The other day I read a fascinating article about Lena Denham and the rise of the " so called Millennial woman"...one who is alternate voice. But, is one really an 'alternative' voice if so many of the mainstream read you? I must start by saying I admire women like Lena Dunham, I think they have provided a much needed voice to millennial women. But I certainly don't consider her the voice of my generation.
Bill Maher, the great comedian really dislikes Millennials, I can understand why, for him we are whiny and entitled, lazy and unwilling to listen and constantly need our hands held and demand 'safe spaces'. I see that he has a point, perhaps he has had the misfortune of meeting really monstrous versions of my generation. In the defense of the millennials, I think that we have been given a very bad reputation due to so many factors. The truth is that we have faced some of the worst situations as a generation. We came of age during the great recession, thus many of us suffer from unemployment and underemployment (the worst possible thing for a generation of worker qualifies/unqualified, skilled /unskilled according to the ILO). I think it is unfair to call us lazy when we haven't even being allowed the opportunity to enter the workforce with respectable jobs.
A lot of our critics have formed their opinions due to the images available during the various protests that we have led. The various I might add 'failed' protests; as each of these successive protests on valid issues get louder in decibels, they fall on deaf ears. We do suffer from foibles, and I readily admit that my fellow me Millennials in the west especially, come across as self absorbed and ver complaining, they lead their entire lives online and are alarmingly ignorant of the ideals of enlightenment, democracy, egalitarianism and fraternity that built the west and most new democracy in the east aspire to.
In defense of my generation, especially those like me who grew up in countries like India; we are neither whiny or entitled, we are also not lazy, we are however, unwilling to listen to archaic dictates of the 'traditional society that is forever looking for ways to shackle us. We do not need our hands held but we do need safe spaces to love freely, express ourselves freely without the intervention of society, family or the state. Especially as a young woman, I must add that safe spaces are a necessity right now in a country like India to provide protection from the violence against women that is perpetuated by the society as a form of suppression. I do not suggest that we will need these safe spaces forever, rather, we need these safe spaces to discuss new ideas and express ourselves freely without facing censure, in order to then go out in the harsh reality of society and try to bring about change in the mindset that causes violence and suppression.
Mahatma Gandhi said "Be the change you wish to see in the world".Millennials as a generation are only trying to live by those words.
Bill Maher, the great comedian really dislikes Millennials, I can understand why, for him we are whiny and entitled, lazy and unwilling to listen and constantly need our hands held and demand 'safe spaces'. I see that he has a point, perhaps he has had the misfortune of meeting really monstrous versions of my generation. In the defense of the millennials, I think that we have been given a very bad reputation due to so many factors. The truth is that we have faced some of the worst situations as a generation. We came of age during the great recession, thus many of us suffer from unemployment and underemployment (the worst possible thing for a generation of worker qualifies/unqualified, skilled /unskilled according to the ILO). I think it is unfair to call us lazy when we haven't even being allowed the opportunity to enter the workforce with respectable jobs.
A lot of our critics have formed their opinions due to the images available during the various protests that we have led. The various I might add 'failed' protests; as each of these successive protests on valid issues get louder in decibels, they fall on deaf ears. We do suffer from foibles, and I readily admit that my fellow me Millennials in the west especially, come across as self absorbed and ver complaining, they lead their entire lives online and are alarmingly ignorant of the ideals of enlightenment, democracy, egalitarianism and fraternity that built the west and most new democracy in the east aspire to.
In defense of my generation, especially those like me who grew up in countries like India; we are neither whiny or entitled, we are also not lazy, we are however, unwilling to listen to archaic dictates of the 'traditional society that is forever looking for ways to shackle us. We do not need our hands held but we do need safe spaces to love freely, express ourselves freely without the intervention of society, family or the state. Especially as a young woman, I must add that safe spaces are a necessity right now in a country like India to provide protection from the violence against women that is perpetuated by the society as a form of suppression. I do not suggest that we will need these safe spaces forever, rather, we need these safe spaces to discuss new ideas and express ourselves freely without facing censure, in order to then go out in the harsh reality of society and try to bring about change in the mindset that causes violence and suppression.
Mahatma Gandhi said "Be the change you wish to see in the world".Millennials as a generation are only trying to live by those words.
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