I am climbing up on my high horse this morning to get a few things off my chest. Everyone is talking about generalizing whole groups of people, yet one of the biggest groups being torn apart right now are millennials. People are calling them "special snowflakes", "wimps", and "cry babies". Sounds to me like what the older generation would say about my generation as kids. Yes, generation X. The generation of I don't give a fuck. I think that many people have forgotten about the men and women who are running this country right now. Many of these men and women were hippes. You know, the people they called wimps and cry babies in the 60's. The men and women who often stood hand in hand while beaten, abused, and threatened. You know the people who stood against what they say as injustice.... umm... we are not seeing snowflakes, we are seeing a group of young people fighting for what they see as probable injustices that will happen. Now I'm not going to sit here and defend if there is validity to their fears or not as that is not the point of this post. The point is these kids are standing up for what they really believe in. Isn't that one of the things us as parents always hope our kids will do?
Being a mom of so many kids I have had many, many of these millennial children come through my home. My kids are so different I've had every clique here as well from the geeks to the jocks. I will say a few things I notice about these kids. They are damn hard workers. I see facebook posts daily of these kids asking where is hiring. When I was a kid me and my friends hopped from one job to the next. These kids have learned job loyalty. They are working at one place often through college! I remember my grandfather telling me there is no quality better than a hard worker. I see that with these kids. SO when people say "Oh this generation will be living in their parents basement" I think of a few things. One, that will likely happen because no one can afford to live on their own anymore" and also didn't my generation invent the basement dwelling?
These kids are facing pressures we never had to and they are getting through it! They have pressure to be the best in school so they can get into the best college and get a good job and have a family and do better. Yes, I purposely made that a run on sentence because I imagine they hear that as run on phrases from everyone in their lives. This generation has a higher rate of cancer, autism, and so many other conditions we never thought of. They will be the ones to find the cures. This generation has to find the solution to the environmental catastrophe of our forefathers. Steven Hawkins said yesterday humans have 1000 years to find a new home planet so lets add that to their list as well. Starting to feel like a heavy load yet? Well, lets keep going then, okay? Let's add onto the pile on this generations shoulders, threats of war and terrorism. I know I didn't have to worry about going to the mall or a theater when I was a teen. Oh wait. they also have to worry about dying in the classroom. They even have lock down/in drills!
People we are not raising snowflakes! We are raising a generation that is going to change the world. They are going to fix the mistakes we and those before us made. They are working to defeat racism (part of the reason they protest) because they don't see the world we all saw. They see people! This is the most culturally and religiously blended generation since the early days of immigration! These kids have a deep love for adventure and the unknown. They want to learn and embrace the differences in each other not be scared because they are different.
In the end I will embrace this generation of snowflakes. I will watch hopefully as they age and grow into adults that will hopefully being us into the utopia we have all been searching for. Imagine this could be the generation that finally sees world peace because they are willing to fight foe it. Maybe instead of calling them names and assuming they are worthless we should listen and learn.
I am ending this with the words of the wise Bob Dylan:
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.
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