Millennials as Seen by a Millennial

I feel like the term 'millennial' is being thrown around more and more in a negative way. The more negatively we are portrayed, the more proud I am of my generation. I've also found that I have become more disappointed in the previous generation as mine has been disparaged. I believe we millennials have our problems, but the more I see fellow millennials try to do what is right, the more proud I become. 

I don't know what it will take for millennials to lose the bad wrap, but we aren't the "snowflakes" people think we are. We are catalysts for change, and I think our generation will do great things. I just hope we don't go about things the wrong way.
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I rarely agree with the things that my generation is portrayed to stand for. That being said, I'm proud that we are attempting to voice our opinions and aren't afraid to stand up for what we believe is right. Events like women's marches, pro-choice rallies, and immigration protests aren't great because of their aim, but because millennials are exercising their 1st Amendment right and expression their opinions. 

Members of our generation are also good at expressing themselves in an individual way, but they are often misunderstood. I don't know how to get everyone to accept one another's life choices, but  our failure to do so tears us apart instead of bringing us together as a nation. We're unable to look beyond the appearance or political stances of one another, and it's very upsetting. This is where I wish the generation who came before us would help out. I assumed that the generation born in the 'hippy era' would be role models for tolerance, but sadly they sometimes aren't. 

I am very proud of the love and respect we try to show for one another. Supporting the LGBT community is important, but I think, at times, we go about advocacy the wrong way. To gain respect and understanding from someone who believes differently than you, you must build a relationship and be an example for how similar you both are.

Attempting to force someone to change their worldview does nothing but push them away. Instead of disparaging opinions opposite of ours, we should be explaining and debating our positions. We should be using social media and alternative outlets to educate others on where we stand to try to create an organic change. When laws and regulations force change on a group who isn't ready for change, a larger problem is created and the divide within our country is driven deeper.We need to stop looking at the negatives in each other and see how we can come together to create a home for everybody.