I'm tired of always hearing it.
Over and over again--our generation has poor communication skills, have a major dependency on social media or the cellphone, are stuck in our own virtual reality.
These discrepancies are just representative of the types of people who want to submerge their life into a series of fictional reality, not the kinds of people who are out there who see these people and want to be completely different from them. We are told we are cold, stand-offish, and can't display affection in a healthy way. We give up too easy. We don't know how to work.
This all proves to be completely false when we actually take the time to look around and see all the wonderful things millennials have done and are doing for our society. Not only are we still promoting skill-based jobs, but the transition has shifted between getting what is known as a "useless" degree and finding real-world applications to said degree. We have created fields for people in sustainable development, graphic design, computer technology, and even women AND men who are interested in gender and sexuality studies. Our generation is becoming one of the most progressive yet, with tireless skills in innovation, problem-solving, and efficiency. But wait, what was that "lazy" comment again?
We represent a part of the world who is excited to be educated and are going through unending debt just to get there. Social media is no longer a tool to just chat with your friends but rather a way to do your work wherever you decide to be. Those people lodged into their phones and seemingly somewhere else are finally taking a break from their hectic schedules to do some leisurely activities. Our friends are at the touch of a button and we can finally talk to loved ones at a distance just with a simple phone call or a video chat. We communicate with more people daily than we ever have, and no matter what outlet we may do it on, we are consistently practicing our social skills. The movements for social justice our generation has taken in the last five years could only point to mass groups of people connecting all over the world for these causes--the concept that social media is creating a community of people that are distant cannot be taken into account when we realize how it has brought so many people closely together. Our generation is sympathetic, helpful, and so diverse. We have given this world the gift of so many things, but most of all that gift is change. Some people will be able to handle that, while some are left to silently complain. People are so afraid of change they're not willing to see what it has to offer.
So yes, I am "that" millennial kid. I still understand the importance of holding a door, saying "please" and "thank you", and I do think hashtags and Instagram have definitely made me a different person. However, I'm tired of that change always being for the worst. Our generation speaks volumes, and whether we think so or not, I think our generation is the first to have the power to change the world. So enough of putting millennials down for being different. Encourage millennials to do something huge.
