Are you a Millennial?
As a Millennial, I’m said to live the easiest life and am a part of the laziest generation thus far. Everything is handed to me, and I don’t know the meaning of hard work. I spend an excessive amount of time in front of a screen, sharing useless information while digesting an equal amount of it.
My morals are way too loose, and I’ve probably already made more poor choices than my parents did at my age. My generation is also very sensitive and easily offended, constantly demanding fairness and equality for all.
As a young adult in college, I am expected to know what degree plan I’ll be following and know which job I’ll be gunning for after graduation. I need to have an impressive transcript and a résumé that shows I have a diverse set of skills. I need to be fully educated and marketable by the age of 22.
The contrast between the last paragraph and the first two is almost funny. It’s as if a contradictory stereotype has been built for me.
How can we Millennials be so lazy? We have the lowest high school dropout rate and the highest rate of people with college degrees. We spend so much time in front of screens because that is where we get our information; only a small amount is useless entertainment.
Sure, my peers and I may seem wild and senseless, but don’t all kids? Doesn’t every generation push the envelope just a little further? The Roaring ‘20s seemed like a decade of non-stop partying, the ‘60s reportedly was a free-loving acid fest, and the ‘80s gave us the term “partying like a rock star.”
Everything really does seem unfair when you’re constantly exposed to the many injustices around the world. When you see someone being discriminated against due to completely irrelevant details like sexual orientation, race or sex, it’s really hard not to say anything. I wonder how we’d be labeled if we just decided to not care and be even more self-centered?
With the notion that college is my only option being drilled into my head for the last decade, it’s no wonder I’ve focused more on school than on working. If a college degree is supposed to guarantee payoff with a good job, why take a crappy minimum-wage one seriously?
So really, this stereotype seems very unfitting. We’re quite educated and put forth a great amount of effort; it’s just that it shows in our studies rather than in our work ethic. We aren’t really sensitive; we’re just over-caring and not so callused by back-breaking jobs.
Also, not all of us Millennials are the same. I probably just generically described half of the people my age, if I’m lucky. Some of us don’t even go to school and do know the meaning of hard work. Some may not be interested in either of those options; cue the sloth with poor values.
Come to think of it, can I even be held completely responsible for the person that I am? Contrary to popular belief, parents have a much greater influence over kids than friends do. And this makes sense considering a major chunk of our lives are spent watching them.
Graphic by Pam Black
