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What "generation" do you consider yourself and why?? I mean as the A)"Boomers" are generally considered approx.1946-64 born..supposedly liberal, free loving, more cautious as adults..B)Generation X born ~1965-79..very blunt, slackers, pessimistic/realistic..lot of latchkey kids..usually quite liberal..C)Generation Y or millenials..born ~1981-1994..optimistic, tech saavy, more conservative outside (ex. more people "waiting" for sex) but wild inside (but using ecstacy at raves)..or D)Generation Z kids born 95-prsent..kids of the Xers..how will they be??

Just curious here. Most people don't see these set in stone, but there are similarities in the people I know of these generations that seem to fit
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I think those kind of labels are bogus.  They say basically the same thing about every generation.  And how are they determined?  Do they only apply to Americans?  For instance, if you fall into the "Baby Boomer" category, do all of them know or care where they were when JFK was shot in 1963?  What if you are from Nigeria?  There are huge holes with these kind of labels and pigeon holing a group of people as having one set of ideals, or even saying they "tend" to believe a certain thing.

And I REPEAT that for the most part, the same stuff is said over and over again about every generation.  In the 80's and 90's, Gen Xers were said to be slackers who do nothing but watch MTV, listen to loud and raunchy music, play video games, do drugs, and hang out at the mall all the time.  That's not very different from what was said about Baby Boomers back in the 50's and 60's or what is being said now about Gen Y in the 2000's.  Stereotypically, the Boomers were the idiot loserly generation that lost the Vietnam War.  But what if you are from England or Canada?  See what I mean?
 
Sure some stuff from the various decades is different like MTV or the internet, but it's essentially the same critisisms.  Ofcourse, maybey I'm just a cynical Xer still stuck in the ironic 90's.   ::)

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Um... I think it's implied that these labels refer only to Americans.
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They may only refer to Americans, but I've also seen everyone outside of America using them though.

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I wish to know why these generations are named the way they are.

Who came-up with these labels?

When did these labels first appear?

What are all the labels of generations thus far?

Thanks in advance for the answers, if there are any.  ;)
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Welp... after World War II, most Americans were busy hitting the sack, leading to a whole lot more babies.  The increase in newborns was called the Baby Boom, and hence the generation was known as Baby Boomers.  The term "Generation X" was coined by author Douglas Coupland, who used the term as the title of his 1991 book about the generation which at the time had no name.  Billy Idol also was in a semi-famous band in the late 70's called Generation X, but it probably had nothing to do with Coupland's book.  Generation Y... well, you can probably figure out how that name was invented.

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I dread to find out what Generation Z will be like.
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I wish to know why these generations are named the way they are.

Who came-up with these labels?

When did these labels first appear?

What are all the labels of generations thus far?

Thanks in advance for the answers, if there are any.  ;)
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Gen Xers were originally called "Baby Busters", since there was a decline in American birth rates during the mid 60s to the early 70's. The problem with the frontline of Generation X is that they were named very late in the game.  They only got a name in 1991, and by that time a lot of the upper end or older Xers that were born in 1965 or 1966 were already out of college and well into their 20's.  By the late 90's that crowd had moved into their 30's, but the term "Generation X" was adopted by the media as a marketing tool to target teenagers and anyone they felt was young.  So it was still being used to describe people like Britney Spears and Mandy Moore.  I've even heard the 16 year old Olsen Twins being called "Xers".  I can understand why folks born in the mid and late 60's would justifly be angry about all this.  Since Gen X was and actually still is being used to describe 15 year olds, well then what is someone born in 1965?  They must be like the Baby Boomers who were born in the 40's and grew up on Elvis and the Beatles and fought in the Vietnam War.  Ofcourse they're not, and I've always seen folks in that crowd resent being lumped in with the Boomer crowd.  There are indeed many problems with categorizing people like this with these generation labels.  First of all it's very clear that most people simply don't to want to inherit too much of the pop cultural or political legacy of anyone more then 5 or 6 years older then them.  And if you're honest with yourself, you'll know that you didn't grow up with same pop culture and political issues of anyone more then 5 or 6 years younger then you. The term "Generation Y" simply hasn't caught on with the media, and doesn't have the cool ring to it that Gen X did.  I also think that a lot of Gen Y kids resent that name because it implies them as being nothing but younger Xers.

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Um... I think it's implied that these labels refer only to Americans.
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Well it's primarily about Americans.  These labels supposedly deal with American birth rates over a course of years, and the political and economic issues that people raised in America would deal with it.  

I think folks outside of the good old USA  like in the U.K. and Germany, may call themsevles a Boomer, Xer or Yer because they are only thinking in terms of pop culture. They're not thinking about all the other factors that go into these labels, they're only thinking about the American music, movies, TV shows and fashion that they grew up with. Since American pop culture is our biggest national export, nearly everyone in the world is exposed to it. Someone born and raised in Japan or India can grow up with Mandy Moore and the Olsen Twins as well.

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So,I was born in 1974.What would that make me?  ???

Howard
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According to those years that Pablo put up of 1965-1979/'80, then you're a younger Xer.  And I have no idea if those years are right or not, because I always see several different start and end dates for this kind of thing.  Sometimes I've seen it as being 1960 to 1980.  

But if you were born in 1974 then you're leaning towards the backend of Generaton X.  I was born in 1977, so I guess I'm obviously part of the tail end of the Xer run myself as well.  I know this, the older Xers were born in the 60's, and it appears the frontline of Gen Y was born in the early 80's.  Most of us born in the 70's are somewhere in the middle of that.  Gen X-Y perhaps?  ;)  

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Gen X-Y perhaps?  ;)  
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Yeah, you're generation male, lol!

...what?

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So,I was born in 1974.What would that make me?  ???

Howard
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Howard, pure unadulterated Gen X, BABY!

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What does a "flower power" person born in 1946 have in common with someone who was three (or even two) during the Summer of Love back in 1967?
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My honey was born in 1946-the beginning of the baby boom. I was born in 1963-the end of the boom. (Yes, I am admitting how old I am) We are very compatable and have a lot in common. We used to have an argument that he didn't think I was part of the baby boom. I told him that my siblings (my oldest one was born in 1951) are deffinately part of the baby boomers and aren't I in the same generation as my siblings?


Cat

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My honey was born in 1946-the beginning of the baby boom. I was born in 1963-the end of the boom. (Yes, I am admitting how old I am) We are very compatable and have a lot in common. We used to have an argument that he didn't think I was part of the baby boom. I told him that my siblings (my oldest one was born in 1951) are deffinately part of the baby boomers and aren't I in the same generation as my siblings?


Cat
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Well, you are in the same generation when it comes to family structure, but I don't think you are when culturally. First of all, you were an infant (or maybe not even born) when JFK was shot, while your 1951 born sibling was 12 and your husband was nearly out of high school. During the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam era you were barely starting kindergarten, while older Boomers were coming of age. The earliest boomers graduated college at the time of Hippiemania, while you would have graduated (class of 85) in Yuppiemania. So there is quite a contrast.

But with the quirkiness of how demographers define generations (46-64, 65-76, 77-95), it is very possible for children of a particular family to be part of three generations...a boomer born in 64, a "Y"er born in 77 and and an "Xer" born in between (although as I mentioned before, 77 is NOT in my opinion Generation "Y", but rather the last of the last "Xers").

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Generation "X" 1966-1977
Generation "Y" 1978-1983

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I was born in 79. I'm generation X. Generation Y likes Reality Shows, and all that ear candy pop. I don't like that stuff. I grew up on alternative rock(94-96) and the urban pop era(97-98) when I was in high school. I associate with the 94-98 era for me not the 99+ era. Most of Generation Y associates with stuff that happened in the 99+ era. Not that I don't acknowledge recent world events like WTC, and the recent war we had but I don't feel like part of today's era pop culture wise(Tv, and music.) Its just not me at all. As a matter of fact I can associate with the decade of the 80's than today's decade.

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I was born in 1975 and I graduated high school in 1993.  Me personally, since I was born in 1975, I have always considered my generation as being anyone born from 1970 to 1980.  Anyone within 5 years of my age is what I considered my generation.  I don't mind in the least bit about being part of the tail end of the Generation Xer run.  I'm a tail end Xer and proud of it.  Better to be a Younger Xer then an Older Yer.  ;)

HurrMarks,

Dude I'm starting to think you take this issue WAY too seriously.  You had a fun and interesting discussion on the 80's board, but now that I see this topic here, I've realized that it seems to be all you talk about.  It's very clear that you being born in 1978 are very uncomfortable about being labeled a "Generation Xer", or even having the 80's forced on you.  Though in another post I saw you say you thought the 80's were better then the 90's.   That has me a bit confused.  The Gen Xer legacy is both the 80's and 90's anyway.  And why is your listing of Gen Y only 5 years?  1978 to 1983?  Every other generation is much longer.  You were born in 1978 and graduated in 1996, and in another post you say you finished college on time in 2000,......so maybey you probably are Generation Y.  I don't know.  Generation Y is about the 00's, so perhaps you are Gen Y.  But either way you will always be an Older Gen Yer.  The older members of these generations usually get stiffed and forgotten.  The middle part of the generations are usually the ones that the focus is on.  Look at what happened to the Older Xers born in 1965, they're always swept under the rug and I know those guys are mortified at the thought of being called a "Baby Boomer".
 

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Wait a second here...who said I'm taking this way too seriously? This topic is regarding generations, right? So I'm just giving my say on what years fit with what generations. That's all I'm doing. And with regard to me feeling uncomfortable with being part of the "child of the 80s", it's not that I don't want to. It's just that I feel I am a bit too late.

And Generation "Y" is not the shortest generation...Boom Leaders is the same length (6 years). And these are subgenerations in between two generations.

Sorry if you are getting the wrong impression.