The Millennial generation has received more than it’s fair share of prejudice and complaints.
The Who captured the feeling of every young person with their song “My Generation.” It seems that only negative things are said about the young, and there is no hope for the future.
With no exception, the millennial generation (those born between the early 1980s to early 2000s), comes with its own myths.
Myth: Young people are narcissistic and have a sense of entitlement.
It’s tough to call a generation narcissistic when they are one of the most tolerant.
There have been more movements to accept everyone, regardless of religion, sexual orientation or race than ever before. The Pew Research Center reported in 2010 that an overwhelming amount of millenials (about 90%) would support a family member’s decision to date among other races.
As the country becomes more diverse, it’s undeniable that people of other backgrounds have an increasing influence on American culture.
As for the idea that millenials are entitled, that is completely false; young Americans are quite generous. According to the Millennial Impact Report, “75% of young people donated money to charity last year,” which is impressive considering they are typically less financially stable than older generations.
On top of that, the Millennial Impact Report also notes that 63% volunteered time. A narcissistic generation would not be classified as this accepting and generous.
Myth: Young people have lost social skills because of an increased reliance on technology.
The argument generally follows this path: young people use more technology to communicate, thus they are less able to have less face-to-face communication.
This argument is based on many false and general assumptions. Young people are simply adding social media as another way to communicate in addition to traditional communication—not as a replacement for it.
Dr. Daniel J. Siegel, clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine, wrote in the Huffington Post, “social media actually provides the opportunity for creating relationships and even can promote more face-to-face time.”
Teens are able to stay in touch with friends who live far away and see what they are doing at home, all in addition to their regular face-to-face interactions.
Most people would agree that racist, sexist and homophobic stereotypes are immoral. We should recognize that stereotypes on age are not exceptions.
