For this week’s blog entry I thought I would talk a little more about
the stereotypes of being a Millennial. I looked up what several of the
stereotypes are currently for people in our generation:
-entitled
-not loyal
-lazy
-tech savvy
-only want
positive feedback
-impatient
-delusional
I personally see how these could be applied to our generation, but I
definitely do not agree that every person matches these stereotypes. I would
argue that every generation has groups of people that fit into these
characteristics. I agree that we are tech savvy. Our forms of communication are
written through technology. We would much rather text than call. I think this
is what makes us impatient. We want fast results and when we do not get a
response or a quick result we get annoyed. I definitely know that I can be
impatient a times.
I think what bothers me the most about these stereotypes is that people
think our generation is lazy. We are the most educated generation. More of us
are attending college and graduate degrees are more common now than ever before.
I am sure that a lot of people in our generation like to take the easy route,
but maybe it is because we are doing so many different things at once. We are
known to multi-task. We also have the greatest amount of debt to overcome. If the
majority of us ever want to help ourselves we cannot be lazy when it comes to
repaying our debt. I definitely think the lazy stereotype bothers me the most.
When I was looking up several different webpages I came
across a Buzzfeed quiz that asked the
question, “So How Big Of A “Millennial” Stereotype Are You Really?”
The format was 145 questions and you clicked yes on the questions that matched
something you have done. I received a score of 26 out of 145. The quiz told me
that I am not that big of a stereotype. I was probably born before 1980 or
after 2000, or that I am just a real eclectic kind of person. It also said that
I am probably missing out on some stuff. I know Buzzfeed quizzes are not
serious, but I had a good laugh at the results. I posted the link to the quiz
below if you are interested in taking it for yourself.
I also found a video on YouTube that showed
several Millennials challenging the stereotypes placed upon them and they place
the blame on the Boomer generation. The title is called Millennials: We Suck
and We’re Sorry. They offer several apologies as to why we Millennials suck so
badly. I think it is pretty funny. So I also posted the link below.
Campbell,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. I see a lot of these characteristics with my student workers at the Stroh Center and it can be frustrating to keep them working and not "slacking off". I would agree with you that not every person matches these stereotypes, but they are definitely present in a lot of millenials. Your example about how people would rather text than call is perfect. You can't walk around campus without noticing that almost everyone is on their phone or calling someone when they get into a building and ask, "hey I am here, where are you?" The impatience definitely is in relation to our technology and how we constantly want the newest updates, the fastest wifi, and the fastest connections.
The one stereotype that I had the hardest trouble accepting is the entitlement. I think that is the worst one, it makes us seem like we are better than what we are and I couldn’t see our generation having this sense of entitlement. But after some thinking about my job experiences, it could not be more prevalent. I have been in internships where young, inexperienced interns have tried to tell full time employees, GM’s, and executives that they “aren’t here to do jobs like that” or that “they didn’t sign up to do jobs like this” and all I could think of was that they are lucky they were picked for this internship and they should be happy they are getting this experience, instead they felt as if they were better than everyone else with zero experience.
I also took the Buzzfeed quiz you posted; I too was surprised at my results. I only received 41 out of 145. I noticed a lot of the questions were trends, fads, or going along the social norms. I guess it shows that I am not that big of a millennial stereotype either. I disagree with Buzzfeed when it said I was also missing out on stuff. Thanks for posting the link.
Mike Harrington
Campbell,
ReplyDeleteI took the Buzzfeed quiz as well and got a 31 out of 145. Pretty interesting to see what Buzzfeed considered to be millennial activities and traits as you answer each question. Some of them were pretty far from what I really envisioned when first thinking of a millennial, things like "went out of your way to shop local" were of particular interest.
On the topic of the article about millennials, I think the article does group all of the millennial generation in to one big stereotype, and I disagree with that. Clearly not all of the millennial generation can be entitled, lazy, or delusional. I can see how that may be applied to a surprising amount of our generation, but I would be offended to be called most of those things (besides tech savvy). I know most of our class mates would be ruled out of the "lazy" category because I don't think anyone makes it to grad school by being lazy. I just find these conceptions we come up with for each generation can be very misconstrued, and I think it might be unfair to judge an entire generation by the encompassing view of what others think of that generation.
Good post.
Joey Durant
Cam,
ReplyDeleteI could not agree more with you in regards to the “lazy” stereotype, and I agree that we are the most educated. Some of the educational pursuits are driven by the “want” factor to obtain a college degree, but also the “need.” Unfortunately, the “need” comes at a higher price in our day and age. With our generation it seems like in order to get a job we need to receive not only a bachelor’s degree, but a master’s as well.
The job force today is extremely competitive, and competition is only going to grow. The need for education is also growing. Before individuals only needed at least graduate high school to succeed, and then it was at least an associate’s degree. This turned into a bachelor’s degree, and now a master’s degree. I, however, feel as if a master’s degree is no longer as prestigious, and individuals who obtain a master’s degree are still going to have quite the challenge when job searching.
Casey
I would not characterize myself within any of the negative pigeonholes, but I’m going to play devil’s advocate. Have I ever felt entitled? Yes I have. Example, when I make a purchase at a store, I feel entitled to a “Thank You”. Have I ever been un loyal? Yes I have. If the Cubs are winning, I’m a Cubs fan, and if the White Sox are winning, I’m a White Sox fan. I believe we all can think of times when we have been lazy or impatient. When I hear the term delusional I instantly get negative connotations. Delusion can be defined as “a belief or impression that is firmly maintained despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality.” I have woke up from 2 hours of sleep thinking that I could fully function throughout day. You stated “We would much rather text than call.” Some would consider that “lazy.” These stereotypes do not bother me because I know who I am as a person, and to my knowledge, I have not been discriminated against for being a Millennial. I enjoyed taking the quiz you posted; I scored a 46 out of 145. I agree with you that every person doesn’t match these stereotypes, but I do know millennials that fit into many of these categories. I think categorizing an entire generation isn’t possible because everyone is different.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post.
David Sims
Ashley Birchmeier
ReplyDeleteSeptember 14, 2014
Cam,
I would have to admit after reading the list I found myself able to relate in similar ways. I find myself being very impatient when it comes to certain things, I am someone who will drive across town to buy something just so I can have it now even if its cheaper online. I would say I also relate to tech savvy and that I would much rather text then pick up the phone.
The problem I have though with this tech savvy generation is how dependent we are on technology. I attended a wedding this weekend and before the ceremony started the speaker had to ask people to turn off cell phones as to avoid interrupting the ceremony, ten years ago this would have been unheard of.
I have to disagree with the other things on this list such as a lazy society, only want positive feedback, and not loyal. I think these three are completely opposite of the Millennial generation and could be used to describe almost any generation.
Ashley
Cam,
ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth, I took the Buzzfeed Quiz (my first:-) and scored 17. But then I knew I probably wasn't a Millennial. Thanks for sharing this.
Dr. Spencer