Apathetic, entitled, lazy. How often do we hear Millennials described this way? This concept, this understanding, goes beyond cities, states and even nations. It seems that a solid shape has been given to young people today. It is not flattering. Take a look at this quote from mainstream media:

“The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.”

But I didn’t mean today’s mainstream media, this quote is attributed to Socrates. There has been a blind spot for millennia, a blind spot that communities have when discussing their young people.

The term Millennial combines two generations, Generations Y and Z. According to Urban Dictionary, Generation Y is the generation born between 1980-1994, the children of the Baby Boomers. We grew up with Prince, Madonna, the Spice Girls and the Backstreet Boys. We can remember a childhood without computers in the home, with no internet. We can also remember yelling at our siblings to get off the phone so that we could use dial-up. We met Harry Potter when he was fresh-faced and heading off on his adventures at Hogwarts.

I want to add my voice to the voices of this generation, voices of people with a unique insight into the technological and societal changes of the last 30 years. I truly believe in the power of language. The power of language to change people’s minds. The power of language to influence ideas. The power of language to simply change someone’s mood. I hope to harness this power, as best I can; to present a take on the world as experienced by a thirty-ish year-old in Brisbane, Australia.

So, next time the media discusses ‘Millennials’ or ‘Generation Y’, think about this. Think about the idea, increasingly supported by data, that Millennials will be the first generation in over a century to experience less economic stability and growth than their parents. Think about the fact that this generation has grown into a global world – a world which the internet has brought together in a way we have never experienced before. Staring down the barrel of Climate Change, Generation Y is facing challenges — known and unknown — that no other generation has faced. Then maybe you can cut us a little slack.