I am a millennial. I am a part of Generation Y, and to some, I also classify to be categorized with Generation Z (a much worse generalization, supposedly). Time Magazine defines me as an adolescent grouped with the "me, me, me" generation, as it vilify and condemns us for our apparent narcissism and egomaniac attitude. In the ninth grade, one of my teachers warned my peers and I of the despicable deterioration of our generation; she felt compelled to pick apart our mannerisms, our fads, and our slang to tell us that we're self-centered and stupid. Why? Because our generation is immersed in a pool of technology? Because our generation feeds on Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter? Because our generation grew a culture of hashtags and filters, selfies and subtweets? I was offended then, and I am offended now.
I understand the rapid growth of technology and the sudden importance of media nowadays. In fact, I often find myself infuriated with the presence of media in society; I don't approve of how the news plaster criminal faces all day long and never once mention and honor the victims of a wretched crime. I absolutely loathe how tabloids and beauty magazines often label certain people as "plus-sized" models when they look healthy and normal. There are many faults with society nowadays, but it is hypocritical and utterly ludicrous to blame my generation. We may be the future rulers of the world, and we may be the ones coming into power, into responsibility quite soon, but we are not the only ones at fault. We were raised by a different generation; the generation before us were the ones that put us into the economic situation we're in.
Yes, there's a ridiculous growth in teen pregnancy rates recently. But you know what else has raised? Average annual debt of recently graduated students. It is said that the average amount of debt a millennial has approximates around $45,000. Unfortunately, average annual income only totals up to around $39,500, leaving it nearly impossible to clear the debts that are racking up. Tuition is now 2.3% more expensive for my generation that the previous one; 2.3 doesn't sound like a very large number, does it? Think of it like this: over the last 28 years, tuition expenses have increased 538%. The anxiety levels of my generation have peaked to parallel the anxiety levels of psychiatric patients in the 1950s. Almost 60% of the girls growing up now feel like they have an eating disorder. 16.3% of Generation Y are completely unemployed, and in every 10 millennials, there are only 6 that are actually employed; 3 of them are only partial employed. While these numbers may not speak volumes at such a small scale, let me put this into perspective for you: There are 86 million people a part of the millennial generation; that is a gaping 7% larger than the baby boomer population, which in turn means that there are just that many more people living without a job. Too often, I find a story of a man or woman, Bachelor's Degree at their disposal, but no job. With a lack of proper income flow, there are 21.6 million millennials that have lived with their parents after college. Even the safest of careers are crumbling at the weight of the economy. A law degree is drastically declining in importance. Terrifying. Truly.
We may be fluent in #selfie, #yas, #that'sbae, but we've never been given a chance to speak our voice. Time after time, we're shot down. Time after time, we're turned away -- told we're too inexperienced, told we lack the skill necessary to master a specific task, told we're too immature. How are we supposed to prove ourselves when we don't even get an opportunity?
I understand that there are plenty of wild children in the world. There are too many people that find themselves obsessing over the number of likes they got on their Instagram picture, and countless people update their Snapchat stories and Facebook statuses as if they're the next bestseller novel, but so what? Why does it matter so much to the baby boom generation that we're indulging in some guilty pleasures? These are the fads that come along with the technology boom. Every generation is constantly complaining about the next one; even now, my peers and I judge those children born in the 2000s for their degrading behavior and loss of innocence. All in all though, each generation will have its own flaws, and each generation will have its pros. We all just need a taste of perspective and open-mindedness.
Times are changing. America has its first black President. American states are finally starting to allow same-sex marriage. Marijuana is becoming legal in some states; we're progressing as a nation, but the blatant tension between baby boomers and millennials are creating an inevitable rift. Such a dichotomous division is dangerous, for society, for humanity. The baby boomers lived through war, started the fiscal downfall, and engrossed themselves in the Civil Rights Movement, the Women's Movement, everything -- us millennials are dealing with the aftermath, so cut us some slack. We're all living on the same planet; we're all a part of the same ultimate community, so why not act like one? We're too busy arguing over our differences that we don't realize we have similarities.
We all have our own stories, so maybe the best solution is to listen to each other and aim for reform rather than retaliation.
No comments:
Post a Comment