“This next generation is the most entitled, narcissistic generation ever.”

I’ve heard the above phrase, or iterations of it, plenty of times to describe my generation while growing up, only to be supplanted by describing the generation after me and now the upcoming one.

Unbeknownst to those who don’t work with young people every day, while they can be a handful (as any young person should be), I find them to be way more informed and less judgemental than my generation and the ones before me.

My concern for them is not that they are natively entitled, but they are reflections of what society is right now. Based on my observations, our society is fragmented and divided into several spheres.

There is a giant thread of vehement anti-intellectualism propagated as nothing more than name-calling and finger pointing, screaming louder and demanding more attention than the shrinking bubble of intellect seekers who are actively working to solve massive problems.

In-between those spheres are those caught in some kind of befuddlement and, being overwhelmed with the noise, opt to disengage completely.

Simply: you have people who think they’re right about everything and feel everyone is entitled to their opinion, people who are actually right and can prove it and the rest who would rather bow out and numb their minds with some binge watching of TV series.

Companies know to build their marketing around that third group and they do it by selling an idea the world is watching you.

Depending on who their influence is at home (and partially at school), this is what our newest generation is reflecting. If we’re apt to pay attention, we can begin to realize we’re merely looking at ourselves.