Thomas Friedman's Generation Q, By Thomas L. Millman

In a time where the world is rapidly changing and adjusting, many people have many different perspectives on what is considered good, bad, and normal in society. The generation known as the Millennials, which consists of people born between 1982 and 2002, is a generation that tends to see hard times in an optimistic light. Living life extremely optimistically is considered normal by this generation, however, the Millennials are looked down upon and perceived as unrealistic and vulnerable to failure because of this optimism. The Millennials are perceived negatively by these older generations, and these perceptions form very strong opinions on the lifestyle of the Millennials.
The Millennials often stay optimistic for an ideal future, however,

Friedman, the Millennials are perceived in a less negative light based off of their optimism and desire. Friedman opens the article by talking about how much the Millennials are contributing and the risks they are taking in order to pursue their desires. For example, Friedman states, "Not only has terrorism not deterred them from traveling, they are rolling up their sleeves and diving in deeper than ever." Friedman opens the article positively in order to demonstrate that the Millennials do truly have potential. The article, overall, focuses on the negatives of this generation, however, in a more suggestive way. Friedman states, "I 've been calling them "Generation Q" - the Quiet Americans" and "Generation Q may be too quiet, too online, for its own good, and for the country 's own good", which implies that the Millennials are too connected to the internet and not their surroundings. These statements focus on what the Millennials are doing wrong, however, in a way to inform rather than to bash. Friedman argues that "America needs a jolt of the idealism, activism and outrage of Generation Q." This shows that, even though the Millennials are doing some great things for the country, they are not using their full potential to do great things in every aspect. Friedman states the Millennials are here to "light a fire under the country" but "they can 't e-mail it in, and an online petition or a mouse click for carbon neutrality won 't cut it." This shows that, even though this generation has a lot of potential to positively influence the country, they are too hooked to technology to know how to do