Is it?
Or am I Gen X? Or am I a
generational outsider? Merriam Webster
defines a millennial as ‘a person born in the 1980s or the 1990’s’. I was born in ’87 (and proud), yes I remember
watching FraggleRock and singing to Zoom Zoom from Zenon: Girl from the 21st
Century; don’t play, you remember too!
Over the years I began to embrace the ‘millennial’ tag, but something started to stand out to me, how we were viewed by older generations.
A few days ago I read an article, addressing the lack of
self-identification with millennials.
Pew Research Center, wrote the article 'Most Millennials Resist the Millennial Label' addressing how generations truly view
themselves. Despite millennials being
the largest and most influential generation ON EARTH, only 41% of millennials
identify with the label; while older millennials identify with
Gen X. The survey found that Millennials
are uncharacteristically more willing to pin negative stereotypes upon
their selves. What? Ok, we’ll keep reading. The article goes on to say that 59% of
millennials think 'we’re self-absorbed'. What?
Ok that’s when I stop the presses.
The younger generation must be the ones answering these surveys! Your saying, the generation that is pushing
harder than any other for equality, free healthcare, free/reduced education, is
‘self-absorbed’. The generation that
pushed for equal marriage, the generation that said no more war, the most
educated generation; said we’re ‘self-absorbed?
Hmmm. I start to feel conflicted
because I view our generation as ‘innovative’, ‘empathetic’, and ‘relentless’. In this moment I’ve never felt more proud to
call myself a ‘millennial’. Then the
career coach in me questioned, ‘if we see ourselves so negatively, no wonder
other generations do as well’.
