I interviewed a group of eight students on my campus, some I knew, some I didn't. I asked them to describe our generation in four words. While some were proud to be a part of the millennial generation and resonated good vibes, the four most common words that echoed amongst them were: selfish, sarcastic, expensive, and entitled. A hollowness fell over them when they realized what they just said about themselves. I then followed the eerie silence with the question of why they thought this. In unanimity, they muttered they had been told/heard this about their generation. Acknowledging this myself and the agreement that pulsed in my mind, I came to the blunt conclusion that we as a generation, as the "Entitled Generation," are only told things that we coincidentally inherited; so, what are the things we are not told? What four words really describe us?

The range of the millennial generation begins in the late 1980s into the early 2000s. These ages can vary between early 30s to mid-teen years. That being said, the generations before us, Generation X and the Baby Boomers, are the ones who raised us. I interviewed a philosophy major from NYU, Tyler George, and asked him to discuss the implications of our generation and what has been placed upon us.

In response, George said, "I think we get a very unfair shake, especially when you think about the generations above us; their role in shaping and molding the world we grew up into is completely ignored when describing a millennial. They always ignore all of that and they ignore the context in which this is happening. You have people who feel entitled or whatever they would say but you aren't really looking at the bigger picture... Basically our grandparents provided and still provide sustenance for their children and grandchildren, and so to say that we are "entitled," well, the two generations above them have fed into that... And yet I think we are the generation in which the world is actually genuinely changing." And George is right. Take a gander at the issue of racism in today's society. Where is it, as of right now, being published the most amongst the public sphere? College campuses. For example, OU and the SAE incident which was made nationally known. Another is Mizzou and even CU in Colorado. These instances, for however long they have been occurring, are just now being brought to light, and by who?

A gentlemen who works in PR came to my journalism class the other day and made a statement that, to me, made perfect sense: "You, the millennial generation, are the first generation to be offended by racism when it doesn't even apply to you." We are a generation as a whole. We do not pride ourselves in being segregated in the masses, but in being empathetic with the masses, taking everything as a personal blow.

Continuing on, George paralleled the latter: "...There are a lot of things we don't necessarily get credit for, especially when the generations before us didn't have any of this to figure out. Obviously we aren't content with how things are, and yet we get this sense that nothing we ever do is important or matters because with the mass amounts of access we have to all this technology, we don't have to "work" for it. For us, I don't think we feel that we have a way to make an impact on the world, and I think that's where all these issues will come out as the millennial generation grows."

The constant projection of Generation X, or those who preceded, of the negative aspects of the younger generation does nothing but hinder us. We are so kindly given the problems of those before us, as well as what the world itself is shaping into, and yet, we are expected to fix it. But more present than that expectation is the expectation of failure that is ultimately placed on the shoulders of the youth. Discussing these issues with a sociology major from UT, Stockton Cobb, I addressed the "failure" approach from those watching us. Amidst her response, Cobb elaborated on that approach in itself, stating: "I think that, even though we are lazy or whatever else we are called, even more than any other generation...we all want to leave a legacy for those who follow us... We are a generation of doers... But people refuse to look at the broader spectrum, they only look at particular 'success stories' in our generations, and yet there are so many cases among us that are not recognized... I think we are capable of dealing with the problems happening now, but it isn't expected of us at all, honestly... They [Generation X] won't acknowledge our ambitions because of the 'failure' concept that they themselves have placed upon us."

The things we are told as a generation does nothing but leave us pondering if we in fact can succeed; if we can reach the top of that mountain or reach the bottom of that ocean. We are not told as a generation that we are the next ones in charge, we are the ones who will soon be making the critical decisions, and yet it's impeccably intertwined in today's society. For example, the election of 2008 in which President Obama won, the age of his voters were between the ages of 18 and 24. Yes, some could play this off as being the "popular" opinion, therefore that's why this age group prevailed, but is this not another case of looking past the things we, the millennial generation, has accomplished? It's in those moments where it becomes ridiculously apparent that we are the next wave of change; we are the ones who will provide the looking glass in which the world lavishly sits. The idea that we are lazy or selfish or privileged is merely irrelevant when placed on a scale of reality. So what does the concept of failure do to us? Cobb responded to this as a millennial: "...the expectation of a lack of success, I think we truly thrive off of that, and on a larger scale, there will become a point where our generation will swoop up and we will be the next youngest CEOs and youngest professionals who are in fact running, for lack of a better word, running the world. We just have to wait on it." I believe the wait is officially over.

We are a generation in which controversies cause us to thrive and soar. A generation in which one means all. A generation in which "falling off the deep end" is actually how we begin, clawing our way back to the surface from past casualties inherited. A generation in which our journey began far before our birth. A generation in which the word success is always in the background of our actions. A generation in which diversity is just another variable in play, not a profound subject. A generation in which change is merely a sixth sense and adaptation is enveloped in our oxygen. A generation in which our footprints will be forever transfixed in the public realm. We are not ungrateful for the things provided by our elders. Yet, what words could possibly illuminate us when we seemingly hold the candle for the future? Does saying this make me entitled? I am a
part of said generation. Am I wrong? I'll leave that to the masses.