The Millennial generation doesn't always have the best reputation. Detractors have heaped accusations upon them: How they're self-centered, lazy and receive way too many trophies when they were in school. But is this criticism over blown? Or itself lazy?
Editorial cartoonist Matt Bors, who is a Millennial himself, went with the latter point of view in a cartoon criticizing how the media has treated his generation, which roughly translates to anyone born in the late 1970s to the early '80s.
In the piece, which appeared last week on CNN.com, Bors said "generational slander" is nothing new, and suggested that the economy has more to do with Millennials' economic problems than perceived personality flaws of an entire group of young people.
Bors said he was prompted by a recent Time Magazine article describing his generation as self-centered and unable to empathize with others. He said he has seen a wave of articles like that recently, and calls them “trend pieces” about surface-level details that aren't necessarily based in reality.
Bors also takes issue with the popular book, "Not Everyone Gets a Trophy,” which promises advance on how to manage Millenials, also known as Generation Y. For example, he said he’d never received many trophies in his life.
“Even if it were true, who is giving the trophies? Baby Boomers are giving us the trophies and then complaining that everyone gets a trophy?” he said.
More importantly, Bors said Millennials have been held back by the Great Recession, which hit just as many of them were starting out in life.
“It’s not that we all wanted to be sculptors and got fine arts degrees and now we can’t get jobs,” Bors said. “No, the economy is ruined, the price of education is off the charts, there’s $1 trillion in student loan debts. People making the criticism don’t realize things are different and just harder.”
Bors also noted that the rise of unpaid internships had been an additional blow to his generation’s ability to prosper.
As for when the Millennial bashing will end, Bors said he thought there would be a reprieve, but not until the next generation comes along.
