Senior biology and science education major
Millennials. Generation Y. Generation Me. We are defined by our sense of entitlement and misplaced confidence that does more than border on narcissism. Americans born from the early 1980s to the early 2000s are the recipients of a fair amount of criticism, much of which is traced back to the idea ingrained in our elementary school brains that simply putting forth effort makes us deserving of reward and recognition. It is no wonder other generations look at us like we are a bunch of Veruca Salts, always taking or asking for things we believe we have “earned” because we tried or simply showed up.
To those who say that it is important to reward hard work, I agree, but there are a few things to consider:
1. Hard work does not equal success.
2. Not all hard work is good work.
3. Rewarding only effort and not results perpetuates the misconception that the only factor contributing to success is hard work, which completely ignores the God-given talents of a competitor and his opponents.
Yes, hard work should be encouraged and developed, but it cannot guarantee your success. This is the fault of the millennial mentality. In trying to pacify and compensate those who didn’t come in first place, we have tipped the scales so far in the opposite direction that those who do come in first are barely distinguished and might even be persecuted. Instead of congratulating the victor, we turn into spoilsports who try to sully and sour the accomplishments of others, placating ourselves with the idea that we could do that too, if we wanted.
The year after I graduated, my high school removed the “Most Likely to Succeed” superlative because it implied that not all of the students would be successful. If everyone is just as valuable in the same ways as everyone else, we are ignoring individual talents and preventing ourselves from experiencing true success. Ironically, this flies directly in the face of the individuality and independence we try so hard to cultivate (why else would Generation Y have so many hipsters?).
Being raised in a system that focused on effort rather than achievement has left us unprepared to handle real-life consequences that follow inevitable personal or professional shortcomings. We respond to criticism with excuses, rather than questions to help us understand the critique or a respectful acceptance of the opinions of others.
It would be easy to blame helicopter parents who overcompensated for the events of their own upbringing or a coddling and enabling education system, but the damage has been done, and now it is our job to clean up the mess, no matter who left it there in the first place.
In our defense, I will say that I meet far more exceptions to the Generation Y stereotype than examples of it. But we, more so than other generations, are at risk for prioritizing instant gratification and having poor sportsmanship. We must be aware of this, particularly as we venture into the world of adulthood in which we might have to actively combat the negative perception of millennials.
Thankfully, it isn’t all bad news. Generation Y is also noted for open-mindedness, passion, prioritizing family and being mission-driven. These are the kind of traits that can help build genuine success and fulfillment. So long as we don’t allow our shortcomings to get in the way, I’d say we have a bright future ahead.
Danielle Wilkin is a senior biology and science education major. She can be reached at dwilkindbk@gmail.com.
