At first glance, noir’s tales of corruption and societal evils, gritty aesthetic, and pessimistic worldview seem to be at odds with the portrayal of millennials as positive and optimistic painted by Strauss and Howe. However, Millennial Rising was published before a major formative event for our generation’s broader worldview- 9/11. Are millennials generally positive and cooperative? Yes, definitely. But I think beneath that lies a more pessimistic view on the global state of affairs. 9/11, the war in Iraq, the War on Terror, and the constant unrest in the Middle East have certainly affected the Millennial generation. While this pessimism is not as overt as previous generations, it does find its way into our media through noir-inspired programs such as Veronica Mars. Strauss and Howe wrote about our generation when the state the world did not seem as messy as it currently is. However, unlike previous generations, Millennials are still optimistic about their power to affect the world in a positive way. Veronica Mars continues to work as a detective to help people and enact positive change in her negative world. Part of what does into this is technology. It gives everyone, especially tech-savvy teens and young adults, a voice and allows for better communication and networking than before. Technology’s power is a major part of Millennial’s resilient  drive and optimism in the face of post 9-11 disillusionment.