Last week, one of my Facebook friends posted a status that inspired me to write this article. She talked about how she wrote two sentences and her mother praised her for doing such a great job. She then ended the status by saying that we truly are the generation of mediocrity glorification. Back in 2012, The Huffington Post published an article titled Are We Raising a Generation of Helpless Kids. This article dealt with the same issue: our generation expecting to be glorified for doing nothing of great significance.
Let me start off by saying that I am a proud millennial. I believe in all of my heart that our generation has changed the world in ways that our parents could only imagine (which is why so many people hate millennials). Our generation is filled with some of the most brilliant minds and innovators that this world will ever see. We love learning from experienced professionals, but we also believe that they could learn a thing or two from us (despite what many baby boomers and generation x-ers might think). You get the point. I love being considered a millennial, and I wear it as a badge of honor. However, mediocrity glorification is real and it needs to be addressed.
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There is a stark difference between positive reinforcement and mediocrity glorification. Positive reinforcement is something that should be practiced. It's important to let hard working people know that they are going a good job. It's also important to be able to receive constructive criticism so that we can do an even better job. Mediocrity glorification is when we do minimal, sub-par work and get a pat on the back for it. That is something that shouldn't be practiced. You don't get a gold star for doing what you're supposed to do or something of little significance. I'm not blaming millennials for this because it's not our fault necessarily. But I do blame the generation and environment that raised us.
Why do I blame our parents you ask? Our parents didn't want to put the pressure on us that was placed on them by their parents. Instead of expecting big things from us, they took the approach to praise us for accomplishing small goals. Our parents put us on a pedestal saying how special we are, and when we got out into the real world we expected the same treatment. Why do I blame our environment? Generation Y grew up in the beginning of the digital age. We grew up with the Internet which gives us instant gratification and feedback, and we expect that in every facet of our lives. My question is, why do so many people think this is such a bad thing? Daily, I see baby boomers and generation x-ers blame millennials for expecting too much, but they fail to admit that they played a significant role in this epidemic.
The reality is that our generation has been game-changing, and a lot of older generations believe in sticking to the status quo. Because of this, they feel the need to unfairly criticize everything that millennials do or don't do; including getting praised for "mediocre" accomplishments. But think about it: if millennials had never been born, what would the world look like today? Google would have never grown and it would probably still be a start-up. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter would not exist. Technology would not be as advanced as it is today.
People like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates do not belong to the millennial generation, but you better believe that they assembled a team full of them. Why? Because we can think outside of the box. We're not confined to social norms and the status quo. We're able to see that world as what it could be and not what it is. We find innovative ways to make the impossible, possible. That's why our generation is so important. So what if we get praised for doing mediocre things. That's not our fault, and we didn't ask for it. The next time people criticize millennials about being the generation of mediocrity glorification, then I'd challenge them to criticize the generation that did all of the glorfiying.
