I Never Understood Why Millennials Were Labeled ‘Entitled’—Until This Happened:
I’m a millennial that has been absolutely spoiled by my parents.
I don’t manipulate my parents or cry or whine or complain if I don’t get my way, and I don’t ask them for much, but my mom and dad always make sure I’m in the best possible position to succeed.
There’s a stigma that the millennial generation is entitled.
That all of us have been spoiled like I have by my parents.
That we haven’t actually ‘earned’ anything. That we wouldn’t know real work if it bit us in the ass.
In-part, it’s true: I don’t feel like I’ve ‘earned’ anything substantial on my own, and working remotely at a startup is a relatively cushy job situation.
But I don’t feel entitled to anything — my parents raised me better than that.
And I’ve never believed the stigma that the millennial generation is an entitled one.
Until today.
I was standing in line for coffee at 3 Greens Market on Hubbard Street in Chicago’s River North neighborhood.
The line was long and the café packed — typical for 9AM on a work day. Around the coffee bar were freelancers, friends catching up, business meetings over coffee — the usual.
While I was waiting, I couldn’t help but notice a very pregnant mother sitting in the corner, trying to enjoy a pastry while simultaneously taking care of her overly fussy daughter, who couldn’t have been more than 18 months old.
She reminded me of my own mom in a way — my sister is 18 months older than I am, so my mom must have been in similar situations while she was pregnant with me.
When I was finally next in line, I noticed the young pregnant mother carefully stand up, gather her things and push her daughter in a bulky stroller towards the door.
“Next in line — hi, what can I get going for you?” the barista asked me.
I heard her, but wasn’t paying attention — I was more focused on the pregnant mom. She clearly needed help getting her stroller through the door while trying to calm her daughter, who was now crying.
“Sorry—one second,” I replied to the barista.
I took a step toward the door, planning to hold it open for her when I reached it, when I saw three 20-somethings walking towards the door of the café from outside. Naturally, I assumed one of the gentlemen in the trio would hold the door open for her upon entering, so I turned back to the barista to order my 12oz red-eye, pay, and head to the office.
I handed the barista my credit card and turned around to see all three millennials had entered the café and walked right passed the young mother without holding the door for her and her daughter.
It was like they didn’t even realize she was there. The mom was now leaning her back against the door, propping it open while carefully backing her stroller out to exit.
Excuse my language, but what kind of entitled pieces of shit walk passed a pregnant mom? Could their chai-fucking-lattes not wait 10 seconds to hold the door open?
I’ve seen a lot of stereotypes about millennials come to fruition before, but this was the first time I’ve ever witnessed 20-somethings act entitled.
And frankly, I’m disgusted.
Sure, it could have been anyone of any age that walked passed that mother.
But something tells me that instances like these are a common theme among younger generations.
It’s hard to blame the way these kids were raised. I was taught manners, yes, but it’s tough to fathom that even kids who weren’t raised ‘right’ would blatantly ignore a pregnant women who clearly needed an extra hand.
I’m not writing this to confirm any belief you’ve previously held about my generation, or to convince you that all millennial stereotypes are accurate.
If you’re not a millennial, and consider millennials entitled, please know that instances like these are few and far between. Neither I nor anyone I consider a friend would do something this rude.
If you are a millennial however and hate being labeled, take a good hard look at those negative stereotypes, and at yourself, and make changes if or where needed.
After all, those stereotypes don’t just come out of nowhere.
