A few days ago I dropped something off at our church and one of the people in the office said something about being a member of Generation X. I realized that I’ve heard various references to the different “generations” for quite a while, but never gave it much thought and had no idea what generation I was a member of.
The generation I’ve always heard referred to the most is “The Greatest Generation.” From what I can tell, the name is appropriate. I’ve heard it said that the hardships of life are what form true character. We call the Americans who were born between the two World Wars the Greatest Generation, and they certainly deserve to be referred to as such.
That generation grew up during a time when the world was experiencing great shifts in power. Europe was in upheaval, and the United States had yet to flex its military muscle. That generation lived through the Great Depression, World War II, and then on into one of the most prosperous eras in the history of the United States. The changes that the Greatest Generation witnessed will forever be marked as some of the most pivotal moments in history. The fact that they were born and made it through tough times resulted in a strong work ethic — something that seems to be missing today. I can certainly understand why they’re the Greatest Generation.
But when I hear of Generation X and Generation Y, etc. I’m not sure I get the connection — and — I’m not even sure what the names mean. So — you guessed it — some extensive research was called for. After checking a number of sources, here’s what I came up with:
Generations in the United States are defined as social groups of people born within a defined time period that share similar cultural traits, values, and preferences. Generational names have existed for years, but their popular use today is a fairly recent occurrence.
Historians generally agree that generational naming began in the 20th century. Gertrude Stein coined the term “Lost Generation” in her work. In the epigram to Ernest Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises,” published in 1926, Stein wrote, “You are all a lost generation.” She was referring to those born around the turn of the 20th century who devoted their lives to service during World I.
Most of the other 20th century “generations” have been identified and named in a 1991 book titled “Generations” by Neil Howe and William Strauss. A lot of the labels in their book stuck, however the dates that define them are somewhat flexible.
I couldn’t find any real significance in the names of most generations — certainly nothing like the “Greatest Generation.” Some generations go by two names, and sometimes more. If you look for a list of generational names, in all likelihood you may come up with a different list than I did… my findings are listed below:
People born between 1890 and 1915 are members of The Lost Generation or The Generation of 1914
Those born between 1901 and 1913 are members of The Interbellum Generation
Those born between 1910 and 1924 are members of The Greatest Generation
Being born between 1925 and 1945 makes you a member of The Silent Generation
Birth dates between 1946 and 1964 puts you in the Baby Boomer Generation
People born between 1965 and 1979 are members of Generation X
If you were born between 1975 and 1985, that makes you one of the Xennials
If you were born between 1980 and 1994, you are one of the Millennials, Generation Y or Generation Next
A 1995 to 2012 birth date places you in Generation Z or iGeneration
And to be a Generation Alpha, you have to be born between 2013 and 2015.
Since I was born in 1938, I’m a member of The Silent Generation. That means both my parents were of the Lost Generation. Articles about The Silent Generation made the times seem worse than I remember them, saying that we grew up expecting a hard life. It was an era when a Christmas present might be an orange or a full meal. They earned the Silent Generation name because as a group they were not loud. They did not protest in Washington. There were no major wars to protest.
Maybe I was just lucky, but I don’t remember times being that dire when I was young.
I guess my general thoughts about these generation names is that no one really likes to be labeled. But people have always been forced into groups — even back in school I remember kids being referred to as nerds, jocks, freaks, etc. Now it seems like we’ve decided that categorizing people based on the year they were born is a good idea. Generational groups are much larger than any of the others, but we’re still labeling people. Even after my extensive research, I’m not certain who, and why, some people get to pick the names of generations — or — why some of the names are chosen.
I don’t know that generational names do any harm, except maybe lead to stereotypes, but labels really don’t do anything to shape our identities — our life experiences are what shapes and defines us.
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