Last month, I wrote a column entitled “Some Millennials Get–Some Millennials Don’t” which expressed my concern, and the concern of others, about the lack of critical thinking skills and situational awareness of many within this emerging generation.
Young, intelligent, perspicacious Millennials came out of the woodwork to tell me how wrong I was for castigating their entire cohort as stupid. So at the risk of sounding defensive, allow me to respond.
First of all, they should have read the entire piece. Doing what I do, I am very careful to maintain a perspective in what I say. As with any generation, there are many number of Millennials who are doing amazing things and making the world a better place. They are outnumbered, however, by those who display the behaviors about which I first expressed concern.
The high school graduation rate nationwide hovers around 68% and in some states as low as 53%. Some 60% of those enrolling in community colleges end up in a number of remedial courses before being able to matriculate into the program they desire. While it is not the popular thing to say publicly, I hear from managers, teachers, and others constantly about the struggles they face in getting many of these individuals to perform without constant coaching, supervision, and praise.
So rather than looking to castigate me and anyone else who dares to discuss the challenges and shortcomings of this self-admittedly narcissistic generation, I would suggest that the Millennial intelligentsia look around and attempt to help those of their age peers who appear to be the source of concern among so many within the older generations. If they don’t, this cohort may end up mirroring many of the shortcomings for which the Baby Boomers have been so roundly criticized.