Respect your elders. It’s a rule we were taught since the beginning of time. But what if your elders don’t respect you?
They call us Millennials, among other things. Also known as Generation Y, we are the sprouts born between the early 1980s and the late 90s. Generation Z are the kiddies in high school right now that were born mid-to-late 90s to present day.
While each generation has moved mountains in its prime, our generation has the lovely privilege of catching the utmost crap from our elders.
How many times have your parents and grandparents ragged on you and “kids these days” for being addicted to technology? Forget that they too have their noses shoved into their tablets and smartphones – we are clearly the spoiled and unappreciative ones. They had it so much harder than we did, therefore we don’t deserve what we have now. Simple math.
Excuse us, granddad, for seeking and applying knowledge and making advances in the world of technology. The thing is, our generation isn’t the only one reaping the virtual benefits here.
If Baby Boomers and Generation Xers had the technology we have now during their youth, they would be immersed in it just as we are. Except they are, aren’t they? They may not be on Yik Yak, but you’ve seen them on Facebook.
I think it’s about time we stand up for ourselves and each other. I would rather be a part of a generation that wants to be too instantly connected with one another than a generation where blacks couldn’t drink out of the same damn water fountain as whites. I’d rather be a part of a generation where movements are being made to accept gay marriage than one full of segregation and discrimination.
Women were self conscious to the point casino of starving themselves to appeal to men, and now we have progressed towards embracing our quirks and differences and having an environment of self acceptance. Modern media, music, and even advertisements are now influencing viewers to not feel inferior, but to love and accepts themselves. We don’t deserve to be shamed for growing up in the world they made for us and trying to make it even better.
I watched an advertisement on YouTube where a group of college students our age asked random people on the street if they would date a woman that was raped. The study found that a higher percentage of younger males said yes. The video showed one younger male saying, “Just because she was raped, that doesn’t mean it was her fault.” Meanwhile, the older men in the video shook their heads in disgust.
This ad perfectly portrays how our views as a society are changing. I am proud of this generation and how far we have come with acceptance, diversity, and making the world a better place. So give me the internet, the iPhones, the tablets and you can take your prejudices and ignorance. Just think of where we will be once our generation is running the world.