"Millennials."

It's a word often used today, often with an exasperated sigh and a shake of the head, usually paired with negative sentiments and maybe something about technology. We are often called lazy, entitled, technology-obsessed, the "me" generation. On a surface level, that's how other generations view us, and frankly, it needs to stop.

No, I'm not saying that all millennials are good and perfect saints that can do no wrong, but this seemingly rampant demonizing of today's youth is out of control, and it's showing. I can't tell you the number of baby boomers I've heard complaining about their kids taking selfies, being on the internet, etc. It's not an old concept that young people will take advantage of new technologies. When TV became popular, parents griped at their children for watching too much, and when video games came along there were similar results. It's no different with today's youth, so saying that millennials today are overly-obsessed with technology now more than ever before is absurd. We're just like any other generation that did the exact same thing, only now we just have more technology at our fingertips due to rapidly accelerating scientific progress. It can't be helped! After all, if it's there to make our lives easier and more fun, why not use it?

Laziness is another thing often pegged at millennials. We are seen as leisurely, not hard-working enough. There are many factors playing into why millennials being lazy is blatantly untrue. One factor is that times have changed since the boomer generation. There are different expectations for people entering the workforce, higher expectations. Often millennials aren't able to find jobs right away after graduating because the worth of their bachelor's degree is slowly declining. With the cost of living ever on the rise, it wouldn't be economical to leave their current minimum-wage job with the uncertainty of whether or not they would be hired for a better, well-paying one. After all, staying in school to get a better degree may look good, but it costs money and can lead to years of debt, with no guarantee that you will have a job. We work in the service industry at minimum wage yet still get asked the question, "Why don't you do something with your life and get a real job?", when little do they know that the menial jobs we work are what help to fund our education to find better jobs in the first place. In fact it's no wonder you don't see many millennials rush off to get married and have kids, it's not that we don't want to, it's just that getting enough education to satisfy future employers is a full-time job in itself.

Additionally, we are often labelled as "special snowflakes" and "too politically-correct". I'd like to think that our parents raised us the right way and that treating others the way we'd want to be treated would be especially important. Now that we are older and have the option to make a difference, wouldn't it make sense that we'd take those values into consideration when it comes to all people? If anything, at least we are trying to learn from our past generation's mistakes, so we try even in little ways to make the world a better place for everyone. We try to be inclusive to all people, we know that sexist, racist, and homophobic jokes aren't funny but hurtful, and we fight for equal rights for all people, regardless of who they are. The fact that we are understanding and recognizing social inequalities around us makes us a powerful force for change, and I don't think that is a negative trait at all.

So, to be honest, don't hate on millennials just because of myths and stereotypes. We are human beings just like everyone else, and we deserve respect, too.