Dear Millenials

Or do you prefer Echo Boomers? Gen Y? I've always been pretty fond of "Millennials" because at the end of the day it's pretty non-descript. We brought in the new millennium. That doesn't really mean much in and of itself. The new millennium happened to coincide with a massive technology boom that millennials were at the right age to adapt to, but the turn of the millennium in and of itself just made for a particularly interesting New Years.

I turned 11 in December of 1999. I was out at a new millennium party with my mom on New Years Eve if I remember correctly. It was a church gathering with what I remember to be a very delicious upside down cake. Midnight came, a new millennium came and we all continued to be who we were the day prior. The world didn't end nor was it reborn.

Most of us know of Trump, Obama and Bush. Many of us remember the Clinton years. Even as a Canadian I remember presidents more than I do Prime Ministers most of the time. I remember Cretchen, some guy I never could grow to like despite similar values (Paul something?), Harper and Trudeau. Mind you Prime Ministers can last longer than Presidents.

The thing is we still have drastically differing opinions on all of these people. Like all generations before us we a diverse set of people with different backgrounds that all have a shared experience in a fairly narrow aspect of our lives. Yes, we're generally a bit more tech savvy, but most of our similarities are cosmetic.

Yet how often do you hear a millennial complaining about millennials? I feel like we all must know at least one. I've caught myself a few times. "Millenials are too distracted" or "millenials are glued to their phones!". I'm not glued to my phone. I enjoy my computer a fair bit, but I never caught the mobile trend. I prefer a large screen if I'm going to use one and I like the option to disconnect. Yes, still using a screen, but in the way the suits me.

Most of these beliefs come from other generations looking to dismiss us or belittle us and here we play along. Don't get caught up in it. Complain about the types of people you dislike; millennials isn't one of them. There is no default to dislike; we're all just people.

The times always change, and there's always people that want it to change in different directions. Don't distract yourself making enemies of such a large group of people and focus your efforts on finding those that agree with you instead of just complaining about the people that don't.

Sincerely,
JLT