It has been a longstanding tradition that the previous generation does nothing but complain about the generation after them. When the birth of rock n’ roll came about, it was propelled by the teenagers of the time – and the older generation was appalled by the provocative nature of rock, especially when Elvis Presley was making music. A few decades later, the grunge movement would do the same thing. But I think music does less to start a movement than it does to propel a growing shift in perspective. Before rock n’ roll became huge, the younger people were already frustrated with their world. Movement towards freedom and expression had to be occurring already in order for someone like Elvis to really gain any traction.

And we know that it was more than the music because it was the younger people who really pushed to change broken parts of the system. In the 60’s, people began pushing for love and peace in new and “crude” ways, but it left a lasting impact on the world that we still see through entertainment, fashion, and of course – music. The people who started this were young, fed up, and unwilling to be brought down by the older generations that were complaining about “the good ol’ days”.

So now, we’re seeing something very similar: millennials are sick and tired of the broken world that we’re living in, and many of us are trying to do something about it. Meanwhile, the older generations are priding themselves on writing click-bait articles about how “whiny” and “fragile” we are. However, these arguments are completely reliant on certain political agendas and a generalization that is based not on fact but on frustration.

The US Chamber of Commerce Foundation wrote a review of Generation Y and found that “Generation Y is the connected, diverse collaborator, shaped by 9/11, texting, and the recession.” We are the largest generation yet, with over 80 million of us running around, and the Internet has shaped us in ways that no previous generation has experienced. We are fully connected, and while older generations like to complain about the apathy that we have gained because of our addiction to social media, what I see is the complete opposite. I see a group of people who are better informed than previous generations, who are soaking in more knowledge than ever before, and applying it in ways that create new and innovative ideas. While many think that our cell-phones are taking us away from reality, what they don’t understand is that reality exists in two different planes – our physical environment and the less corporeal space we have carved out online. Because of this, we are able to learn and share our ideas about our physical world quickly. We can be challenged on these ideas by people vastly different because we are no longer bound to a certain geographical location. And possibly most importantly, we have the ability and the motivation to seek out multiple different perspectives and form our own opinions based on the vast amount of knowledge we can access.

And it is not mere opinion that we are varied due to our one commonality in technology. The same review as mentioned above says as much: “Millennials are full of contradictions, which, of course, may explain the youth of any generation. Most consistent is that this generation is technically savvy, almost as if it has a digital sixth sense. A wired, connected world is all that Millennials have ever known.”

Not only are we self-educating, but we are also well-educated through more traditional means. The review reports that our generation has a high graduation rate at around 72%, with 58% of us college-goers earning a degree within six years. With our education being both formal and informal, our ideas are extremely different, even if we happen to favor some ideas as a group over others.

We are a generation full of people who have hope for the future, with 41% of us reportedly satisfied with the general direction of our country. This hope, as the review points out, has prevailed either through or as I might conjecture – because of – the tragic events that have peppered our lives. Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, a slew of mass murders almost exclusively with the use of guns have surrounded us nearly since birth. These events have not only hardened us to the harsh realities of the world, but they have given us a voice in times where others might feel pacified; “They have the confidence to stand up for what they believe and the confidence, technology, and network to voice their opinions.”

Both the review along with a study conducted by the Pew Research Center found that Millennials are more tolerant of not only other races, but other family arrangements (such as a single parent or two same-sex parents), immigrants, and other typically stigmatized groups. We as a group have been more aware of the obstacles that surround our peers, and we have worked hard to advocate for equality and agency. We are a generation of compassion, empathy, and love, despite what many critics have written.

Along with this, the review notes that popular opinion among researchers suggests that Millennials are also more politically engaged than previous generations. We understand the inner-workings of our society, and we have the access to information to allow our decisions to be informed.

But despite our education, our engagement, our commitment to the world, and everything else we have done in order to succeed, we are faced with more college debt than any other generation. The recession has forced us back into our parents’ houses. The economy has hindered one of the most promising generations the world has ever seen.

So maybe we do feel a little entitled. Maybe we do think that we deserve more, but it’s because it’s true. Let’s not forget that the Roaring 20’s was the picture of the American Dream; something that was promised to us as kids but became a mirage after we had already worked harder than all previous generations to achieve it.

The truth is that while so many – including many Millennials themselves – are whining about how awful Gen Y is, we are actually one of the most caring, educated, engaged, and helpful generations to have ever existed.

So PLEASE, stop whining about us, and instead offer us your wisdom, since most of us actually do look up to the older generations for advice.