their families and to keep up with their finances. We millennials see the future in technology, because technology IS the future.
If you've read the entirety of this article, I sincerely hope you will consider the unique situation of millennials before putting us down. We are a hard-working, diverse, creative generation of young people. We are coming of age in a very difficult time, so please do not admonish our unique ways of handling the world, whether they be selfies, art, writing, or any other creative outlet. We are YOUR future.
