The Kids Are Alright: Older Generations Reckon Millennials Have Got The Right Idea

It seems the youth of today aren't so bad, after all – according to the older generation.

A conversation started on an online forum (Reddit) asked its older users what they reckoned was better about today’s youth than the teens of decades past.

From being smarter, more creative and harder working than their previous counterparts, here’s what the older generation had to say about Millennial’s best traits.

More accepting

According to the Reddit thread, the youth of today are more tolerant of other people than previous generations – not judging people on their race or sexual orientation.

‘They're enormously more accepting of people than my generation,’ wrote one user.

‘A lot of children today can't even fathom the idea of treating someone different b/c of the color of their skin or sexual orientation [sic],’ said another.

‘I find that to be quite beautiful & hope they don't lose that.’

‘People are more tolerant, less violent. The media makes it sound otherwise, but people are less hurtful and when they are it's a big deal,’ another user agreed.

Better at dealing with criticism

According to one user who works with young people, she reckons they’re better at accepting criticism and learning from it than young people in the past.

‘I'm a Gen X and work in a field with mostly Millennials, and I manage them. They are really good at taking feedback and improving,’ they wrote.

‘I think they are more into intrinsic rewards than other generations.

‘As much as you can generalize a huge group of people, I like working with them, they don't seem as cynical as my generation.’

Better sense of humour

A university lecturer, who mentors undergraduates on research assignments, thinks Millennials are more fun than previous generations – who were sarcastic about everything.

‘Everybody was so sarcastic ALL THE TIME in the 90s, and it was actually pretty exhausting,’ they wrote on Reddit.

‘It's okay to enjoy something sometimes! These kids seem to get that, and it's awesome to see people excited about stuff.’

Bigger brains

It’s no wonder that youth of today are more knowledgeable than ever before, considering they can find out pretty much anything online as opposed to dusting off their old Encyclopedia.

‘Smart kids are getting smarter. It's easy to bang on the youth and b***h about how things are going down hill. But the ones that get it right are really killing it,’ wrote one user.

‘Honestly, the average Reddit reading 23-year-old is a f**king mental powerhouse compared the average 23-year-old only a decade or two ago,’ agreed another.

More creative

The conversation turned to creativity – and the users agreed that Millennials are more inspiring and creative than before.

‘Their creativity. whether it's technologically driven, artistic, musically, entrepreneurial skills, whatever, they have it,’ wrote one.

‘So many young people start businesses while they are in their teens and early twenties that it's amazing.

‘Having the internet makes it easier to design something and sell it on Ebay or Etsy for example. They can actually work on cars today while just looking under the hood freaks me out [sic].’

More head-strong

They might have opinions thrown at them left, right and centre, but today’s youth are less easily influenced than before, according to the thread – believing what they want to believe, and not what they think they should.

‘I find that young people I meet today are less apt to make up stuff and believe it, compared to the 1960's and 70's, when I was a kid [sic],’ wrote one user.

‘I remember kids joining communes, cults, crazy political parties, and going off to live in the woods with spiritual leaders.’

‘This generation is less apt to accept the wisdom of their elders. In the past, anything published was assumed to have been vetted by People Who Know,’ another user agreed.

‘Now, all kinds of people can be heard, and their race and gender has less influence on acceptance of their information.’

Tech-savvy

This one’s a pretty obvious one – but if you want someone to help you out with your new iDevice, your best bet is to head to the Millenials.

‘They can navigate all sorts of technology. My three year old uses my iPad like it's hers. She found my games and has hijacked both my plants vs. Zombies and angry birds. She's not too bad at them,’ wrote one user.

‘As someone who does technology training as a career, I think young people are better with tech because they have the time and ability to learn the concepts... it's almost like learning a language,’ agreed another.

Hard workers

And if you thought Millennials just hung around the bike sheds all day, think again, because older people reckon they’re harder-working than ever before.  

‘I actually think the work ethic of today's kids is incredible,’ wrote one user.

‘High school students today take tons of AP [advanced] classes, participate in sports and clubs, do volunteer work, and many hold down summer or part-time jobs.’

We reckon Generation Z deserve a big ol’ pat on the back!

Agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter, now.

[Reddit Users Reveal What They Were Dreaming About While They Were In a Coma]

[REVEALED: Barbie without make up looks...like a normal woman]