If you have been alive and remotely connected to any sort of media in the past couple of years, or if you have any older relatives at all, you are probably aware of the seemingly universal and ongoing rant against millennials. It’s hard to watch a late night talk show or hear a couple of middle aged ladies talking about today’s generation without them commenting negatively or redundantly on the common stereotypes associated with millennials. If you’re not familiar with the term millennial, then let me catch you up to speed. Right after the Baby Boomers (born between 1946-1964) and Generation X (born between 1965-1980) are the millennials (born between 1981-2000). Millennials are those labeled entitled, lazy, overly reliant on technology, narcissistic, materialistic and undoubtedly the worst generation to date.

This is coming from a millennial, so I understand it may seem biased, but, from where I stand, millennials are the most educated generation, more culturally diverse, opinionated and assertive with their views, creative, more likely to delay marriage and starting a family to develop as an individual and generally display an acute sense of digital literacy.

With all of these positive attributes, how is our generation getting such a bad reputation? Because of stereotypes and anecdotal evidence—and possibly because each generation that transitions into older age is conditioned to see the younger generation as a pile of self-absorbed know-nothings.

“The world is passing through troublesome times. The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for parents or old age. They are impatient of all restraint. They talk as if they knew everything, and what passes for wisdom with us is foolishness with them. As for the girls, they are forward, immodest and unladylike in speech, behavior and dress.”

You know who said that? Peter The Hermit. In 1274. Everyone thinks kids these days are the worst, and yet, the planet keeps on turning.

Sure, we might be into our electronics and spend more time than we should on social media, but we are far from the dumbest generation. We think, plan and perform things differently, but isn’t that just a part of an evolving society?