Millennials' Entitlement Attitude Must Be Rejected

What’s wrong with this? Girl applies to Duke University. Girl is rejected.
Girl doesn’t accept decision, writing a letter rejecting the University’s rejection.

Girl uses social media to make letter go viral. Media, incomprehensibly, runs with the story. Duke responds with a wimpy, politically-correct answer. Girl pouts about how much power universities have over students. Millennial generation, and their coddlers, applaud girl as "hero," and letter as brilliant.

Given that the millennials are the leaders of tomorrow, God help us.

To the millennials who think they’re God’s gift, and their adult enablers who encourage that generation’s entitlement mentality through constant coddling, bring on the hate mail.

We can see it now: the big, bad columnist beating up on a 17-year old just trying to make her way in the world, as he criticizes an entire generation with sweeping generalizations.

Good. Someone has to, because the millennials need a kick in the derriere to bring them back to planet Earth and that pesky thing called the real world.

Let’s take a look at the situation involving the high school senior. Her Tumblr bio says a lot: “there’s not a boy on this earth worthy of me.” Wonderful. With that attitude, she will no doubt have an illustrious dating career.

Confidence is one thing, but sheer arrogance is quite another, something some millennials have not come close to understanding. But that arrogance comes with an ironic twist.

Sure, helicopter parents hover over their every move in a fairytale attempt to sanitize everything. But like every generation before them, they have to be accountable for their own actions. Instead, they continue to reject that rite of passage.

Duke accepts just 12 percent of students. The girl was rejected. If you’re going to call out the university, you’d better have your ducks in order. She didn’t. Let’s correct her letter:

“This year I have been fortunate enough to receive rejection letters from the best and brightest universities in the country. With a pool of letters so diverse and accomplished I was unable to accept reject letters I would have been able to only several years ago . . . despite Duke’s outstanding success in rejecting previous applicants, you simply did not meet my qualifications. Therefore, I will be attending Duke University’s 2015 freshmen class.”

Her appalling use of grammar unwittingly validated Duke’s decision. If you’re going to broadcast that the Blue Devils made a mistake, you need to be perfect making your case.

Americans have become horrendous communicators. Part of that is due to our failing educational system, and partly because some millennials rely on technology so much that their social and communication skills are nonexistent.

And if we don’t correct it at age 17, then when? When they enter the job market? And why did the media, and Duke, give her a free pass? When her letter went viral making worldwide headlines, it landed in the public square. You can’t have it both ways: basking in the attention but not taking responsibility for shabby work. Grade: F.

Duke responded, stating she could appeal, but warning that overturned rejections were rare. But then it bowed to political correctness, playing right into the very problem millennials have: their constant need to be stroked. The Duke letter stated, “Please know that our decision was not a judgment of you as a student or a person, but a reflection of our limited space and talented applicant pool.”

Sorry, Duke, but you got that one wrong. Of course rejecting applicants is based on who they are as students and people. There are no other criteria on which to judge. It doesn’t mean rejected students are bad or unaccomplished, but that they simply didn’t make the cut.

In an email, the senior wrote, “I just realized how much power these universities seem to have over students . . . Their word is the end-all, be-all. But what if it wasn't? What if I treated them like they treated me?"

What does that mean? Should every university, sports team, and employer accept everyone simply because rejecting people is exercising power over them? And how did Duke treat her that merits that response? They simply said she didn’t make the cut. Deal with it. If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

That’s the real world, and rejections are a big part of life. From Michael Jordan to Walt Disney, the list is long of those who faced difficult rejections but bounced back.

Of course being rejected stings! Would the next generation please stand up?

Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, Freindly Fire Zone Media. Read more reports from Chris Freind — Click Here Now.