I am on the older end of a generation typically labeled Millennial. We are said to be a lot of things, but technologically savvy, politically left-leaning, and optimistic are some of the most frequently applied.
I bring this up because I was reading the other day an article in the Times called, “Save Us, Millennials.” Obviously you’ve heard by now that my type had a huge impact on getting President Obama elected, and the author is trying to urge us apply that same kind of passion to the problems of today. A worthwhile goal, I think.
As I was ruminating on this, it got me thinking about this blog, and many of the ideas about manhood I’ve shared. Of course it’s easy to point back to some kind of ethic of manhood that we’ve been missing, or say that there are certain ideals we’ve lost in the quest for equality. That is absolutely true. But for a moment, let’s forget about the past and think about the future.
Millennials are coming up. We’re entering the workforce. We’re becoming fathers (and mothers). It’s starting to hit me that my generation is becoming a generation with authority. We’re in a position to make a huge difference.
Not only that, but we’re finding a huge voice on the Web. A recent Sysomos study found that most bloggers are between the ages of 21-35 years old:
So what does that mean for the men of our generation? It means we have to decide who we want to be. I started this blog because I wanted to voice that a new generation of men were thinking differently about being men. That there are men out there that are thoughtful, stylish, generous, courteous. Men that are more than the typical media portrayal of men.
I truly believe the Millennial generation is on a path to becoming one of the most influential generations in a century for a number of reasons. But right now the media narrative around Millennials is still being formed. I can’t speak for everyone, but I want us to be remembered as the generation that stole manhood back from the douchebags and the man-boys.
So will the Millennial men please stand up?
Photo credit: bjornmeansbear
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