Dear Older Generations,
To be honest, we’re over you. We’re over you calling us “lazy” and “self-entitled.” We’re over you criticizing our work ethic, our passion, our morals, without ever looking at your own. You complain about the state of the youth, but never look back at the state of your generations. We understand that each generation wants the best for the next, but it is time for you to understand: that maybe millennials know more about what they want than you do.
You say that you are irritated because you believe millennials don’t value our opportunities, that we take them for granted. For some this may be right, but for most millennials we are doing everything in our power to make something out of this world that we are inheriting. We live in a society where a four-year degree is outrageously expensive and is valued the least. We work our as*es off and fall deeper into debt every day just to enter a job market that is not hiring college graduates. You have created an almost unwinnable game and then dismiss us when we ask for change.
We will no longer be silent. We know better; you have taught us better. We are too aware of the world around us to just let other generations handle things. We, the millennials, are growing up and we’re taking what is ours.
From Ferguson, Missouri to Hong Kong, China, millennials are fighting for true equal opportunities for all. The reigning generation will no longer be content with the status quo. For us it won’t be acceptable for women to make 78 cents to a man’s dollar (the figure is even less for women of minorities). We will no longer discourage love just because it is not in the form of a man and a woman. Instead we will celebrate our differences and push each other towards a society for all, not just the few.
Technology has made us socially aware. We are so connected with our surroundings through advancing technologies that at times it can be overwhelming. We have the ability to create movements and disperse knowledge in seconds. And we know you have concerns; you believe we are too dependent on the Internet and too attached to our phones. Many will agree with you, but to us the benefits far out way the costs. We are the most connected generation in history and with these connections understanding will follow. With time we will learn the balance with technology, but to condemn it for its faults without acknowledging it for its brilliance would be considered ignorant.
We understand that we’re still young and even though we have access to almost anything, we still haven’t seen it all. You have to have to understand our frustrations: we ask that instead of calling us “entitled” and “lazy,” you look at the world we inherited and see it from our vantage point. We are your children and we are the future. Whether you want to hear us or not, it is time for you to listen. So call us what you want, but just get out of our way because we have work to do.
With love,
The Millennials