“Millennials are Screwed”: the single most demeaning phrase I’ve heard as a millennial.

I read and hear countless stories bashing Generation Y for a lack of understanding, either in politics, economics, or financial awareness. Generations before us seem to hold a vendetta against millennials.

We seem entitled to everything. We take a selfie everywhere we go. We are negligent. We are materialistic, disengaged. The only praise I’ve heard is that we are the best-educated generation to date. Well, that’s promising.

On politics: how does one find pleasure in listening to haughty politicians as they quarrel at one another? It seems trivial. Attentuating our ears to aged politicians who seem to care more about attacking one another than actually fixing the nation’s problems is certainly not something I find pleasure in doing. The vast majority of millennials are aware of what’s happening in our country right now, but we don’t stay attentive. Why? Because most of what we absorb is disheartening, so of course we don’t want to face reality.

What’s even more disappointing is the immense amount of student loan debt and the increase in unemployment. One article published by NPR’s New Boom series tells us 55 percent of people between the ages of 16-29 are unemployed and burdened by massive student loan debt.

Blogger Noreen Malone shared her thoughts in the article and said she hears story after story of young people taking out extra college loans. “… it’s actually a big deal if you can’t find a job because your loans will go into deferment. You’ll get a terrible credit score that will haunt you for the rest of your life,” Malone said.

So we are sometimes blamed for a financial, economic downfall, because we go into a deferment? If your parents didn’t create a college fund, like mine, then you get mounds of loans. If this is such a problem, then do teach us poor college kids a thing or two about finances. Help us. We are poor.

Do remain optimistic my dear millennials; pride yourself for this one. The advancement of technology and the dawning of social media was created by — the one and only — millennial generation. Founders of Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook are all members of this innovative age. Millennials have created and revolutionized the way the human race interacts with one another. Everything is connected. So you’re welcome, planet earth.

Don’t get me wrong, I respect my parents’ generation and those before them. Baby Boomers, Generation X and beyond gave us prior knowledge and lessons learned. Most importantly, they gave us life.

It is, however, time to start accepting and understanding millennials, quite simply because we are reshaping the future.