West Coast Connection Forum

Lifestyle => Train of Thought => Topic started by: M Dogg™ on January 19, 2008, 10:20:18 AM

Title: The Generation divide
Post by: M Dogg™ on January 19, 2008, 10:20:18 AM
I spend a good part of my childhood with Generation X thrown into my face, as that generation was coming of age and people were trying to figure out how to deal with them. Now it seems like I'm a Millennial, the tech savy iGeneration, and of course alot of being a Millennial seems to be that we are going to pick up the Baby Boomer's mess. I wanted to look at the generations in the U.S. born in the 20th century and see how in the word we got into this mess.

Lost Generation (1883-1904)

The GI Generation (1905-1926) - Known as the greatest generation in U.S. history, this generation producted more presidents than any other generation, and did more things, and of course were the parents of the Baby Boomers. Coming of age during the depression this generation grew up tough, and gritty. Once they got to be young adults, they answered to call to serve as the United States engaged in World War II, and once they came home many took advantage of the GI Bill from Franklin Roosevelt and went to college, and got married and had TONS of kids. 1946, the year after the war, the US birth rate shot up. This generation saw it's first president with John F. Kennedy, it's scientist got us to the moon, it's activist helped get us Civil Rights, and began to retire in the 1970's-80's.

The Silent Generation (1927-1945) - To young to serve in WWII and understand the depression, and not part of the great baby boom post-1946, this generation producted the soldiers of Korea and the early Vietnam soldiers. Fighting Korea to a draw and losing Vietnam hurts this generation's legacy, but many were also standing for Civil rights in the 50's and 60's, and Martin Luther King might be the most famous member of this generation. No president's though, unless McCain can pull off an upset.

The Baby Boomers (1946-1963) - Already the generation of 2 presidents the Baby Boomers were the "Me" generation. Grew up under the care of the GI generation, the Boomers were early hippies, but became highly synical of the U.S. in 1968 once both MLK and Robert Kennedy  were killed and Richard Nixon was elected. Elected Ronald Reagan in the 1980's, started showing a more conservative voting the Boomers also added to adavances in technology but put things on a budget. Cuts were made in education and space programs, which effected the next generation greatly. Word is still out on the Boomers effect.

Generation X (1964-1979) - The highly synical, highly depressed generation of slackers. This was the generation that grew up on MTV when they played music videos, and were "latch key" children. This generation had low birth rates due to introducing birth control pills, also their parents were having a high level of divorces. The cut off point I can think of is people in Gen X were either were graduating high school, or already out of high school/college when Kurt Kobain killed himself and 2Pac was murdered. This generation was into more "real" music and was known for a more vugar tone, even in it's pop music. (Madonna and Michael Jackson's crotch graps) So far the biggest contribution is computar geeks.

Millennials (1980-1998?) - The iGeneration, this generation is tech savy, more so that Gen X, and is entering the world highly optimistic, and ready. Discribed as spoiled, this generation grew up on bubble gum pop, Britney, N'Sync, Eminem, and sees the world different. Since Gen X, drug usage is lowering, and the Millennials were highly spoiled, and their parents (Boomers, older Xer's) are seen as Helicopter parents, with the saying the cell phone is the longest umbilical cord. This generation is going to college in large number and a BA is not seen as much for career growth. Seen by their elders as more demanding and impatient but high in energy. So far, the biggest member of this generation I'd say is MySpace and YouTube... lol

The Homeland Generation (1999-?) - Still kids, see the world from the post 9-11 world.