Generational Designations/Names

[aadarshinah]

I'm definatly a Gen Y-er. There was a show that ran for only one season, Wonderfalls, which I think sums the generation up nicely: "Overeducated and underemployed."

[honeybee]

I loved Wonderfalls, yet another series canceled way too soon. It was created by Bryan Fueller, who got his start writing for TNG and DS9. He was later involved heavily with Heroes, and many fans of that show blame Fueller's departure for the show's decline. The heroine of Wonderfalls is really a terrific character. And - it also marked one of the last appearances of Kellie Waymire - she played the title role in an episode called "The Lonely Zookeeper" (or close to that). It never aired - but it is available on DVD - definitely something Cutler fans should check out.

I think the over educated, underemployed thing is a characterization associated with both Y and X - sadly. That was also ground covered in a big Gen X film - Reality Bites with Winona Ryder, Ben Stiller and Ethan Hawke. That was filmed in and around Houston when I was just a bit younger than the characters.

[evcake]

I think of Generation Y as the Baby Boomerang.

[crystalswolf]

I associate Gen X with those of us who were young during the grunge era - and are currently wincing that Francis Bean Cobain is 18.

I remember when she was born and you would have thought she was royalty with so much attention. The Hair-Band era was gasping its last breath, Grunge was definitely king, and "Singles" summed up the mood. Good times.

[Brandyjane]

I was born in 1978 which is right in that period of time that, depending on which expert you read, could be near the end of Gen X or near the beginning of Gen Y. I don't seem to have much in common with the stereotypes for either generation. Actually, most of the people I graduated from high school or college with seem to agree with me that we don't fit the model for either generation. We're too young for Generation X, too old for Generation Y/Millenials.

[honeybee]

I can see where that would be true, Brandyjane. Sometimes, people find themselves in the middle. I had an ex who was born in 1966 - and he really didn't feel like Gen X (though some say that started before then) because he was several years out of college when grunge hit. He felt he wasn't really a boomer or a Gen Xer. I think these are very loose definitions and sometimes applied in hindsight.

I mean, all these years later, Tom Brokaw christened "The Greatest Generation".

[crystalswolf]

Honeybee, I think that's exactly it. Generations are fluid... like language. They are always changing. But after a certain amount of time has passed, people can see the larger picture from the small changes. Old English didn't become Modern English and Gen X didn't become Gen Y overnight, they were gradual changes. But when the changes are taken as a whole, the best start and stop are assigned to certain trends.

At least that's the way I see it.

[Aquarius]

We ARE Baby Boomers. I never heard of the Silent Generation. We certainly were not and are not...silent, LOL.

The Silent Generation actually precedes the Baby Boomers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Generation We talked about that in my class last semester, too.

[Aquarius]

Honeybee, I think that's exactly it. Generations are fluid... like language. They are always changing. But after a certain amount of time has passed, people can see the larger picture from the small changes. Old English didn't become Modern English and Gen X didn't become Gen Y overnight, they were gradual changes. But when the changes are taken as a whole, the best start and stop are assigned to certain trends.

At least that's the way I see it.

Well, yes and no. There's bound to be an overlap, sure, but there's usually something contextually significant--socially, economically, whatever--that is associated with one cohort and not the one that precedes or succeeds it. Often they're wars. Baby boomers are associated with births for a certain period after WWII. Gen Xers are more closely associated with Viet Nam. Gen Y'ers aren't so closely associated with Viet Nam, which means that generally, anyone born after the 70s would be associated with the next cohort. My assumption is that Gen Y-ers were born closer to Desert Storm than Viet Nam, and other significant social, political, economic, or other changes occurred by that time to make the experience of someone born after about 1981 significantly different from someone born before. As a 40-something, I can confidently say my life's experiences are significantly different from those of the 20-somethings, no matter what they call themselves.

[honeybee]

You're definitely right that wars seem to define things - either fighting in them or being born during or after. My older brother was born because men with children were not being drafted in MA at the time. He was born in 1968 - and definitely is a Gen X guy.

And I think there are loose edges - and Brandyjane says - those born in 1978 were after Vietnam - but born too soon to truly be associated with Gen Y. There's a grey area there - and I think 1982 might be a little generous for the end date of Gen X birth. It also might boil down to individual experience as to where an individual feels they fit, if like Brandyjane, they are on the cusp.

I'm going to ask my mom - who was born in 1944 - where she feels like she fits. I know she was actually part of a very small generation since most men were at war. My grandfather was drafted when he was 36 - and my mom was on the way. My father was born the same year. His father was not allowed to enlist because he was a machinist and his skills were too valuable. He tried and was turned away. I know my Mom corrects people who call her a boomer.

[Aquarius]

As a pre-Reagonomics baby, Brandyjane is comfortably within the Gen X span, albeit toward the end.

[crystalswolf]

I agree that there are definitely influences that significantly shape each generation. What I meant by fluid was the overall change in reaction to those influences were so slight month by month and year by year that it was hard to see them until much later when the big picture could be seen.

I was born in 1974 ( feel so naked) and my cousin is 5 years older. Her reaction to the Vietnam War and other cultural influences of the time (Disco ) are different from mine but we are considered in the same generation. These differences didn't happen over night. Also, 1961 is considered the beginning of Gen X but is there much difference between someone born in 1960 and 1961?

As for the differences in Gen X & Y, I can see the differences now but at the time I couldn't put my finger on them. I could never put a hard stop on Gen X and start on Gen Y, but then again, that's what the experts are for.

[Linda]

So Silverbullet is correct - he is part of the Silent Generation. He confused me by saying the Silent Generation was between WWII and the Sixties which is actually the Boomer time. And I didn't know they had named the generations before the Boomers. I, born in 1948, am part of the Boomer generation. My daughter born in 1974 is of Gen X. My grandkids born in the 1990's would then be the Z gen (digital natives - which they are with a vengence, LOL). So my youngest grandkids born in 2007 and 2004 are also Gen Z?

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

Being born in 1968 I feel I have a more similar outlook, and memories, with people born ten or even twenty years prior than someone born ten or fifteen years later. I grew up during and experienced the Cold War. The younger whipper-snappers feel that is just history - the same way I view WW2. The Nazis are history to me, but the Commies aren't in the same way. For them the Commies are history.

So what am I? A generation X-er?

[honeybee]

1968 puts you firmly in Gen X - KTR. Of course, these are American designations and based in American cultural experiences - some of which others share, such as The Cold War. So, it's possible that in Sweden, the groupings would change slightly.