Millennials are not entitled, but ambitious

Carolina Sanchez/ Contributing Writer

Millennials are the group of people who follow directly after Generation X, although we’re often recognized for being much more than that.

It seems the norm for every generation is to critique or scrutinize the generation that follows it; they’re usually more open minded and so they’re deemed too bold. They don’t conform to the atmosphere in which they are raised, thus are deemed too libertarian, radical, or just plain contemporary.

According to Simon Sinek, an author, speaker, and consultant who writes on leadership and management, the millennial generation is popularly known for being one of the most entitled cohorts in history.

We’re the generation that often speaks back to our parents, believes we deserve everything, and are seemingly technologically-codependent.  Coincidentally, the millennial generation has also lived through pioneering events such as the legalization of gay marriage.

However, many of these attributes are often looked at negatively instead of positively. Could it be possible that we’re not entitled, but instead astronomically ambitious and determined to obtain what we feel we’re capable of?

And, perhaps all of this parental-offspring discourse we’re so infamously known for, is in fact, nothing more than a discussion where a parent is willing to give their child a chance to explain a situation or opinion without being completely bludgeoned?

Furthermore, could it be possible that rather than moving too far away from the status-quo, the millennial generation marks a period in time where the nation sought to make all beings as equal as possible by actions such as legalizing gay marriage?

The parents who raised the millennials have undoubtedly sought different parenting strategies than their parents and have thus created individuals who feel more at liberty to think and act on their own behalf.

Many parents have moved away from physical disciplinary action, which they themselves were once victims of, and have experimented with alternate methods of discipline.

Unlike many generations before us, the millennial generation is, as a result, inclined to challenge everything, authority figures included. Although many may look at this phenomena negatively, it’s much more possible that it has made the millennial generation more autonomous and catalytic.

 

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The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of Panther Press Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.

 

Photo retrieved from Flickr.