Millennials may be criticized, but they are a generation like no other. In the article “Why Millennials Will Save Us All,” Joel Stein asserts that millennials are a positive force of change. Stein’s intent is to convince his target audience, older generations who perceive millennials as “lazy, entitled, selfish and shallow” (28), that they misunderstand millennials. He boldly claims that “[millennials are] not a new species; they've just mutated to adapt to their environment” (31). Stein persuades his audience that millennials are most certainly a treasure trove of remarkable qualities. He accomplishes this by switching tones in the middle of the article, using humorous language, and establishing credibility through his mastery of logos. …show more content…
In the beginning, Stein employs harsh words, observing that “though [millennials are] cocky about their place in the world, [they] are also stunted” (29). This dismissive comment illustrates the condemning tone found in the first half of the article. Stein writes in a condescending manner that he knows his readers will relate to in order to enlarge his audience’s interest. By doing so, Stein assures that his readers are fully engaged for when he delivers his claim further into his article. Stein would not have appealed to his intended audience—those who think negatively about millennials— if he had started his article in a positive manner. In Stein’s opinion, his audience would not have read further into an article containing an introduction that they blatantly disagree with. With that sentiment in mind, Stein alternates his tone halfway through the article to surprise his readers with his true view on millennials, a view that is generous instead of dismissive. Stein changes his word choice by making positive remarks about how millennials are “earnest and optimistic… They are pragmatic idealists, tinkerers... life hackers" (31). Stein supports his claim by using this uplifting tone to convince his readers that they ought to view millennials in an optimistic manner. By using contrasting tones, Stein first agrees with his audience to …show more content…
In the first half of the article, Stein inserts disapproving evidence about millennial traits, pointing out how “58% more college students scored higher on a narcissism scale in 2009 than in 1982” (28). Stein provides these statistics to convince his target audience of his credibility by giving them evidence that peaks the interest of their judgemental views. After his tone shift, Stein reveals all of his equally valid data on the positive aspects of millennials. The audience discovers in the second half of the article that “nearly a quarter of DreamWorks' 2,200 employees are under 30, and the studio has a 96% retention rate” (32). This supports Stein’s claim by using logos to show millennials’ work ethic, one of their many redeeming qualities. Since the audience has already accepted Stein’s pessimistic evidence earlier in the article, they are willing to accept his positive evidence as well. In this way, Stein avoids assaulting his readers with evidence that supports his controversial claim by first easing his audience into his article with evidence they readily agree with. By the end of his article, Stein has integrated enough logos to convince his audience of the legitimacy of his claim while balancing out the informal sections of his
In Eric Hoover’s article, The Millennial Muddle, he describes how stereotyping and trying to understand students has become a major industry, especially with Millennials, since there are different adaptations and interpretations of this generation. It contains the different opinions from people who have studied this generation. Researchers try to figure out who Millennials are, how they think, why they always do what they do, and in those propositions and findings find them to contradict one another. Hoover then states that “in other words, they’re all different. But just for fun, let’s stereotype them as smart, successful, and lull of shakeable opinions.” Hoover does not deny these findings to be contradictory of what Millennials truly are.
After covering facts about millennials and their imperfections, Stein turns his article around by recognizing their good qualities. The purpose of Stein’s article is revealed when he changes sides of opinion. He praises their admirable characteristics saying, “They are probusiness. They’re financially responsible; although student loans have hit record highs, they have less household and credit-card debt than any previous generation on record.” (Stein 33), proving that millennials are more capable and intelligent at managing money although in more debt than previous generations. Stein uses logos to further establish his credibility.
In the article “The Beat Up Generation,” Abby Ellin claims that the negative way other generations view the millennials may all be wrong; instead, the millennials are preparing for the world most generations are opposing. Ellin declares in her article that the millennials are shown to be the most disliked generation; their ideas collide with those in the Baby Boomers and the Gen-Xers causing confusion. Constantly, Articles are being thrown out about the millennials “incompetence” and their “self-absorbed” behavior which only causes more hatred according to Ellin. However, she continues to state that millennials are no more selfish than the previous generations; in fact, millennials are only trying to discover new ways for “communication and
In the beginning, Gillespie immediately captures the reader's attention with a well placed hook. The hook states, “...but we’re on the verge of a nasty old fights between baby boomers and their ‘Greatest Generation’ parents look like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting.” (Gillespie 1) This causes the reader to get a visual of what Gillespie is thinking as he rights this article and is a representation of how he feels about what he’s writing about. Next, Gillespie attempts to appeal to the reader’s logical side by the use of statistics. Such as, “Seventy-one percent of American adults think of 18-to-29-year-olds-millennials, basically-as ‘selfish’, and 65% of us think of them as ‘entitled”.” (Gillespie 1) immediately shows the reader exactly what his claim is. These two quotes are amongst a number of others that Gillespie uses to support his claim that, millennials are selfish and entitled, due to the overprotection from parents. The only problem is that some of his statistics could be used in counter arguments against him. This is seen in the quote, “Students reporting bullying is one-third of what it was 20 years ago.” (Gillespie 1) where the reader begins to see holes in Gillespie’s claims. So, Gillespie discusses his truth of what is the problem with helicopter parents and their
Stein simply says that the millennials aren’t against their elders as other past generations may
To start, this shift towards a shared economy is giving Millennials a bad reputation. Instead of focusing on their spending habits, Huffington Post blogger, Tim Urban, targets the work ethics of the younger generations in his article, “Why Generation Y Yuppies Are Unhappy.” In fact, Urban believes that younger generations were too spoiled in their childhood, so by the time adulthood hit they were destined to be failures. In addition to
In the article “A Generation of Slackers? Not So Much”, by Catherine Rampell, the author analyzes and challenges the popular stigma that Millennials are the laziest generation to have ever existed. Rampell begins her article with a staggering fact: “The unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds is a whopping 17.6 percent” (Rampell 388). And according to seventy-five percent of Americans, “Today’s youth are less virtuous and industrious than their elders” (Rampell 388). This may seem like an incredibly high percentage of Americans, but you might be astonished to learn that even “Two-thirds of millennials said older adults were superior to the younger generation when it came
Ultimately, millennials are a complex demographic with key differences influenced by life
“Millennials’ behavior is totally functional for the world they inherited” (para 12). I find this to
He is about to do what old people have done through history: stein said call those younger than him lazy, entitled selfish and shallow. He studies! He have statistic! Stein have quotes from respected academics! I am agreeing with stein theses points because if we can see around now the world we will see things we had never seen before. Unlike I can see the proof in my parents, my grandparents and great-grandparents. Every new generation becomes with new records in Olympics and other challenges. The generations become more challengers and more strong as we can see the people in their 20s that’s now 65 or older according to the national institutes of health;58% more college students
Nearly 3.7 million American babies born in 1982 were the first members of the new Generation Y, or more affectionately known as millenials (Thompson, par. 1). Many things play into whether a generation is considered to be faring ‘better’ than another one; job opportunities, the state of the environment, whether the U.S. is at peace or at war, income vs. living expenses, the general happiness of the people, and the list goes on. Millenials are part of a special generation because
However, observers worry that Millennials have become naive in thinking that because “we” can tolerate cultural and societal issues, everyone else can and should. That just isn’t the case in our
Millennials, a group of people who were born in the year 1984 and after. There are millions of them and they are our future. According to Simon Sinek, millennials “are accused of being entitled and narcissistic, self interested, unfocused and lazy.” Even though Millennials lack in some aspects, he believes that parenting, technology, impatience and environment is to blame. As a millennial, I totally agree with Sinek’s point because I am affected by all the variables that he listed ever since birth. Millennials did not do anything wrong but, the way they were raised affected their attitudes.
According to the Goldman Sachs (2017) website there are about 9.2 millions Millennials in the United States. This generation is beginning to enter the work world or already has and the older generation doesn’t seem to understand them. Millennials can be hard to understand because with each and everyone of them technology has played into their lives and shaped them differently from older generations. The Millennial generation is looked down upon because of the amount of technology they use, but others don’t understand that technology is what makes the generation millennials. Millennial has had technology to help them become their own bosses, more informed and aware, and more educated.
In Joel Stein's “The New Greatest Generation” he develops an idea of both opposing sides of millennials talking about the positive sides and the negative sides that millennials have towards their progression in their life’s.Talking about all the generations and their characteristics putting together many facts to prove how the generations act differently upon each other, whether its growth of self-esteem or being lazy. Relating these characteristics to how these generations were raised and how they want to live the rest of their life. In addition in many ways that’s the reason why millennials have evolved into achieving their goals more than past generations. Making them more aware of what they have to focus on educational wise . Of course their narcissism attitudes might get in the way but it also helps them because their always aware of themselves and what theirs goals are and what their achieving to go for. Making it more prompt to many millennials to succeed in many ways or what they want to succeed. Even though that might get in the way but it also helps a person do better in a way. considering that many millennials have been judged in so many ways from the old generations that have come in the past because of the narcissistic attitudes they imply and for looking lazy. Yet it hasn't stop them in the sense that they have become for