THEY CALL US “Generation Y,” the “Second Baby Boom,” and sometimes even “Generation Nexters.” But what about “Generation Entitlement”? Stars of MTV’s “My Super Sweet 16” surely exude a sense of entitlement, but dubbing a whole generation as such has seemed a bit rash by my standards. That was, until I started seeing it for myself.

Take, for example, the dissatisfied, 15-year-old high-school student who receives a B on a chemistry exam and immediately approaches the teacher, cell phone in hand, to say, “My mom is on the phone to talk to you about my grade.”

Or an intern who, after being asked to complete a simple task, tells a superior on a deadline, “I don’t make copies.”

I even had a friend who told me, “Yeah, I told my parents that they had to get me a 60-inch plasma TV as a graduation present.”

Never mind that his parents paid for his five-year college plan, or that they recently filed bankruptcy for a second time, or that his “career” is going to be a part-time job as an alcohol distributor earning $10 per hour.

The list goes on.

So, who is to blame for the overwhelming sense of entitlement that plagues our generation? That list includes parents, first and foremost; MTV; the state of California; consumer culture; and even beloved television icon Mr. Rodgers.

Our generation’s behavior has given rise to many psychological studies, which found increased narcissism in college students. One psychologist at Louisiana State University even said that Mr. Rodgers contributed immensely to Generation Entitlement simply by telling kids that they were “special” on a routine basis.
I’m fine with being a special, unique butterfly, or whatever that self-esteem metaphor is that we have been fed over the years goes. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t have to earn our place in the world.

I see many peers on the verge of graduation who are hell-bent on securing their dream job as soon as they step foot in the real world. In reality, almost all of us will start working in an entry-level position somewhere, doing something that isn’t our dream job. But that is just part of paying our dues.

I find the sense of entitlement on college campuses to be rather disgusting. Granted, college kids typically don’t resort to having mommy or daddy fix their grades, but they do think that going to class and cranking out mediocre work automatically earns a high grade.

A psychologist at San Diego State University found that foreign-born students, specifically Asians, were more likely to accept the grade given to them as an accurate assessment of their skills.
American students see B’s and C’s as an assault from a teacher, whereas Asian-born students see lower grades as an indication that they need to work harder.

Perhaps the discrepancy lies with Mr. Rodgers or indulgent parenting, but, either way, there is enough evidence that young adults do not exhibit the amount of respect that elders deserve.

Despite this rising sense of entitlement, I remain optimistic about our generation. More and more young Americans obtain higher education every year and prove themselves to be extremely competent and efficient in the workplace. I often find that employers marvel at our ability to complete simple word-processing tasks in half the time it would take our parents’ generation.

Yet, however talented we may be, our abilities don’t give us the right run around the world acting like narcissistic jerks.

Nicole Puhl is a senior in the John Cook School of Business.