Millennials are given the reputation of being lazy, materialistic and technology-obsessed. We plead guilty to all charges.

When you type the term “millennials” into a search engine, you are saturated with headlines mixing the theme of blame along with attempts to understand who we are. We serve as a puzzle never to be solved by the generations above us, which makes us a scapegoat rather than a beacon of hope.

Older generations are scared because we do not need them. We are changing what has been the status quo for years, and we are doing it without them. In retaliation, they have found ways to create a prejudiced generalization of who we are.

For the most part, they have it right. We are lazy, we are self-centered and we are materialistic.

But most of us are also in our 20s or younger, and as far as 20-year-olds generally go, no matter the generation, those accusations fit the bill.

There is no largely agreed-upon definition for the millennial generation, but it is generally considered to include people born between 1984 and 2004. That is 20 years’ worth of millions of different kinds of people who were born into different surroundings, have different upbringings and experience different things. And though we all stand along the millennial scale of laziness and materialism, there are also many things we have that no other generation offers.

Guilford College students in their diversity can be used as a microcosm for the millennial generation. Going to the cafeteria on Wednesdays at 12:45 p.m. is like going to the millennial zoo. You have a steady representation of people who want to scream “I’m punk” at the top of their lungs, people who only eat vegetables and compost everything, people with their eyes glued to their six-inch screens and so on and so forth.

Easily spotted, we all can be found guilty to some of the charges against millennials. Guilford students feed off of changing the system and redefining what is embedded into society, but a lot of us just want to smoke pot, listen to music or watch Netflix.

These characteristics are not only exemplified by Guilford students but by most people our age. Our fatal flaws are known, studied and used by the marketplace to create things that further pull us into our defects. We are all culprits of putting ourselves into this cycle.

The noteworthy thing about our generation is that we are able to recognize this about ourselves and can more easily pull out of it if we need to. More and more people our age care about being outside and reconnecting to our planet. We care about everyone being represented in politics and everyone getting a fair chance in life.

Generations before us have worked to create a society where more is at our fingertips. We have many opportunities our parents did not have, and though we are lazy, we will take full advantage of that.

It is necessary for our analysts to remember that we are still young. We still have a lot of learn, see and accomplish.

Once we are given some space to breathe, we will be able to create and give back to society. Once our voices are actually listened to, we will be able to start fighting for what we believe in. American society, flaws and all, comes as a catalyst for amazing creativity, and we can be the generation to utilize it.