I’ve been called a lot of names in my life, but now I have a new one, Entititled. “The Entitled Generation” or “Generation Me” is the name given by researchers to the population of people born after 1970. This generation is known to be a group of coddled, choicy, extremely confident people, whose parents were overly obsessed with the preservation of a “real childhood”. This generation has been seen as a threat to themselves, the workforce, and generations to come. They’ve been catagorized as a group of self-justified, lazy, expectation-filled people who have been spoon-fed everything they want and handed all the answers to their problems on a silver platter. Despite what may be true about categorizing our generation as entitled, I can’t help but ask, “who’s feeding us with this spoon and handing us this platter?”

Our generation is not entitled because we checked off a box as a fetus and chose to be this way; we’ve been raised in a world which upholds the idea of a super mom, has given a name and prescriptions to feeling sad (depression), and has had the largest boom in electronics such as iPods and PSPs which further increase our ability to grasp the selfish ideals of what’s “mine”. The Entitled Generation is the result of a pseudo-evolved world which is learning to adapt to a self-righteous isolated independence (hence no one can ever be truly dependent.)

The Entitled Generation is a group that have been brought up with extreme caution. We have mothers and fathers that have posted “baby on board” stickers in their cars, set up nanny cams, and bought books such as “10 ways to insure a genius baby.” Our generation has been coddled and kept on the bottle for far too long. We’re kids that have been given free will and personal choice at the ages of three and four and have had parents that have been persuaded that tantrums are merely ways of expressing ourselves. Obviously we’re hurting ourselves mentally, but how does living with this state of mind affect the way we live?

The Entitled Generation mentality has apparently followed us to our jobs, and it’s not a good thing. The Entitled Generation in the workforce is best categorized as the new, fresh faced cougars entering into the white collar business force and it’s clear to see that white collar might not even be enough for them. This generation has sent the business work force into code red, meaning that older workers should be turning up their opportunist radars and stepping up their sales records. The Entitled Generation are a group that enters the workforce and expects to quickly jump into the VP seat and make a six figure salary. Hard work and patience is an unfamiliar saying in their minds. They’re a group who, unlike the recently retired baby boomers, grew up in a technology-filled world where what used to be considered hard work can now be done with the push of a button, and no less is expected. Overconfidence is the disease that has tainted this generation to fight, kick, and grab for what they think is rightfully theirs.

Despite their undying eagerness in the office, this generation can be describe as a gamble. This generation has learned to practice an isolated individualism in which their main priority is to fend for themselves. Loyalty is not one of their strongest qualities. This generation is not teamwork-oriented and therefore have a hard time fitting into office environments where they do not stand out and shine, but rather are one small piece of the business puzzle. The generation has been known to easily quit jobs if they aren’t right for them or if they don’t get promoted fast enough. After all, not everyone can be a CEO.

The Entitled Generation is not a joke title if the title fits. If the generation is as the researchers have described, then there is a critical need to see how it will effect the generations to come. If we are in fact selfish and only interested in ourselves, then how will our children be raised? What kind of message will we be sending?