This penchant for the self shows in trending Internet activity. The so-called Millennial Generation, Generation Y, or “Generation Me” prefers reading essays they can personally relate to or articles that outline how to succeed in their own lives. The myriad of Thought Catalog confessional essays or lists of lifestyle tips littering Facebook news feeds exemplifies just that.
Following the trend, Elite Daily, a website that boasts itself as “The Voice of Generation-Y,” recently published the inspirationally entitled “The 20 Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make in Your 20s.” If Millennials want to be the well-educated compassionates changing the world — not selfish, money-hungry chauvinists — then they are better off disregarding that article (and any others like it) as nothing but the rantings of jaded sociopaths.
The compilation offers some sensible counsel — family comes first, save money, karma is real. However, it labels women as “bottle whores,” a bad job as “a bitchy girlfriend who gives bad head,” and is tirelessly self-concerned.
This article confirms the egomaniacal presuppositions given to the Millennial Generation. Therefore, here are two excerpts from the list, followed by researched rebuttals from a Generation Y’er, to regain some vestiges of good sense and a conscience.
“19. Thinking that this is the right time to fall in love. Your 20s are entirely too crucial for your personal growth … the last thing you need is to be bogged down by an insecure lover.”
In the longest-running longitudinal study ever beginning 1938, researchers followed 268 Harvard University undergraduate men for 75 years, measuring psychological, anthropological, and physical traits to find the secrets to a good life. The team gathered its findings in 2009 and wrote “The seventy-five years and twenty million dollars expended on [the study] points … to a straightforward five-word conclusion: ‘Happiness is love. Full stop.’”
With such differing perspectives, it may be best to compare both institutions’ credentials. Harvard was established in 1636 and consistently makes the top three in world university rankings. Elite Daily started in 2013 and is currently in its beta phase of development.
“6. Spending your money on women who aren’t escorts. Instead of [showering] your woman with cash and prizes for the mediocre sex […] deal with a professional as soon as possible […] Want a best friend? Buy a puppy. Want great sex? Call an escort.”
The Prostitution Research and Education organization conducted a 2009 international study, interviewing men who hired escorts. Researchers observed it was common for these men to normalize rape. Many expressed feelings of loneliness and disappointment with their lives. Describing his experience with escorts, one individual said, “It’s unfulfilling. There’s no reward […] You come out feeling even more empty and unloved.”
Hiring escorts should not be brandished as the way to living a happy life. Encouraging developing minds to do so is not only ill informed — it is dangerous.
Historians will remember college students of the late ’60s and early ’70s as the activists who rallied on their campuses against the Vietnam War with hopes of bettering the world. If Millennials want to be known for more than self-obsessed tendencies, they should make something of their lives — sans escorts and with all the optimism and love in the world.
