(Photo Credit: http://www.insperity.com)
By Jason Klaiber @J_Klaibs
When older generations label all millennials as apathetic, coddled or lazy, they should realize not every member of this generation fits their descriptions.
Many millennials volunteer in their communities and obsess over filling up their résumés. Not every millennial abstains from voting or expects a participation trophy for everything he or she does, either.
Millennials, often considered to be those born between the early 1980s and the late 1990s, now comprise the largest share of the United States population. Fitting every one of its individuals into an assumption amounts to stereotyping. In the same vein as thinking that all blondes possess low IQs or that every New Yorker lacks courtesy, stereotyping millennials shouldn’t be an accepted notion in our society.
Labels have been attached to every generation. As many baby boomers came of age, older men and women lumped them all together as “hippies.” Generation X had been branded as an age of “slackers” by many hailing from prior generations. This trend of stereotyping the generations that follow one’s own needs to stop.
The oldest millennials only recently became old enough to run for president. The youngest ones only recently became old enough to get their driver’s licenses. Already criticizing millennials for their contributions to society would be like yelling at a toddler for not adding enough to their household’s income.
Millennials should be given a chance. They need time to grow and achieve, just like their elders did. The only sure thing these older generations have on millennials is exactly that—they’re older.
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