A Letter from Generation Y

A letter by Kathleen Argonza at Brazen Careerist:

To the older Generations,

My name is Kat Argonza and I am a Milennial.

You call us lazy, distractable and disloyal. We don’t understand good old fashioned traditions. We don’t pay our dues. We demand too much leeway, such as time off, flexibility and high pay. According to Cashmere Mafia “Generation X made way for Generation ID… I deserve”. If my generation exhibits a sense of entitlement, then previous generations exhibit a false sense of Accomplishment.

How about a Social Security system that we won’t benefit from, but will lose a lot of money to? What about the cost of education and the cost of living driven sky high, the system of credit? Try Health Care? Gen-Y inherited this from old generations. How about the FUBAR in the Middle East where old ways of thinking dominated and prolonged a war that we could have and can still win if new ideas could be accepted. General Patreus is a true rarity - he knew that if somethings not working you don’t keep doing the same thing. You change. You adapt. You try new ways of thinking until you find something that works. It’s a new concept to swallow, but just because it’s new and different doesn’t mean it’s bad. Just because something worked before, doesn’t mean it’s working now.

Want to know the kicker? We have a credit problem in this country. So what are we doing? We’re throwing money we do not have at it! We’re driving our country into more debt. So thanks a lot for putting that debt on our shoulders. Thanks for not adapting and doing the exact same thing over and over again even though it obviously doesn’t work. We have a debt problem? Let’s make more debt!

Who’s going to have to fix this mess? Generation Y, or the generations that come after us. So for all the criticism we recieve, we’d hope you’d have a little faith in us, or else why would you be placing this huge burden upon our shoulders? So maybe instead of criticizing us maybe you should try to help us solve the problems that were created before most of us were even able to walk.

We’re inheriting an uncertain world and we need guidance, not judgment. We need mentors who understand that just because we have new ideas doesn’t mean we’re disrespecting your way of doing it. My generation needs to end this curse, but we can’t do it without the help of the Generation that is currently holding power. Don’t make it worse and fix what you can. Invest in us, teach us. It’s the only way we can stop digging our own grave, financially speaking.

Respectfully,

Gen-Y