I am the punchline of the baby boomers’ favorite joke
 the one they told “you have to get your education”
 the one they laugh at for changing my views and beliefs
 the one who “went out and got an education”
 who now is wrong and will eventually learn
 as if I didn’t “have a good head on my shoulders” when I agreed with them.
I am the reason my parents get sympathy
 because their daughter went off and became a liberal hippie
 but don’t worry, she’ll learn.
I am the one who knew there were no jobs in my home town
 who just doesn’t understand what us leaving did to the economy there
 who was too good to stay or to ever move back
 back to no job, no prospects, and no access to resources
I am the one who doesn’t understand the real world
 even though I’m the one that follows and researches issues
 who pays attention to multiple sources for a less biased view.
 who is trying to help the impoverished, ignored, and beat down
I am the dreamer who doesn’t get what’s actually happening
 even though I’m the one who is looking beyond what i’m told
 and is going out and helping those that are “too lazy to work”
 because I knows that the “too lazy” are rarely too lazy
I am the dreamer who will eventually find reality
 even though they’re all safe only worrying about what impacts them
 and where their taxes will go and if those’ll make others lazier
 and if they can keep their religion as a governing force for everyone
I am part of the entitled generation
 even though I have been paying my own way since I moved out
 who never expected to be handed anything because that’d be selfish
 who rearranged the entire plan set out for me
 because it was the only way I could afford to survive
 who is judged for not being able to do it all fast enough
  who owes more money by doing what was expected then any generation before
 who will pay money into a social security system that I will never have
 who has to pay more in taxes compared to my income
 who is willing to pay more if we could better the education system
 or give those in need more support
I am part of the self centered generation
 the ones who are trying to fight inequalities and injustices
 who are trying to bring awareness and get people to pay attention
 who is trying to figure out what happens if my parents retirement runs out
 who can’t sleep at night worrying about their future
 who wants everybody to be able to afford to live
 who wants basic rights for everybody
 who understands how deeply the injustices go
 who can’t even talk about my concerns without an eye roll and getting ignored
 and if I disagree with them I am argumentative and causing trouble
 who doesn’t even bother talking about my interests to the baby boomers anymore
 because they are deemed childish and unworthy
I am part of the technology dependent generation
 who knows that my chances of getting a job without technology is slim
 who is expected to be reached at any time on any technology
 who needs to have that technology to effectively do my non-technology based job
 who is ridiculed for not immediately knowing what to do on all forms of technology
I am part of the drama generation
 who just wants to get through my day unscathed
 who doesn’t want to deal with the older women at work talking bad about everybody and passing judgement
 who is told I don’t know what I am doing because I’m young and inexperienced
 who has more experience then most of my coworkers
 who is polite, friendly, and would never be mean to the cashier because I’m having a bad day
 who can easily be perceived as being rude if i’m not overly friendly
 who is then labeled fake or ditsy
I am in “the best years of my life”
 while just trying to pay my bills
 and deal with the stress of that “best time”
 who knows full well most people are happiest at 40
 who is expected to be respectful to everyone
 even those that are incredibly disrespectful to me
 who has to listen to the boomers tell me all the ways I’m wrong
 because it’s their God given right to be heard
 and they have more experience and are older so they must be right
 the just barely surviving
We are not the “Entitled Generation”
We are the “keeping our heads above water” generation
