How does the younger generation compare to previous ones?

A quick scan of recent news stories targeting my generation, dubbed Generation Y or the Millenials, reveals a lot of misguided skepticism about our abilities and, in some cases, outright hostility.

Older people are amazed at our technological prowess but quick to criticize our lack of basic knowledge. According to a stream of surveys and reports (don 't you older folks have anything better to research?) my generation can 't find Iraq on a map, we don 't know what Pearl Harbor is and we can 't name the chief justice of the Supreme Court, among other discretions.

Emory professor and author Mark Bauerlein summed up the baby boomers ' beef with his recent book, "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future. ' '

Bauerlein argues my generation relies too heavily on technology such as Google to answer basic questions for us. Consequently, we are no longer equipped to think on our own, solve simple problems or understand the world around us. According to Bauerlein, why should we have to think on our own when a computer can do it for us?

A Tampa Tribune columnist piled on by concluding that "a very large majority of today 's 5- to 35-year-olds are, therefore, literally, dumb. ' " As evidence, he claims that a teenage employee at a fast food restaurant was unable to accurately count change without the assistance of a cash register.

Fortunately for all of us, the naysayers are wrong. My generation is going to be just fine. We 're not going to destroy this country from the inside out.

In fact -- and this may surprise those of you who still read the news in paper format -- we 're actually going to do some good.

When I look at my peers, I don 't see a vast intellectual wasteland. I see a generation that is graduating from college at an unprecedented rate, voting in record numbers and volunteering throughout the country and around the world.

All of the people I know are quite capable of thinking on their own. One of my friends works for a nature preserve. Another works as a chemist in a biology lab. Another is researching micro-tearing of nickel-based alloys (whatever that means).

And yes, we can all find Iraq on a map.

Because most workplaces are increasingly dependent on technology, my generation is perfectly suited for the ever-changing labor market.

And people my age have been mystified by this country 's obsession with race and gender during the presidential campaign. For us, it 's not even an issue.

While older generations endlessly debate if a black man or a woman is capable of being president, we 're asking, "Who cares? " Is it really so hard to judge a candidate solely on merit? Not for the Millenials.

I hear repeatedly we are a generation of egocentric, spoiled children who think we 're special and demand instant gratification. I 'm willing to bet that my grandparents, who lived through the Great Depression and World War II, thought the same thing about my parents at one point.

I don 't deny my generation has had privileges. But I also don 't take anything for granted. I want to achieve things in my life on my own, as most Millenials do.

Every generation has its share of stupid, inconsiderate and spoiled people. And when I 'm older, I 'm sure I 'll have my misgivings about the younger generation. But I hope I 'll trust in their abilities enough to give them the benefit of the doubt.

And if you 're still skeptical, remember this: Sometime in the not-too-distant future, my generation is going to be in charge. We Millenials will soon have power of attorney over the entire generation of our parents.

So if you don 't want to end up in a nursing home prematurely, please, be nice. As you boomers used to say: The kids are alright.

Arnold is a recent UW-Madison graduate with a degree in journalism. He is the State Journal 's Opinion page intern this summer. darnold@madison.com