Me in the picture

I tried Googling "Millennial" a few days ago, and all I came across with were tons of articles with titles that label Millennials as narcissistic, lazy, selfish, etc. which all seem negative at a shallow mindset and in accordance with what all those articles imply. I know if some ordinary millennial would see that, he or she would feel offended. I never felt at least a bit offended just a bit "I know better" feeling. Here is why:

Philosophical Expalanation

At that time I had a moment of internal standing ovation and loud applause within myself. I finally felt like my favorite philosophy has just come to resurface after many years of it being rejected by so many people. That philosophy is Ayn Rand's Objectivism. It is a philosophy that says an individual does not have any moral obligation to help others or do things for them but only for him/herself only--that he/she is entitled to being selfish--for it is the real definition of morality. People hypocritically express that this philosophy is trash as if it never made a point. I say, those people who claim such negative points in the philosophy are the same people who act as leeches sucking on other people because they do not want to step up their individual game. This is what the world needs now to be honest. The past centuries encouraged humans to be too sympathetic that the ones in need of help have begun to require it and set it as the unwritten rule of living in this world. That is toxic!



I live in a country wherein our cities are filled with so many homeless people tugging on your skirt asking for help. I feel sad for their situation, however I do not believe it is my duty to help. It is nice to help, but it should never be something one should campaign like it would make you something of a person and less if you don't. Millennials like me who are, as I have said, constantly labeled as selfish and not helpful to others should not feel any degraded by such claims. Why? There is a reason behind that so-called narcissism (that in itself is a crime of labeling without study in the field of psychology) as this generation has simply had enough. There is no need for them to be required to do so many things "for the society". The past generations have skipped their sense of individuality--their keeping in touch with their individual needs and growth--that they always bring up the concept of sacrifices in their part to do this and that for the country or something.

This generation, for me, is wiser in a way. It gives room for the frequently neglected self in cases like relationships, nationalistic matters, social issues, etc. that were actually just constructs solidified over time; they could be bent and even allow more transcendence or at least a less conflicted life. Think about it like this: is nationalism a social construct also brought about by that herd/mob/gang mentality? Because this is the sense Millennials allegedly lack.

Psychological Explanation

The labeling of Millennials as narcissists is a crime in the field of psychology as I have said already. This is because until now, psychologists have a hard time establishing a legitimacy of the field for over years now due to it being a case-to-case-based issue all the time, and you know how many disorders there are now used by teens undergoing identity crisis to label themselves as. Millennials simply have attributes that seem to be manifestations of narcissism. Yes, the general perception of this generation revolves around that feeling of self-importance turned into demands of special treatment and apathy. It really is unbearable. I do not have this kind of characteristic, and I can say that the trend of psychological labels have contributed in this needy attitude of this generation.

In so many articles surfacing the internet about this whole Millennial issue, you will always notice how my previously stated philosophical explanation about it is simply not enough still due to how such selfishness could be mishandled. Many Millennials feel like they need emotional support all the time when for previous generations including me it is merely a tolerance of weakness. Why? On social media people are quick to share positive messages out of not reasonable matters. They think that such act of kindness is healthy and helpful for their even self-proclaimed mental conditions. Realistically, we all know that it is a defeatist attitude's manifestation--the feeling of these Millennials that there is a need to be understood, appreciated, thanked, etc. all the time like young people in the process of fragile development.

Sure, we can all say that all stages are fragile anyway in this life, but you know what I mean when I say that Millennials in college and workplaces should of course be able to decide clearly--mature out of that needy attitude and move forward constantly with a mindset that nothing is ever really easy, thus one should strive. In our developmental psychology, we discuss how different stages of life have their own goal, and at the stage of Millennials in the workplace who are usually talked about in those articles, they are to be considered childish and lazy. Narcissism is not about those defeatist attitudes that make these people slack off as if everything is going to fall from the sky and that they do not age one bit as time goes by.

They feel like their being in the age of technological and scientific breakthroughs make them important and allowed to be arrogant when looking at it, they can't even understand some of the real algorithms, codes, physics, theories, etc. behind such bragged products of this generation because they rely on others doing it for them and believe at the same time that it will bring them to their individual goals like things just started working like that. This is all because social media has become a way to influence cognitive development of Millennials--feeding them all the unrealistic life ideals, imprisoning them in that virtual world, and depriving them a chance to ACTUALLY explore life. Now, this generation is not any wiser after all, huh?

What do you think now that there is so much to base from to answer that question in the title? Let me know in the comments!