Social Stereotypes: The Millennial Generation

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

Makrovich (2013) in a study of stereotypes work in both generations are depending on the nature of the generation. Furthermore, the generation X should appreciate and be ready to adapt to the way work ethic generation Y. The difference between the two generations will maintain loyalty to the leadership of senior generation trends. Enticement, pleasure seeking, self direction and task-oriented are the dominant trait on generation X working stereotype. This is where they are more on task-oriented, independent and also more on self-reliant in their working ethics in the workplace. Generation X at workplace was this generation are easier to adapt and also have high expectation in the workplace. Generation X by virtue can developed living skills

At every turn there are talks about millennials. Whether it be a meme on the internet mocking them or a serious article addressing possible issues that involve their futures. As David Brooks argues in his article, ‘It’s Not About You’, if millennials are going to be successful in life then they have to realize that not everything is about them. Brooks’ claim effectively appeals to the audience’s emotions, yet he fails to explain the logic in his argument and build his credibility. Pointing out the many problems that millennials may face as they start life on their own, Brooks elicits many emotions from his audience.

There is a significant value gap between degrees held and jobs worked by Generation Y. Without available positions in their fields, Millennials must take unskilled jobs, while waiting for their elders to give turn. Millennials who are not educated and working toward a professional career are the hardest hit by situation, creating a new echelon of poor Americans. Economists think that Millennials should accept this current economic climate as the "new normal." (Kotkin 3).

“Generational thinking is a begin form of bigotry” (Hoover, E. 2009). Over the years I have noticed that a lot of my elders hold a negative view of Millennials, and that their elders held a negative view of them when they were young adults. I’ve watched TedTalks, educational videos, and read articles trying to understand why and what my elders were accusing my peers and I of. I’m hoping to find more information about why Millennial stereotypes started, why they are incorrect and harmful to all, especially in the workplace, what strategies exist to combat them, and what people of all ages can learn from each other.

Published in Time magazine on May 20, 2013, “The New Greatest Generation – Why Millennials Will Save Us All,” by Joel Stein, proposes that millennials are a generation of entitled, self-involved narcissists, but have the potential of bettering society. He begins the article by condemning them, then shifts his point and gives reasons why they are changing the way that the world is working. Although Joel Stein’s article includes factual information, it becomes ineffective due to its bias, generalizations, and euphemisms used to further his argument.

According to the most recent Reason-Rope Poll Millennials are shown to actually be more engaged and active at work than their counterparts. Desert News points out that “the stereotypes about Millennials aren't just insulting, they're inaccurate. And she may be right. Despite the pervasive "lazy" generalizations, millennials are largely seen as responsible and hard-working” (Johnson). The quote shows that mass media is essentially providing false claims to create a negative image of Millennials by stating inaccurate remarks.

The first step of a fixing a problem is realizing that there is a problem. Millennials will have to be aware of the fact that they are known to be unskilled, inactive, and followers. What others think matters and it especially is significant in the labor force. Other generations and employers thinking negatively of the Millennial Generation is an immense predicament. Millennials need to observe and realize their stereotypes are based off some truth. Knowing is half the battle.

Millennials tend to be technologically advanced and eager to learn. They also value social responsibility and team-work. They are often seen as impatient and quick to express opinions without having all of the data. Millennials are quick to jump-ship if they do not feel if they are progressing fast enough, often at speeds that might be seen as unreasonable. Dayan (2005) says that about 5.6 million Millennials are about to enter the employment market. Millennials are said to be the most challenging generation for employers.

First of all the time period that millennials are growing up in is affecting how other generations look at their work ethic. From worldwide layoffs, soaring divorce rates, war, and unemployment, millennials have been through a lot already in their life for being so young. The unemployment rate and the increase of the cost of living is hitting this generation the hardest, it’s the main reason why young adults are still living with their parents. Young adults are most affected by the unemployment rate in general, which makes times primarily hard. In fact, in one report they found that, “Many Millennials couldn’t work right now if they wanted to. According to the report, 37% of 18–29-year-olds are unemployed or out of the workforce, the highest share among this age group in more than three decades” (Williams). Work ethic is difficult to define when so many are unemployed, after the recession hit in 2008 it has been especially hard to find a job. Although the economy is healing and people are starting to find more work opportunities, times are still strenuous. For some it can almost seem impossible to try and save money for college to get a job that can support the cost of living in this day and age. If anything millennials work ethic is strong, this generation isn’t just sitting around and waiting for a job to come to them. In order to live comfortably in this time period it’s essential that one has a job. They are taking this

Across the nation, people are talking about the Millennial generation and how different they are compared to others, but are they really that different? Millennials are lazy, entitled, and selfish, or as you may have heard may be essential to the modern workplace, either way, they are being talked about whether it is good or bad. To put it in other words, past generations are concerned for what the future will look like with this technology-dependent generation, but is that a bad thing if the technology is only going to advance from here on out? The older generation is being too harsh or are they just genuinely concerned about the future? Joel Stein (2013) has written an article about the Millennials, it is titled Millennials: The Me Me Me Generation he argues for them being a selfish generation but by saying that it is not a bad thing. The second article is by Liz Zarka (2017) Generation Me: The Millennial Generation’s obsession with being unique, she argues that they are the generation that needs to be concerned for. After reading both of these articles I agree with some of the points that both of these authors make, however, there are also some sections that I disagree with. My perception of the situation is that millennials may have all these negative characteristics but use them to an advantage that no other generation can has; along with the advancement of technology and the use of social media may have increased the narcissistic trait in them, but they use these traits to get what they want, however, being narcissistic isn’t always good there can certainly be some disadvantages.

There are three main populations of generations in the world of work today, Baby Boomers, who was born between 1965 to 1980; Generation X, who was born between 1965 to 1980 and Generation Y or Millennials, who was born between 1980 to 1995. According to Fry, population of the Millennials in 2016 has exceeded Baby Boomers’ and Generation X’s population, by now, is the biggest living generation in the United States. Huge numbers of Millennials are starting to seek their employment. Millennials workers are going to outnumber their Generation X predecessor and dominate the workforce in the years to come.

Over the last two decades, teens and young adults have adopted the “millennial attitude.” The “millennial attitude” has a controversial definition. Those of the earlier generations call them narcissistic and lazy, while those millennials see the use of things that make life easier, not just bashing it because they don’t understand it. According to Nornberg (), “ask a millennial how… and he will undoubtedly answer ‘google it’”; in the eyes of those from different generations, such as baby boomers, this is seen as lazy. However, from the viewpoint of another millennial, it’s seen as common sense. The internet is a tool for learning, and there are those who say that simply looking up the answer is a lazy way out, while it is the same as going to the library and reading from books. Those from earlier generations say that millennials are slothful and vain, however I believe that this generation has been coddled - they didn’t grow up learning from our mistakes because they had helicopter parents who fixed everything for them. As shown in the information from Pew Research Center, millennials are quickly replacing Baby Boomers in the work force (Fry). Baby Boomers make remarks of how Millennials are useless and how their attitudes make them unwilling to work, however, older people don’t see millennials as dedicated or hardworking unless they hang onto every word older people spout. Millennials have numerous characteristics that make them invaluable to the workforce, in spite of

According to recent research, Millennials (75.5 million) have edged out the Baby Boomers (74.9 million), who are retiring, as the fastest growing group in the United States, with Generation X lagging behind (66 million) (Fry, 2016). By the year 2020, Millennials will account for half of the workforce and their impact on the economic is contingent upon how the economy is doing at that time (Shin, 2015). The Education Testing Service found although Millennials are receiving more education than any other generational group, they may lose their competitive edge against international peers (Twaronite, 2015).

Welcome to the world, Millennials! Following the Baby Boomer generation, they are characterized by a welcome into a world with technological advances. “They are the Millennials. Different from any previous generation, distinctive in thought, perceptive, and powerful.” (Howe)