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The Millennial Mold

Do I fit my packaging label?

By Lavon SwygertPublished 6 years ago 7 min read
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What does our generation look like as a whole?

The Millennial stereotype is like every other stereotype a biracial teen like myself has to face. It's a misunderstanding — a label that was smacked on my forehead like a sticker on a steak. I have a flavor, size, marbling limit, and price that I am supposed to be worth — the maximum and minimum that which my abilities will be bought and sold for.

The millennial generation can range from about 1982 or so, on to 2002. It is a debated time, but this is for the most part the best representation of the age group. They are the generation that, like every generation before them, is constantly getting strife and bitter words from their elders.

"In my day," or, "a when I was that age," are common things to hear from our aging predecessors. Such is the process, really, and it will go on forever. Times change and humans are adapted to change with it.

The problem, however, with the label of the millennial is that people misunderstand a single individual's personality and attitude issues as a feature of all of us; clearly, we grew up at the same time and thus we are alike. This is the basis of all stereotypes and a product of small-minded thinking.

The issue with "kid's nowadays" is that they were raised being told they were a special, important, and genius people. They were raised that mistakes happen and when they do, to brush it off. Now, I am not saying the parents are to blame, but many of them made key mistakes that ended in children with little to no work motivation, social skills, and study skills. They lack humility, honesty, and most of all, correctly placed confidence.

Basically, they're stuck up brats that want everything but don't want to earn it like normal people do. They more often than not have confidence in stupid or mediocre skills that don't help in everyday life, yet not in their self-image or social skills.

"You can do anything you set your mind to," is a poisonous phrase. Many of the people that say this actually meant, "If you choose to do something and work hard to do it, you can do anything," which is supportive and a beautiful thought for them as they watch their children and future prosper and grow. Many of the children, however, heard something more along the lines of, "You're great so you can do anything and it won't be too hard."

And that small misunderstanding is supported and nurtured through technology, which enables us to grow and advance as a species while also harmfully growing into us. Kind of like a painful ingrown nail, it is painful and it can begin to fester and bleed, and needs to be surgically removed if it does. Those kids that grow to depend on and expect things from their loved ones end up needing to be removed due to unhealthy, parasitic tendencies that they had acquired during childhood or even as a teen.

Parents do this. Teachers do this. Commercials, TV Shows, society as a whole, did this and continue to do this. They are raising confident idiots and are confused when they pick their crop and find some that are just that; confident idiots.

It is not entirely our generation that is to blame for the stereotype of the NEET lifestyle of the millennial, but also the coddling of our fellow man. But of course, not everyone is like this; many, if not all, of my peers including friends and classmates have graduated high school and entered college. Upon entering college, many even left their parents' home. Others joined the workforce or Army (or its other kindred branches). It is not a majority that has fallen into the pit of NEEThood, but the minorities that stand out like festering wounds.

On a sheet of white paper, people don't see the white, but the black stains in the middle. Their eyes will go to the odd one out on instinct and, again on instinct, judge and hypothesize. Then they will conclude that there is a smudge on the paper. They may not note the white paper or its shape or texture but people will notice that stain no matter what. It is the exact reason stereotypes came about. People saw, judged, hypothesized, and concluded.

Do you fit the mold?

We are a product of our environment. It's human nature to adapt; so why is it bad to adapt to our own creations?

No. That's the thing; a lot of us don't.

I have a flavor, size, marbling limit, and price.

The expectations are so specific that there is no possible way we could possibly fit the "standards." Society wants us fit and happy, meaning my thick body and anxiety/depression/PTS instantly knocks my price down. I don't fit my marbling, my first mistake.

We are supposed to be confident, live-at-home NEETs that depend on their parents. Such is expected of us; we can't afford to buy our own house so clearly we don't have jobs, right? Wrong! I currently work two jobs and still couldn't afford a home in most states in America. The average minimum wage in the United States is $7.25. A full job is 30 hours a week, but 40 is more common, which means about $1,160 a month. $1,021 is the average rent in America. How are we supposed to work all these hours and have less than $200 to spend on food and travel expenses, let alone the money to buy clothes and soap? How about toilet paper?

These things add up. We can hardly live on our own in an apartment let alone have enough money to pay for a house (which can only be bought through loans otherwise... Yay, debt!).

So my second mistake was having a job. I guess my flavor is off, as well.

Adding to the average minimum wage is the fact that, unless we have a degree, we can't get many well-paying jobs. At least, none that are worth bragging about since they are often grunt work or factory jobs. We can only go so far now with our high school diplomas; now we have to get a college degree, which means student loans! Yay! Now I have loans on my home and loans on my schooling that I will be paying off until I'm 50.

Society wants me to be a doctor, lawyer, or something equally expensive and tiring. Grunt work at a bread factory? It's not worth anyone's time (by our prideful society's eyes, at least).

Yes, this is our reality. So when our employers ask our price we usually say:

"My price? The highest price you'll pay me. I need the money and actually come with crippling debt, so any abuse you throw my way will be mostly overlooked since I can't afford to lose this job."

Plus, we add silently, it's a plus that you give your employees benefits and insurance, which is nearly impossible to find nowadays.

So our prices?

Dirt cheap.

What's the label?

Be different. Adapt and change; it's how humanity got this far, and is a fundamental necessity for any species' survival.

Perfectly marbled(big butt/muscles), rare(NEET), perfectly seasoned(no mental illnesses/disabilities), and reasonably priced(one or two degrees).

A perfect specimen; ready to eat up and spit out. The world is cruel and unfair; even those who have been lucky and hardworking enough to meet this label struggle.

But us? Me?

My label is nothing anyone would want to see on their steak: overly marbled (overweight), slightly burnt on the edges (not a NEET), too salty (anxiety/depression/PTS), and dirt cheap because I wasn't grass fed (college degree).

Many of us are like this, though. Imperfect. Flawed. We can't help it; we are who we are and we can't change it. Of course, there are those of our generation that are able to live comfortably and have well-paying jobs. Not everyone is hanging by the skin of their teeth, but even if they do, it is nothing to be ashamed of. Everywhere people prosper and struggle; this will never change.

We're gonna have to accept the fact that we don't fit the mold. Our labels may not be impressive but we aren't steaks; we are people, united in our desires to live our lives and find happiness.

We are the children of the past and the adults that shape the future. We are a time of hidden struggle and insecurities, of clarity in the face of confusion.

Don't fit the mold. Don't worry about your label.

We aren't our stereotypes. We aren't defined by others' actions or conclusions. The only thing we can do is live, and that's what I plan on doing. I am not my social security number or my birth certificate. I am not my credit score or my high school diploma. More is happening in my life than my last Facebook status and I have more thoughts on my mind than the Twitter word count will allow.

No, I do not fit the mold. Do you?

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