CBS aired an unflattering Millennial portrait with its “The Millennials Are Coming” report. The generation was criticized for its coddled upbringing, lazy work habits, and unrealistic expectations. Here’s a sample:
“It’s a perfect storm we have created to put these people in a position where they suddenly have to perform as professionals and haven’t been trained,” Mary Crane [former White House chef who trains Millennials] says. Basic training, like how to eat with a knife and fork, or indeed how to work. Today, fewer and fewer middle class kids hold summer jobs because mowing lawns does not get you into Harvard. They have climbed Mount Everest. They’ve been down to Machu Picchu to help excavate it. But they’ve never punched a time clock. They have no idea what it’s like to actually be in an office at nine o’clock, with people handing them work. You now have a generation coming into the workplace that has grown up with the expectation that they will automatically win, and they’ll always be rewarded, even for just showing up.”
Ouch. Little wonder Millennials were offended. However, the picture doesn’t have to be this negative for them to take offense. When I first published an article in Ad Age last November about what my students DON’T know about Marketing, I was surprised how offended they were. Here’s a sample of the response:
“I pity all the people (including the author of this article) who so severely underestimate us. I think those who assume we will curl up in a ball crying every time we don’t get handed a cookie for good behavior are in for a big surprise in the years to come.” -New York, NY
This 3 minute spoof of the 60 Minutes piece on YouTube provides a mocking view of what older generations think of Millennials. The piece includes a hilarious interviews with a Millennial in his native habitat, ‘his parent’s basement’ who has no idea what the earnest interviewer is talking about. It also features an interview with Millennial expert, Dr. Alan So, author of “Generation Why Not Call Them Millennials?”. Dr. So patiently explains that Millennials are not equipped to communicate in person because with all their technology ‘they’ve never had to’.
This generation is well aware of their flaws. A recent survey (see earlier post, How Gen Y Sees Itself) revealed that Millennials are just as critical of themselves as anything their elders say about them. However, they understandably don’t want those flaws pointed out. Who can blame them?
