Louis Michael: Millennial divide

It’s become common practice amongst the generation X and baby boomer generations (anyone approximately 35 years+) to berate and tear away at millennials, the so called mollycoddled, ultra sensitive selfie generation. It seems the technological and social rift between the two sides of the millennial era seems to be a tougher bridge to gap than any previous generational jumps. And while I can appreciate longing for nostalgic, familiar days, who wants to go back to the good old days of gender, race, and sexuality inequality, where life was only worth living if you were a heterosexual middle aged white man?

Now I can only say what being a millennial means to me. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I assume I won’t be alone. To me, being a millennial is about being connected. Social media allows me to be a part of a constant dialogue, and I choose to invest my energy in stimulating, enlightening, educational communication with people I wouldn’t usually be able to interact with. Everything I’ve learned about mental health, social awareness, and politics I’ve learned from the internet, just to name a few of the topics it’s educated me on. That’s what social media is really for.

Being a millennial is about compassion

Being a millennial is about being a part of a never before seen world. People make out that our generation is something to be scorned, but they forget that being born into a world of revolutionary, cutting edge technology has allowed us to effortlessly synthesise with this technological world. Haven’t you ever wondered why we can use technology to its full extent without a guide while you’re sat there trying to figure out how to send a text? Ever watched a YouTube video? Ever laughed at a meme? Ever even downloaded an app? Those are millennial driven markets. You’re welcome.

Being a millennial is about compassion. Do you know how many adults I see walking past homeless people, and how many young people I see stopping to talk, to ask if they want anything from the shop? Do you know how many racist, sexist, ignorant comments I hear out of the mouths of my ‘so-called’ elders, and all the care and attention younger people go to to ensure everyone feels included and safe? Do you know how proud I am to be a part of a generation who have learnt the importance of inclusivity and representation and global community in all its beautiful diversity?

Don’t believe the bad press about millennials. People call us the selfie generation just because they’re bitter that they don’t know how to get the proper lighting and angles. Millennials are leading the way into the future, and it’s our names that will appear in the history books.