Why Millennials Are Misunderstood

The old lady gingerly steps onto the bus and rummages through her purse for some coins and pays her fare. She thanks the bus driver and looks out at the bus packed to the brim with travellers. The priority seats are all occupied; a young mother with her pram takes up the entire right side, and on the left sits a pregnant woman and her husband.

Then she spots him.

The juvenile ruffian sits next to the woman's husband, leaning casually against the back of his seat and smirking mischievously at his smartphone. His red schoolbag sits in front of him, covered in cheap badges which say things like "PUNK" and "Long Live Pugs."

She can see how he may be a punk, but she isn't quite sure how pugs fit into his personality. Perhaps it is a gang name. She notices how his double lip piercings gleam menacingly in the sunlight. Yes, he must be a gang member. The old lady cautiously approaches the thug and glances at his phone, a big, expensive slab of privilege. Of course, he's texting. She steps closer and just manages to read the word "Mum" at the top of his phone when he looks up.

"Oh sorry, I didn't see you there." He says with a smile as he stands up. "Please," he steps to one side and gestures to the seat. By the time she sits down, the boy is already standing at the back of the bus, messaging his mother with a smile on his face.

As a child of 1998, I know all too well the struggles we Millennials face on a day-to-day basis. We live in a world of misconceptions and misleading stereotypes. The story above is something which has happened to me countless times, and the look of pure shock on people's faces when they realise I'm not the juvenile delinquent my appearance denotes is priceless.

I am aware that I, and many others of my generation, have lived a privileged life in our modern society, where a proper education is readily available and money is not impossible for us to earn. However, the idea that we take all this for granted without a care in the world for anyone else is a misconception.

Millennials are more aware than any other generation of other cultures and societies, as well as our own. We understand immensely more than we are given credit for. We know that we are privileged with a brilliant education system, and not only do we make the most of that, but we try at all costs to ensure that the rest of the world receives the same level education which they are entitled to.

Now, I can't talk about Millennials and education without mentioning Malala Yousafzai. This is a given, and for good reason. Not only did she survive being shot in the head by radical terrorists, she even forgave them; the latter possibly being the more impossible feat to some. She went on to inspire the world about the importance of education and became the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Her words and actions have inspired people all around the world to campaign for freedom of education, so that education is no longer constrained by class or geographical location.

How do I know about her? Not through the newspaper or TV but through social media, particularly the sites Facebook and Tumblr, which were created by famous Millennials Mark Zuckerberg and David Karp respectively. These sites allow young people to hear news from other young people, and often shed light on different perspectives to the same story which regular news may have only covered minimally or with bias. In short, these sites created by young people have educated young people on world events better than any news channel ever has.

Millennials have done a lot more for the world than we are given credit for, and a lot more than can be discussed in a short amount of time. We believe with great fervour in the importance of preserving our environment, we are the greatest advocates for human rights and we strive for equality and peace in order to repair a world that has been brutally ravaged by older generations.

We may look like a bunch of technology-centric, ignorant hooligans, but the truth is, we are changing the world for the better. We are the future.

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