The Millennial image is generally met with negativity, being labeled as lazy, entitled or selfish. But maybe Millennials aren’t lazy, entitled or selfish and just want to be able to succeed like the previous generations. As the children of the prosperous Baby Boomers, Millennials face many criticisms that doubt their abilities. Having deviated from the conventional path into the job industry, Millennials are taking strives to make big changes in society. It brings up the question of what Millennials bring to the table. As of now, their image is in the spotlight for judgement and doesn’t seem to be doing to well.
The idea of Millennial entitlement is a rather accurate description for Millennials. In this time and age, anyone on the internet understands that they can find what they need almost instantly. And with Millennials as the first generation to adopt and embrace this technology, they are also the first to feel the effects the internet brings. That happens to be the feeling of instant gratification, which makes the user feel that whatever they want is what they will get. Time article writer, Joel Stein, writes this idea as “In the U.S., Millennials are the children of baby boomers, who are also known as the Me Generation, who then produced the Me Me Me Generation, whose selfishness technology has only exacerbated.” Millennials aren’t entitled because of their character. They are entitled be cause the environment they grew up in fosters narcissism. Unfortunately, a majority of them grew up unconsciously developing that trait and is now how other generations see them as.
On the flip side, Millennials are known to catalyze some much needed change, whether it be in their lives or in society. Millennials are adopting to the social and economic change. As a result, they are changing the way of how we’re suppose to “adult”. They’re in the constant loop of completing a task, moving on to the next one, completing another, then having to work on the next. This never ending cycle makes time limited and requires a lot of effort to maintain. Buzzfeed News reporter Anne Helen Petersen writes, “We hustle so hard that we’ve figured out how to avoid wasting time eating meals and are called entitled for asking for fair compensation and benefits like working remotely (so we can live in affordable cities), adequate health care, or 401(k)s (so we can theoretically stop working at some point before the day we die).” Millennials are working harder and sacrificing more only to end back at the situation they started in. Millennials are working a system their parents prospered in, but is no longer a working system. Because of that, Millennials are taking charge to make things work in their favor. It’s that needed change that is causing so much disruption in industries Millennials are moving into.
I can see myself in the negative representation of a Millennial. I can admit that sometimes I feel entitled to certain things, but not without working towards it first. As Stein mentions at the beginning of the article, “I am about to do what old people have done throughout history: call those younger than me lazy, entitled, selfish and shallow.” The younger generation is generally looked down upon because they haven’t shown their capabilities yet. And when they see the older generation having it better than them, it makes sense to feel that they should have similar success of the past generation. That doesn’t justify being entitled to everything, but I feel there are some aspects that made the older generation capable of prospering better than the younger generation.
I wouldn’t say I’m not a Millennial, but I wouldn’t say I am a Millennial. I say this because there are aspects of a Millennial that I can relate to, like trying to get through the day efficiently. Because of that, I see their logic in Petersen’s statement of, “We’ve exchanged sit-down casual dining (Applebee’s, TGI Fridays) for fast casual (Chipotle et al.) because if we’re gonna pay for something, it should either be an experience worth waiting in line for (Cronuts! World-famous BBQ! Momofuku!) or efficient as hell.” The shift to fast casual from sit-down casual is a statement to Millennials wanting to make use of their current resources, which is something I try to do. On the other hand, I don’t really relate to the self-image heavy tendencies that results in excessive social media usage or inflated self image. It not that I’m completely free of those aspects, but I just don’t see myself defined by them.
Hey Danny! What are some of the aspects that show how older generations are capable of prospering better than younger generations? You mentioned that millennials are working harder and sacrificing more only to end up back to where they began. But do you think this is because millennials are considered lazy or having a burnout? Petersen also claimed that social media directs our lives into what our lives should be like and there is a burden of having to share a “perfect” image to others. What’s your perspective on people having to constantly create a image for others to see? Stein stated that millennials have low political participation. Do you agree or disagree with him? I agree on how I feel entitled to many things, but I also have to work for most of it.
Hey Danny, I completely agree with your analysis, but still have questions. Do you think a lot of people disassociate themselves from being a millenial because of how negatively they are portrayed? You stated that millenials are entitled because of the environment they grew up in fosters narcissism. Do you think millenials would be the same without social media?
Hey! I somewhat disagree with the idea that millennials are narcissistic due to the way in which they grew up. Somehow all of technology was created due to the idea of helping ourselves. For instance, something is first created when someone notices an issue and addresses it with a solution. For example, all the food delivery apps were made for a reason. The same way it was made for profit. It avoided the need of speaking to a person who can commit errors when ordering. In addition, we can view the vast quantity of options we have, we don’t need to have a menu in front of us and we don’t need to ask what they have on such menu. Some places even have customizations on certain orders. It solves many problems that were okay to deal with before. However, every single advancement was made thinking of ourselves and a possible profit. For example, the first person to make a walkie talkie wasn’t thinking of a way to make everyone else’s life easier, first it was them, and if it worked they would sell it and make a profit. This is a reason to why copyright laws and patents aren’t new, they were created before millennials were even born. This leads to how it isn’t selfishness, but the act of surviving in a capitalist country. Those who know more and can do more will probably achieve more, there will always be exceptions. The continuous need to strive for more. There can be different definitions of prosperity. There are more expenses, now every single person needs a phone, at least one computer, access to the internet, a tv, cable [can be considered a want not a need for some], access to electricity, some type of smart system (google, alexa, etc),
and so much more. This adds upon bills, rent [or mortgage], clothing, food, etc. It all adds up, millennials can’t buy houses or do other things because they have more things that are somehow necessary. There are changes and millennials had to adapt.
Hey Danny. I agree with you on the last point you made in your post. I do not really inflate myself on social media or care about it that much. In addition to your argument about social media, I really appreciate the fact that you mentioned that the younger generation has not been able to prove themselves yet, because I agree with that whole heartedly. It’s unfair to characterize an entire generation when those that were born into it are not even 50 years old yet.