Proposal and Outline

1.

Millennials as lazy

Millennials as fragile

2.

The Me Me Me Generation: Joel Stein and Josh Sanburn

A Generation of Slackers? Not So Much: Catherine Rampell

The Overprotected Kid: Hanna Rosin

3.

In The Me Me Me Generation, an article written by Joel Stein and Josh Sanburn, the flaws of millennials are pointed out, while contrasted against the reasons why some slack should be given to us.  The authors first aim to provide information on what exactly a millennials is, ridding any uncertainty from their article.  With that said, the piece is aimed at people who are interested in generational differences and specifically millennials, but anyone could read it and have a clear understating of the topic anyways.  The authors try to encompass every aspect of our generation, the good and the bad, and seem to have our backs for most of the article, even while pointing out our flaws.  “This is a generation that would have made Walt Whitman wonder if maybe they should try singing a song of someone else,” they say.  It is witty and engaging, and completely informative. 

A Generation of Slackers, written by Catherine Rampell, is a short article meant to explain why millennials aren’t the slackers we are made out to be by older generations.  Rampell explains the ways we have it easier these days, yet counter those facts with evidence that we are a very hardworking generation, that aims to get ahead.  She writes on the side of millennials and writes for millennials, as well as any audience with an interest in this topic.  I love the way she ends the whole thing by saying, “But at least they can take comfort in one fact: someday, millennials will have their own new generation of know-it-all ne’er-do-wells to deal with.”  It’s a great article with a fresh perspective on millennials. 

I chose The Overprotected Kid, an article by Hanna Rosin, as my last source.  This article is stock full of information about risky play, ‘adventure playgrounds’, childhood norms and influences, and current dangers for kids, all intertwined with real-life experiences and informative data to back everything up.  It is the perfect combination of facts and stories and it engages a reader from start to finish.  Rosin probably aimed this article to those who have kids of their own, millennials that may have had experiences with overprotective parents, and anyone else who is interested in these topics.  She breaks her article down and discusses the nitty-gritty, but overall, encompasses the issue that Gen Y parents have created, and gives evidence that millennials aren’t entirely at fault for the way we act today.  It also most likely aims to influence future parents to let their kids engage in certain risky play. 

4.

I plan to create an Instagram account to display my ideas on millennials.  I will combine photography and maybe even video with my research and opinions in the caption at the bottom of each.  I think having a visual representation of what I am writing about will help engage and connect the reader.  Also, using such a popular media platform will appeal to other millennials and perhaps convey my ideas in a clearer way since I also enjoy using Instagram. 

5.

I do not think that millennials are lazy but I do think that we are fragile.  There may be many examples of what seems to be laziness regarding millennials, but I think we are simply a different kind of generation with completely new resources at our fingertips, and so we appear much more lax than other generations.  Regarding this topic, I plan to compare and contrast millennials with the Baby Boomers and Gen Y’s to show that we are not more lazy and in some ways less lazy.  As far as millennials being fragile, I have to agree, and for this argument I will also use the compare and contrast method.  I think the way a majority of us have been raised has contributed to this fragileness and I plan to use resources like The Overprotected Kid to give information on why we are this way now.   For both arguments I will definitely use description as well as analogy to convey my message.         

6

 The Me Me Me Generation: Since this article provides both the good and bad information on millennials, I can use it to my advantage.  I bounce ideas off of anything that backs up the fact that millennials are lazy, and anything that cuts some slack on millennials being lazy.  I can take from it what I need to argue my opinions. 

A Generation of Slackers: This article will completely back up my argument that millennials aren’t lazy.  Just about every point made will contribute to my ideas.  The part where millennials are said to have had a lot of things easier will also give me somewhat of a counter-argument in which I can argue.     

The Overprotected Kid: This article will help especially when I am agreeing that millennials are fragile.  It will provide a solid argument that part if not all of the reason we are so fragile and sensitive is because of the way we have been raised.  Rosin talks about the type of risky play that a kid should engage in and I will talk about those and relate them to issues in later life that they might be connected to.