25-year-old Talia Ben-Ora was an employee at Yelp in San Francisco when she published an open letter to the company's CEO about her struggle to make ends meet. She wrote about the need for a livable wage and better benefits, her frustration over having to work for a year in customer support before being eligible for a different position, and a host of other issues.
The letter went viral, inviting a mix of criticism and praise among people of all generations. Some responded by writing about "millennial privilege" and described Ben-Ora and her fellow members of Generation Y as entitled, greedy, selfish, lazy, and high maintenance. Others commended her for speaking out and advocating for change.
We invited four millennials to share their reactions to the letter, and we hear what they have to say about the stereotypes and perceptions often attributed to their generation. Our guests:
- Bianca Bishop, case manager at Rochester Mental Health Center, and graduate student at Roberts Wesleyan College
- Ben Eskind, owner/operator of Pachamama Farm, and graduate student at the University of Rochester
- Jen Everdyke, student at the Rochester Institute of Technology
- Chuck Wade, vice president and financial adviser, Brighton Securities