The Generations: who they are and their common characteristics

In recent years there has been a lot of talk about this generation or that generation. So I began to think who makes up the generations and what are the common characteristics of each generation? A generation is the creation of shared experiences, the events which happened, what people did, listened to and read. The first thing I found is that is no consensus on the years in which the generations start or end. So the years I will be using are the most commonly used when discussing the various generations. You may come across articles or other media which use slightly different dates. Also while I will be using generalizations when discussing the individuals who fit into each generation, remember that there is always an exception to the rule. Many but not all individuals who were born in each generation will fit the characterizations.

First, the Lost Generation are those who were born between 1883 and 1900. They came of age during World War I and the Roaring 20s. They were born during a time of mass immigration from Central, Eastern and Southern Europe. The world was changing at a rapid pace at which the world was changing. From cars becoming the preferred mode of transportation to the Wright Brothers’ flight (1903) to airplanes being used in warfare. The term “Lost Generation” was coined by Gertrude Stein and popularized by Ernest Hemingway in his book The Sun Also Rises. The first generation to know war on a global scale. And as a result of the war experiences, many of this generation became cynical, disillusioned, with a lack of purpose or drive. With the large scale death and the aftermath of the war, many lost faith in traditional values like courage, patriotism and masculinity. Some became aimless, reckless, and focused on material wealth as seen with the opulence of the 1920s. Many would not return to their hometowns after the war and flock to cities and even Europe. Paris became the biggest outposts of expatriates and the center of literary achievements of the 1920s. This attitude can be seen in the literature of the day. Themes such as decadence (The Great Gatsby) and gender roles and impotence (T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock) (O’Connor).

Second, the G.I Generation are those who were born between 1901 and 1924. They came of age during the Great Depression and fought in World War II. This generation is often referred as the Greatest Generation which was coined and popularized by Tom Brokaw’s 1998 book The Greatest Generation. In the book, Mr. Brokaw featured men and women who fought and contributed on the home front toward the war effect. They did so not for fame or recognition but because it was “the right thing to do” (Brokaw, 1998). As a generation, they are often portrayed as the ultimate hero with a strong sense of personal responsibility and civic duty, humble natures, strong work ethics and faithful commitment. They are seen as assertive and energetic do’ers who are community minded with strong personal morality and standards of right and wrong. This generation and the time period of WWII is still the most written about era with new books being written and published every year. It is also a time period which has been portrayed in movies since the war ended with classics like From Here to Eternity (1953) to Saving Private Ryan (1998). Over 1,300 movies have been made so far and certainly more will be made in the future. This is a generation and an era that is highly revered by the future generations.

Third, the Silent Generation are those who were born between 1925 and 1945. They came of age during the McCarthy Era and the height of the House Committee on Un-American Activities hearings. Many felt it too dangerous to speak out and were encourage to conform to social norms. Hence the name, “the Silent Generation.” They would also serve at the tail end of WWII and in the Korean War. They would be hard workers like the G.I. Generation with “waste not want not” attitude stemming from a childhood during the Great Depression and the war effort at home. They were often more conformers more on the side of self-preservation than belief. They wanted to show they were patriotic and proud Americans.  This generation helped shape the pop culture of the 20^th century (CNN) with pioneering rock musicians such as Bobby Darin, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry and many more. This generation produced iconic filmmakers such as Stanley Kubrick and George Lucas. Television legend Johnny Carson is a member of the Silent Generation as well as television journalists Dan Rather and Barbara Walters. No president was born during this generation, although there have been iconic government officials, such as Sandra Day O’Conner, who are a member of this generation. And many social and political activists, Martin Luther King Jr and influential authors, John Updike and Gore Vidal.

Fourth, the Baby Boomers. Those who were born between 1946 and 1964. They came of age during the turbulent 1960s and 1970s. This generation is often associated with the rejection or definition of traditional values. As a group, they are the wealthiest, most active and most physically fit of the generations before them. They tend to think of themselves as a special generation. Individuals from the Baby Boomers were also the ones to start defining the world in terms of generations. They were also the generation who helped term the phrase midlife crisis. According to Paul Begala of Esquire magazine, “The Baby Boomers are the most self-centered, self-seeking, self-interested, self-absorbed, self-indulgent, self-aggrandizing generation in American history.” Ouch! While baby boomers are often seen as the “save the world” revolutionaries of the 1960s and the 1970s, they were also the party hard career climbers of the 1970s and 1980s. The first “Me” generation, they ushered in “make love, not war” and societal non-violent protests which often times turned to violence anyway. While as a group, they are seen as self-righteous and self-centered, they were also optimistic and driven having grown up with prosperity the previous generations did not have. The baby boom coincided with the suburban boom as many returning GIs used the GI bill to buy their homes outside the cities. They were the first generation to grow up with televisions in the home. As well as the first generation where divorce was becoming an accepted reality.

Fifth, Generation X are those who were born between 1965 and 1980. They were the latchkey kids as both parents usually worked outside the home and were without adult supervision after school hours. As well as the children of the increasing divorce rates. They are also known as the MTV Generation as the popularity of music videos and cable TV were available in many homes. This generation is often seen as slackers, cynical and disaffected. The cultural influence of grunge and hip hop groups helped fuel the cynical attitude of most Gen Xers. They were more peer oriented than any other generation before. They are also credited with entrepreneurial tendencies such as YouTube, Google and Amazon. They were raised during the technology transitional phase as computers were coming common place in schools and in the home. The popularity of the internet began to rise and enter the home as Gen Xers were teens. As adults they were more likely to marry late in life after a period of cohabitation. One article I read called Generation X the Ignored Generation (Shepley 2008) while another article echoed this sentiment saying “caught between vast self-regarding waves of boomers and millennials, Generation X is steeped in irony, detachment, and a sense of dread” (Cohen 2017). Gen Xers are often characterized as cautious, skeptical, unimpressed with authority and self-reliant.

Lastly, Millennials are the ones born between 1981 and 2000. They are called Millennials as most would graduate high school and enter college in the new millennium. They are also known as Echo Boomers as a surge in birth rates were seen in this time period. They have also surpassed the baby boomers in number. An estimated 75.4 million babies were born during the baby boom after WWII, while an estimated 83.1 million were born during the millennial time period. This generation is often referred to as the Me Me Me generation as the sense of entitlement and narcissism is often used to characterize these individuals. According to the National Institute of Health, 58% more college students scored higher on a narcissism scale in 2009 than in 1982 (Stein 2013). According to Joel Stein of Time Magazine, millennials are the children of baby boomers, aka the Me Generation, who produced the Me Me Me Generation. Despite the sense of entitlement and narcissism, the millennial generation also have an increased liberal approach to politics and economics. They are more civic minded fueled by a sense of tolerance toward all. According to Sam Tanenhaus of the New York Times, millennials are Generation Nice as they are more empathetic with an open-minded and open-hearted connection to others (2014). Do good ad pitches are aimed squarely at the millennials who collectively favor companies that embrace the values of good citizenship. Such as “Buy One Give One” campaigns of companies like TOMS, Smile Squared and Bixbee. According to research 89% of millennials have a strong likelihood to buy from companies that supported social issues.

In conclusion, when I first started this research I thought I would see how each generation would be vastly difference. However, many articles I read feature so many generalizations and tend to forget that because of the sheer number of baby boomers, they helped produced two generations: Generation X and the Millennial Generation. I think the difference is in the early baby boomers who were in high school and college in the 1970s produced the Generation X while the late baby boomers who were in high school and college in the 1980s produced the Millennial Generation and the social climate of each decade helped shape the generation of their children. The assumption that the generation before is the parents of the next generation isn’t always accurate. For example, my husband, who was born in 1980, is Generation X; however, his father, who was born in 1930, was a member of the Silent Generation.

One thing I’ve learned is that the generational differences aren’t so cut and dry like the media, society and academia wants us to believe. As I said in my introduction and my research concurs that, like with life in general, not everyone fits the characteristics of their so called generation. I think about my own generation and I think do I believe this way? Do I act like this? Or did I act like this as a teen? I don’t think so. I know some Millennials who certainly don’t like that the narcissistic individuals the media likes to portray. And I know some Millennials who do. It will be interesting to see what becomes of the newest generation, simply called Generation Z or Post-Millennials, as they are now entering school and becoming a part of the world with their own generational identity.

References

Begala, Paul (2017) The Worst Generation or how I learned to stop worrying and hate the Boomers http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a1451/worst-generation-0400/ Retrieved September 2, 2017

Brokaw, Tom (1998). The Greatest Generation. Random House; New York.

Cohen, Rich (2017). Why Generation X Might be Our Last, Best Hope.             www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/08/why-generation-x-might-be-our-last-best-hope Retrieved September 2, 2017.

CNN http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/06/us/baby-boomer-generation-fast-facts/index.html. Retrieved September 2, 2017

O’Connor, Kate. Lost Generation. http://writersinspire.org/content/lost-generation. Retrieved       August 30, 2017.

Shepley, M.J. (2008) Gen X: The Ignored Generation?             http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1731528,00.html. April 16, 2008. Retrieved September 2, 2017.