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\u2019ve heard various references to the different \u201cgenerations\u201d for quite a while, but never gave it much thought and had no idea what generation I was a member of.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The generation I\u2019ve always heard referred to the most is \u201cThe Greatest Generation.\u201d From what I can tell, the name is appropriate. I\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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 \u2014 something that seems to be missing today. I can certainly understand why they\u2019re the Greatest Generation<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But when I hear of Generation X and Generation Y, etc. I\u2019m not sure I get the connection \u2014 and \u2014 I\u2019m not even sure what the names mean. So \u2014 you guessed it \u2014 some extensive research was called for. After checking a number of sources, here\u2019s what I came up with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Historians generally agree that generational naming began in the 20th century. Gertrude Stein coined the term \u201cLost Generation\u201d in her work. In the epigram to Ernest Hemingway\u2019s \u201cThe Sun Also Rises,\u201d published in 1926, Stein wrote, \u201cYou are all a lost generation.\u201d She was referring to those born around the turn of the 20th century who devoted their lives to service during World I. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most of the other 20th century \u201cgenerations\u201d have been identified and named in a 1991 book titled \u201cGenerations\u201d by Neil Howe and William Strauss. A lot of the labels in their book stuck, however the dates that define them are somewhat flexible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I couldn\u2019t find any real significance in the names of most generations \u2014 certainly nothing like the \u201cGreatest 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\u2026 my findings are listed below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n People born between 1890 and 1915 are members of The Lost Generation<\/em> or The Generation of 1914<\/em> Since I was born in 1938, I\u2019m 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. 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 \u2014 even back in school I remember kids being referred to as nerds, jocks, freaks, etc. Now it seems like we\u2019ve 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\u2019re still labeling people. Even after my extensive research, I’m not certain who, and why, some people get to pick the names of generations \u2014 or \u2014 why some of the names are chosen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t know that generational names do any harm, except maybe lead to stereotypes, but labels really don\u2019t do anything to shape our identities \u2014 our life experiences are what shapes and defines us. 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\u2019ve heard various references to the different \u201cgenerations\u201d for … Continue reading
Those born between 1901 and 1913 are members of The Interbellum Generation<\/em>
Those born between 1910 and 1924 are members of The Greatest Generation<\/em>
Being born between 1925 and 1945 makes you a member of The Silent Generation<\/em>
Birth dates between 1946 and 1964 puts you in the Baby Boomer Generation<\/em>
People born between 1965 and 1979 are members of Generation X<\/em>
If you were born between 1975 and 1985, that makes you one of the Xennials<\/em>
If you were born between 1980 and 1994, you are one of the Millennials, Generation Y or Generation Next<\/em>
A 1995 to 2012 birth date places you in Generation Z or iGeneration<\/em>
And to be a Generation Alpha<\/em>, you have to be born between 2013 and 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe I was just lucky, but I don\u2019t remember times being that dire when I was young. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"