To say we’re entitled is to be ignorant. Have you spoken to a five year old? They believe they deserve everything, and yet, you do not condemn them for it. Some young adults will have this mentality, but to broaden that trait to an entire generation is foolish. When you were young, you thought some silly things too.

We’re more adaptable. That is one of our greatest strengths. Pre-judging the breadth of a situation is not something we suffer from, and we consider all possible consequences. This allows for some strategic planning that helps everyone. You can use a fresh and open mind to look at situations differently. Don’t get upset because we did just that and you didn’t like the conclusion we came to (which tends to lean more toward socialism than blatant exaltation of the individual to the point of crushing anyone beneath).

People deserve employment if they’re willing to work for it. People do not need to work 80 hours a week when other very successful countries can manage a far more casual work environment. It’s about excellent time management- which is something else we excel at (cue the groans about me referencing the working habits of other countries…surely, there’s no way anyone else had a better plan than us). People deserve to be as healthy as they can, and people therefore deserve affordable health care. People deserve a livable wage, where they can pay their bills without overworking or otherwise destroying their lives for a simple dollar. I don’t see these as excessive demands. It’s simplification. And if wages weren’t so violently suppressed over some abstract notion of ‘making them work for it’, things would be better here in the U.S. CEO’s do not need million dollar salaries, and they should not accept them as long as a company is laying off. Executive salaries should be the first hit. If they truly cared about the companies, then it makes the most sense for the top fellow to take the hit first. And as soon as I say this, the real reason for the current economic/power structure in the U.S. is the way it is: “But it’s MY money, and I deserve it because I’m here!” It’s not yours, love, if the company is failing. Capitalism shouldn’t come at the expense of all those around you so that you can add another car to your collection. It’s petty, stupid, and I don’t believe in the ruin of another man for such …wait for it…entitlement issues of those at the top.

I was raised by an Xer who led a life of hard knocks. Some were her fault, some were not. I have no father, like so many of my generation (a quarter, if the research I read is correct). We come from destabilized home lives. A higher percentage of us have little money compared to previous generations (you may have noticed how the proportion of upper crust elite to peons has widened in the past couple of decades). We had our own generational influences- like the reality of being shot at school (it happens all the time still, though at a smaller scale), like 9/11. Like the heavy presence of gangs. Like the fact that 1/4 of women, by college age, have been raped. No, sir. We are not ‘entitled’, expectant of ridiculous salaries, convinced we deserve to skip through life. On the contrary, we see the problems, the issues that every-day people face. We see the sadness, poverty and despair all around us, and know it needs to be better for everyone. The ‘ME-FIRST!’ mentality is so prevalent throughout society. We do not think we are special; we merely think you are not special. At least, no more than anyone else. And that’s the true rub, in my experience. We don’t treat our ‘elders’ like they were special, like pioneers through the desert, taking us to the promised land of Ipods. You’re just people. The leaders of the Boomer generation did indeed begin a revolution that was good for them. Only. The benefits were cut out from under the Xers, who did all the hard work only to be introduced to mass layoffs, losing pensions and more. Now, Yers have seen this and we simply don’t trust. (I realize this runs contrary to many opinions of non-generation Yers here). We know corporate America only believes in feeding money into the top 2% of people, and will leave the rest of us out to die. We know we can be laid off at any given moment, and even for a stupid reason, and this is why we don’t labor for decades for the same employer. We don’t care about making sure the guy at the top gets his million dollar salary, and most of us don’t think he deserves it, especially in cases where his company is being run into the ground. You want loyalty? You want perseverance? Pay us a decent wage and don’t layoff without it being a last resort instead of a first. Be a people-first company that cares about your community and your effect on the world. Be responsible, frugal and respectful. Until companies themselves prove themselves trustworthy, there is no sane reason for the American people of any generation to trust them anyway. It’s a ridiculous notion.

Most of us did not grow up in environments where the world was handed to us. Many of us have held jobs our whole lives, working for those nifty gadgets you’d begrudge our having. I grew up dirt poor, eating day old bread from the bakery’s charity bin, getting cheap Christmas presents from Toys for Tots. I went to college because I worked hard in high school and received a merit scholarship and two grants. It was not enough money to cover state college, so I had to take out loans. I was recently laid off (though my salary was so low it wouldn’t have saved the company any money) and just prior, had been walking the two miles to and from work because I didn’t have a car. I didn’t complain. This is the way life is, and I adapted.

Since the things Generation Y seeks to change would be of benefit to everyone, you would think we would be encouraged in our efforts. Alas, instead, some people from other generations see our knowledge as a threat, our presence as a threat to their job positions, our optimism as a problem, our staunch belief in well-being and balance for everyone…somehow bad.

We don’t hate you guys, but it would be nice if you backed the heck off. We won’t even get social security, yet we’re paying for it for those already retired. You can call that generosity. We want to be paid fairly for our work, without struggling with living in squalor. You can call that fair. We want a healthy work-life balance. You can call that necessary and rational. We want a better world. You can call that being a cock-eyed optimist, and it would still be a good thing.

X, we get you. We know you got the shaft. If we can change the world, we mean to change it for you too. You’re going to have to ease up on the bitterness toward us though. We didn’t start the fire, fellahs, we’re just trying to find a way to direct it to burn the crap we no longer need.

“Companies that struggle need their aces to help perform. Companies are made of more than one, including all workers from all generations. So as a company owner, I can tell you that a me attitude really sucks in a time like this.”

You’re absolutely right, a me attitude does suck. So where is the leadership from these company’s executives? Are they doing THEIR part? Senior management asks their employees to sacrifice wages, they lay off employees, then demand a large bonus, because “things could have been worse, therefore gimme, gimme, gimme.”

Look, Sun Country Airlines CEO Stan Gadek forwent his salary when the airline cut salaries by almost 50%. That is true business leadership, and THAT spirit of everyone doing their part is aplaudable.