Lazy, unmotivated, and entitled. What do you think of when reading these adjectives? The first word that comes to my mind is millennials. I don’t actually think that millennials are lazy, or unmotivated, or entitled. I am a millennial. I am actually a full-blown stereotypical millennial.

I have being hearing about how terrible my generation is for a while. I am a white, 19-year-old woman, I go to a small liberal arts college, I am a registered democrat, and I wanted Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton to be the next president... desperately. I come from a very normal and stable home, and I get along with my family better than most adults do. I have been fortunate enough to study abroad and to really be able to do whatever it is that I want to do. I am going to school for English and political science. I could be the poster child for the millennial stereotype.

We are constantly getting ridiculed and scrutinized by parents and older generations for an array of reasons. The one that irks me the most is the participation ribbon. We grew up getting awards for just making an effort, and somehow that lit a fire under our arses and now we are entitled babies. We didn’t want the ribbon, we didn’t create the ribbon, it was given to us by the same generation who ridicules us today.

The outstanding characteristic that my generation possesses is our ability to accept people for who they are. We fight hard for gay rights, trans rights, women's rights, religious rights, minority rights, etc. We are the first generation to really focus on group rights as well as individual rights. We aren’t the first generation to have the idea that we are all equal, but we are the first where all groups are on the table. We have a vision and a goal for America to live up to its long-lived reputation; that this America is a country for all, to be free and to be equal to other human beings.

The lessons I learned most from my history classes in elementary school and middle school were the ones about the great triumphs and progress towards equality in America. Up until high school, I whole heartedly believed that America was the “good guys” of the world. We have had our ups and downs; we ended slavery, gave everyone the right to vote, intervened in World War II and defeated the Nazis, and gave everyone the right to marry who they love.

The ugly parts of America and the political system was never really addressed. We were only taught about the good things. So, naturally, when Donald Trump won the presidency, a lot of us were confused.

A lot of us cried when the results were finalized on November 8th, 2016. It made us sad, angry, and confused. Most of all, I think that our world as we had known it was flipped upside down. We have been taught since we were six years old that America always comes out on top. We always move forward and the American people always do the right thing.

Wrong.

Millennials get criticized for safe spaces, cancelled classes the day after the election, and for being too sensitive. We have come a long way to realize that our feelings are valid. We have come a long way to realize that mental illnesses should not be ignored or pushed to the side of importance. We have come a long way to realize the seriousness of sexual assault and that it is not the victims fault for wearing certain clothing. We have come a long way to realize that the most important thing is human connection, relationships, and happiness; over money. We have come a long way to realize that we don’t need to put people in boxes and label everyone for the sake of normality. And, we have a long way to go.

People find us to be pretentious. We don’t like labels or racist/sexist jokes. Guess what? You can also be hilarious without being racist or sexist. You can be friends with people or talk to people without assuming their sexual orientation or the gender they align with.

Oh, I know. That is the most millennial thing for me to say. People think it is the dumbest thing in the world that people don’t align with the gender they are expected to be because of their sex. Well, news flash, gender is a socially constructed idea. There is nothing that makes you like girls, trucks, sports, and violence if you are born with a penis. There is nothing that makes you like boys, pink, flowers, or cleaning if you are born with a vagina. My generation recognized this, and noticed that when people strayed from the status quo, they were ridiculed and thought of as lesser.

I say this to you: my generation is beacon of hope. Our ideologies may make you angry because it is not your normal or you may think that we are just a bunch of stupid lazy hippies, but we are trying to do what is right, and you know we are. The world is constantly progressing and has been since forever. We are the next working force, the next leaders of the world, and we want equality and peace above all.

Before you jump to judge my generation, think about what we want the most: for people to be who they want to be, love who they want to love, do what they want to do, and flourish in happiness during our one life.

Love,

A stereotypical millennial