I have grown exhausted by the endless stream of commentary -- on Facebook, within published think pieces, on any forum of any sort -- about the stupidity, ignorance and ambivalence of the millennial generation. There is a stigma that has become profoundly attached to those born in my generation, and encompasses anyone up to the age of about thirty-five; this idea that we are all blinded by our own wild self-obsession, attached to our phones and ignorant to the goings-on of the world, trapped in a bubble of self-importance and “everybody wins a trophy!”
As a writer and an editor, I have seen this manifest itself in myriad ways. It is present in the comments on my writers’ pieces: spineless, useless things degrading my writers’ ages and their writing abilities, composed with the buffer of a computer screen. I have seen it in my classrooms, where teachers and professors and administrators make the unhelpful and condescending comment of, “You’ll understand when you’re older.” There is a constant hypocrisy present in society’s understanding and treatment of Millennials: we must not have opinions because we don’t understand, but we are useless members of society because we don’t participate.
I am aware of my generation’s shortcomings; however, like all youth, we are learning. We are growing. We change our minds every week because we are constantly exposed to new ideas and opinions. We are all in stages of wild change and development, which means not everything we say all the time will be completely correct. But that does not mean that everything we say is wrong, either. I have encountered students, my peers, who have empathy well beyond the means of many adults; I have met people my age with big ideas and the means to accomplish them.
The solution to “millennial ignorance” is not to condemn us every step of the way; it is to educate, to inform, to present all sides of a story or argument and allow us to choose for ourselves. The millennial apathy was not a construct we formed for ourselves, but rather some cultivated as a result of being told that our opinions were invalid constantly. The best way to ensure our future is in good hands -- because it will, inevitably, be in the hands of my generation -- is to produce an educated and passionate group. I am surrounded by countless people who fit this description already; intelligent, motivated, dedicated and fervent students who want to have an impact on the world but are exhausted from being told that they aren’t allowed to be.
Instead of demeaning my generation, we need to be raised up: acknowledge where our flaws exist, but do not act as though these are crippling. Every generation has had this struggle. All youth will have its issues of understanding and education. Let us accept and move forth with that knowledge and foster our future world leaders. The best among us may one day halt the path to innovation because someone’s foot was standing on their throat too much. We have drive, hope and passion. Let us use it.
