First off, I am not saying all of us in my generation are perfect angles. We know that no one is perfect no matter how old they are. But, what I refuse to agree with is that the millennial generation as a whole is lazy and “spoiled.” There are more positives that our generation has made than people consider. We are much more than “bratty” kids who only know how to operate an iPhone and a car. We inspire new technology, create innovative ways of reducing our carbon footprints and push for a deeper and more meaningful education and life. I am not sorry for being me and I do not think anyone else should be either.

As the years keeping racing by, the need for change is strong. This is one of the issues that upset me when older generations speak their minds about millennials. I do not believe that we are “ruining” old cultures or changing old ways. What is in the past is in the past. As the years change, so do the social norms. That is a major plus to having a progressive society. If we never changed our old ways, we would still be stuck with old mindsets. If people never wanted to change, women would not have the right to vote, the civil right movements would not have been half as successful as they were and America would have not made gay marriage possible. Those are just a few examples to show that change is a good thing and that is all millennials are doing. We know that our iPhone, Xbox, video gaming, and texting usage has become somewhat impulsive. But, just think of how much easier it is to communicate today. Emails can be sent so much faster, getting the word out about a major event can be done by the push of a button and let’s not forget Google, our favorite study companion. Older generation find enjoyment in these luxuries every day too. Even my grandparents are very technologically savvy. They know what’s up. Millennials are main contributors to the designing of new and improved products. We also just so happen to be the biggest buyers too. This not only helps for free advertising for the companies, but helps the economy too.

We are all aware of global warming as it was taught to us when we were pretty much able to form a sentence. I can remember countless school projects on how we can fix our dear Mother Nature. We care about keeping our earth clean and making it a better place for future generations. I believe that our generations has done a lot to help reverse the huge carbon footprint and create new ways to live life more ecofriendly. See, millennials are not so bad.

One of the biggest opinions older generations have about us is that we are ill-mannered and spoiled. My question for them is then, how many people my age have you come across who yelled at a person for getting their order wrong or for not having something on the shelves at a store? We may not always hold the door open for our significant others or “court” the people we are interested in, but we have other ways of showing our appreciation for each other. I used to work in a very customer oriented business where I was taught the customer is always right. False. Within the year and a half I worked there, not a single person my age or younger complained about the way we ran our business. It was the older parents and grandparents who did and did not come to us politely and ask a question. I had a parent actually make me cry with some of their comments. I do not mean to try and turn the tables here, but it is just a small point to show that our generation understands more about customer to employee interaction than some of the older people in our society.

I greatly appreciate the elders in my life as they have been very influential for me. They are what made me who I am today. But, I am not sorry for being me and doing what I love to do and no one should be. My hope for the future is that they will start to see that we as millennials are doing the same for generations after us. As the years pass, so should the negative opinions about us. We are not going anywhere, might as well get used to us and add us on snapchat.