Millennials have a voice that won’t be silenced

Brea Jones/ Contributing Writer

From an early age, millennials have been told not to speak when it was deemed inappropriate. Most parents nowadays shove a smart device in front of their child to distract them and keep them quiet.

This results in older adults limiting our ability to express our views and opinions just because they don’t like what we’re saying. So, the question is, when is it okay to use our voice?

Often identified as the “Crybaby Generation,” the “Generation of Complainers” or my personal favorite, “Generation Snowflake,” millennials receive a lot of backlash for using their voices. These labels are unnecessary, but when we speak out about it, we are met with more criticism.

Despite all the name calling and criticism, millennials aren’t having any trouble speaking out against the social injustices of the world. Millennials, ranging between the ages of 18-30, are likely to have gone to a protest than any other age group, according to a HuffPost/YouGov poll.

While Ann-Renee Clark, a social science instructor at FIU, believes that every generation is going to complain about the next, she also thinks that millennials had it worse so far.

“I think it is all just a misunderstanding of both the way society and technology have changed,” said Clark. “Baby Boomers didn’t grow up with that, they don’t understand that [smart phones] change the way people think. It doesn’t stop them from thinking.”

It appears that because we are younger, millennials are supposed to accept the labels. Although the comments are meant to be offensive, it really isn’t. We speak out because being labeled as a “complainer” when we just want our voices to be heard and respected is simply unfair.

Regardless of how many attempts older generations make to silence millennials, it isn’t going to work. Millennials will continue to voice their opinion. A little bit of criticism isn’t going to stop us from standing up and speaking out.

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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.

Featured image: Brea Jones/PantherNOW