Olonan 1

Warren Olonan

Jerry Saviano

English 100

Refutation Assignment

Some people think that young people are the laziest generation when compared

to older people. For example, old people may say that some young people are

unemployed, and they always rely on their parents when they need to buy things. Also,

some may argue that more teens are becoming lazy because of the present

technologies today. Actually, many college students do have phones. Some people are

saying that college students are getting addicted to phones that make them forget the

things that the teacher told them to do. History professor Kara Miller points out that

“[t]oo many 18-year-old Americans, meanwhile, text one another under their desks

(certain they are sly enough to go unnoticed), check email, decline to take notes, and

appeared tired and disengaged.” In other words, college students seem to have more

energy when doing unimportant things than doing important things, such as taking notes

and other important activities. Also, students look tired, even though they are not doing

anything. However, others may state that the young generation is not that lazy, the way

Kara Miller describes them. According to NY Times writer Catherine Rampell,

‘I don’t think this is a generation of slackers,’ said Carl Van Horn, a labor

economist at Rutgers. ‘This image of the kid who goes off and skis in

Colorado, I don’t think that’s the correct image. Today’s young people are

very focused on trying to work hard and to get ahead.’ Defying the

narcissism stereotype, community service among young people has

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exploded. Between 1989 and 2006, the share of teenagers who were

volunteering doubled, to 26.4 percent from 13.4 percent. . . And the share

of an incoming college freshman who says they plan to volunteer is at a

record high of 32.1 percent, too.

This proves that young people are not lazy at all. Instead, they are hardworking people,

and they are doing their best to serve and make their community better. Also, many

young people, especially college students, have volunteered to join different community

services. Therefore, young people are obviously using their time on important things,

instead of playing online games, and pointless activities. Kara Miller had mistakenly

described young people as the lazy generation.