Are We Anything More Than A Bunch Of Lazy, Entitled Millennials?
Yes, I truly believe we are and as far as “laziness” goes, I have yet to meet someone in or around my age group who is not working multiple jobs, drowning in student debt and doing their best to survive college.
Recently, I was exposed to the ignorant beliefs someone withheld on behalf of the millennial generation that I have not been able to get off of my mind since.
I will be the first to admit that I allow hurtful thoughts, comments and beliefs get the best of me, but this matter was much more than that. I felt as if myself and my generation as a whole were being viewed as nothing but a bunch of lazy, entitled individuals who have everything handed to them without working towards a thing.
As someone who has been in the restaurant industry for the past five years, I have become acquainted with many individuals, all with different mindsets, views and opinions. Most of the time, those I serve are kind and respectful. But there have been a handful of people who have said some pretty questionable things to me in the past without thinking twice.
I am very open with my current situation in regards to school and it has become a hot topic of conversation with many of the individuals that I serve. I have met many people who ask what I do, what I am in school for and so on, and I have never been one to hide any of it, for I am proud of the hard work and determination I have to one day fulfill my dreams of becoming a teacher.
A few weeks back, I kindly greeted an older gentleman, most likely in his late 60's/upper 70’s. After I dropped his beer off to him, he somewhat ignorantly asked if I was even old enough to be serving him an alcoholic beverage. I do look like I could be anywhere from sixteen on and I get asked that question a lot so it did not phase me much. It was more so the way he asked and not what he asked.
From there, he asked why I am serving at almost 24 years old as opposed to having a career. The entire time I kept a smile on my face and was vague when answering his questions, as I did not quite like the overall attitude he possessed. He didn’t seem to genuinely care about anything he was asking, but more so just trying to get a rise out of me. To make me feel uncomfortable.
He continued on with his dinner and once it came time to pay, he asked if my tip was going to go to something worthy of giving up his “hard earned money”. Although I was offended by his question, I kept my composure and kindly explained that all of my money is going into buying a car. What he said next shocked me more than anything he had said in the entirety of his visit and I will never forget the shock in his voice when he looked me directly in the eyes and asked:
“Oh you are actually buying a car and not mooching off of your parents like everyone in your generation seems to do”? ……
The tension in the air between us was so thick and I felt so vulnerable and offended that if it weren’t for me having to give his card back I would have walked away and not worried about any tip from him whatsoever. I felt that if he was that concerned about leaving a $3 tip (which would have been 20%), he needed the money much more than I did.
As a twenty-three year old, I am working my hardest to buy my own car. I work for everything I have and will have and never “mooch” off of my parents. I am studying like crazy to get back into school to further my career, I have been at my current job for going on five years and I have goals and dreams that I am working hard at to achieve every day.
While I know that there are people out there who don’t work as hard as others, that there are people who do lay around and do nothing all day, I would never categorize that only under the millennial population. It doesn't matter how old or young you are, there will always be people who do that.
I know we spend more time on our phones and social media has risen drastically as the millennial generation has gotten older, but we also utilize them them for very important matters as well such as work and school.
Many people I know have the Blackboard app downloaded for easy access of viewing grades. My boyfriend has multiple uses of his phone for his job in which he is very successful at. If it weren’t for social media, I would not be writing this right now, as I would have never heard of Medium before.
I chose to start writing because it gives me something to do. I don’t want to be a “lazy millennial” who sits around doing nothing all day, I want to live my best life and have a plethora of ways to occupy my time.
I guess that when it all comes down to it, it’s all just a matter of opinion, but I honestly view the overall millennial generation as a very hard working and determined group.
I am proud to be a hard working, committed millennial.
