OK, there seems to be a huge fascination on this forum with generations, whether it be Generation X, Y, Next -- whatever -- to the point of almost unhealthy obsession. (No offense to anyone.) There is really no such thing as generations, because they are completely subjective. No matter how often you argue about it, nobody is right -- everyone has a different opinion as to who fits in where, so why bother arguing? Plus, it's impossible to cut off a generation year by year. You can't say that someone born 1 or 2 years later than you automatically doesn't remember the same things you remember, and have the same mindset as people much younger than them instead. That doesn't make sense, and I'm sure most people agree.

For example, if you were a senior in high school when a cultural phenomenon happened, you can't say the 7th graders (people born 6 years after you) don't remember it too. Sure, they were younger than you, but they weren't living in a cave either. And some people are just more "aware" of cultural events than others because of older siblings, whereas others were more sheltered.

Also, the Child of the 80s or 90s thing annoys me too. You have everyone from people who were in their 20s in the 80s to people who were babies saying they were children of the 80s, and the argument is endless. If you were a child, in the 80s anytime before December 31, 1989, you were a child in the 80s. Child of the 80s is something that's completely subjective, as is Child of the 90s. Nobody is ever going to agree on where the cut-off is.

OK, rant over.

I'd like to add something onto this argument.  The worst part is when people stereotype generations.  I'll use my generation as an example.  People seem to think my generation is all about Rap, Emo, etc.  While there is a great deal of truth to that, there are tons of kids at my school who love music from the 70's, 80's, 90's, etc.  Likewise, the whole Generation X stereotype of them being angsty, depressed, and rebellious has some truth, but doesn't apply to the entire generation.  Just because you're in your youth at a particular time doesn't mean you have to like only stuff from that time and it certainly doesn't mean you'll acquire a type of personality (like the Generation X stereotype).

I still can't get over the stupid generation names that are Y and Z.  They're just names made up by some corporate executives with no imagination just so they can describe a new demographic.  What's next, Generation AA?

They probably are just a construct, but I don't think times change completely linearly, i.e. it's not necessarily true that on average, a 1960er is exactly halfway between a 1950er and 1970er in experience.

But yes, they're just constructs that aren't scientific at all.

For example, if you were a senior in high school when a cultural phenomenon happened, you can't say the 7th graders (people born 6 years after you) don't remember it too. Sure, they were younger than you, but they weren't living in a cave either. And some people are just more "aware" of cultural events than others because of older siblings, whereas others were more sheltered.


Totally agree with you.  I don't get the obsession with generations.  There are a lot of people that think a person born in '89 or '90 would hardly remember anything from the 90s (especially the early 90s).  I'm an '89er but I have older brothers that were all born in the 80s (the oldest in '81).  They were into certain things in the 80s and 90s so I remember a lot of that stuff.  Even some 80s stuff that they "brought over to me" I remember and love.

I don't either, I'll discuss it but I don't take it that seriously.

For example, if you were a senior in high school when a cultural phenomenon happened, you can't say the 7th graders (people born 6 years after you) don't remember it too. Sure, they were younger than you, but they weren't living in a cave either. And some people are just more "aware" of cultural events than others because of older siblings, whereas others were more sheltered.

Also, the Child of the 80s or 90s thing annoys me too. You have everyone from people who were in their 20s in the 80s to people who were babies saying they were children of the 80s, and the argument is endless. If you were a child, in the 80s anytime before December 31, 1989, you were a child in the 80s. Child of the 80s is something that's completely subjective, as is Child of the 90s. Nobody is ever going to agree on where the cut-off is.

OK, rant over.


Don't worry, I totally see what you're saying. I have to agree with this, too. There are some people out there who apparently believe no one can remember anything that happened before they reached the age of 12. I think (and know from my own experience) that's a bunch of B.S. ;)

I was born in September of '81 and I remember '87+ perfectly, and scattershot memories from late 1984-1986, so I always got a little offended if people claimed I was "too young" to remember when the Berlin Wall came down, or when MTV played videos all the time.

If I had to make a basic generation, I'd say age 6 or 7 is when people can remember stuff with perfect detail. Just because you're not old enough to go out and party (or hence "experience" it) doesn't mean it didn't impact you or that you can't remember it. I also agree, those that have older siblings/friends/cooler parents, tend to be a bit ahead of the curve.

I see what you're saying too Sarah.  I'm sure the topic gets kind of annoying, esp. if you're not interested in it, although I still enjoy discussing it.  ;)

There's 3 points (at least) to remember about this whole topic

1- 9\10ths of the study has to do with either publicity, ego, and most importantly- money

2- I've tried to preach that while there are certain social breakpoints, that influence is equalled by age location or realitivity.

3- Generations really can't be measured by pop trends.

The last one is where I see the most wild claims and split hair definitions. Often I'll see some post or newswire report on the web claiming that if you were born between a certain span of years then you are automatically are sterotyped into one era, attitude, or taste in specific bands. The worst of this was when I saw a post on another forum spliting the generations up into 4-5 year spans which dictated what sodapop they drank.

In general I've found that you have to get down to around 10 year waves and cusps to get any grasps of cultural movements. But even that is limited by a lot of factors.    

Put to it down to our need to classify everything into categories. We love 'labelling' people and stereotyping them accordingly. It just makes life so much simpler. If you call something 'Gen Y' it brings to mind a whole range of stereotype. But then again, we need people who we can call our own...people who have the same memories of a certain era.etc. I've never identified much with my own generation - indeed, I often feel I was a Baby Boomer born 40 years too late; but there is still an undeniable link with those born in that period due to the pop-cultural climate that basically raised me.

There's 3 points (at least) to remember about this whole topic

1- 9\10ths of the study has to do with either publicity, ego, and most importantly- money

2- I've tried to preach that while there are certain social breakpoints, that influence is equalled by age location or realitivity.

3- Generations really can't be measured by pop trends.

The last one is where I see the most wild claims and split hair definitions. Often I'll see some post or newswire report on the web claiming that if you were born between a certain span of years then you are automatically are sterotyped into one era, attitude, or taste in specific bands. The worst of this was when I saw a post on another forum spliting the generations up into 4-5 year spans which dictated what sodapop they drank.

In general I've found that you have to get down to around 10 year waves and cusps to get any grasps of cultural movements. But even that is limited by a lot of factors.    


And weren't the generational labels originally supposed to be about birth rates in the United States of America?  However you see people all over the world call themselves Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Gen Yers, etc, etc.  Some people go strictly by the book on USA birth rates, but then someone in Australia, England, France or South Africa is likely unaware of these facts and does not even care.  People outside of the USA are using pop culture trends to identify themsleves as a Boomer, Gen Xer or Gen Yer.

I do think this eventually had to happen on these boards though, where this topic had reached a maxed out plateau of sorts, and other posters started rebelling/complaining  about the non-stop discussion of generations.  It's been explored and anaylsed from about every conceivable angle, and then some.  It can be interesting, otherwise I wouldn't have dropped into so many of them,...but it often seems repetitive. 

And people assume too many things about people born in certain years.  For example...someone born in 1948 MUST BE a classic Baby Boomer that grew up on 1950s rock and then marched and protested as a hippie in the '60s and '70s.  Someone born in 1968 was a Madonna goupie or dressed like Don Johnson in the 80s, and they are still stuck back there.  Someone born in 1975 is stuck in the early 1990s, still wishing 90210 would come back on the air.  Someone born in 1978 is still focused on mid '90s grunge and/or late 90s post grunge.  Someone born in 1982 only has the greatest hits of the year 2000 in their homes.  All of this stuff is serious stereotyping.  Then there are the pop culture facts people get grossly wrong.  If you don't understand why Cyndi Lauper fell out of fashion with the public by 1989 then just weren't old enough to be there.  Everything didn't happen at the same time in the 90s or 00s, so why do kids think it all happened at the same time in the 80s?  And on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on.............. :o   

I totally agree with you.

I'm always interested in reading these threads, but they have gotten old. Also, I find them very amusing, even the first few times they started.

OK, there seems to be a huge fascination on this forum with generations, whether it be Generation X, Y, Next -- whatever -- to the point of almost unhealthy obsession. (No offense to anyone.) There is really no such thing as generations, because they are completely subjective. No matter how often you argue about it, nobody is right -- everyone has a different opinion as to who fits in where, so why bother arguing? Plus, it's impossible to cut off a generation year by year. You can't say that someone born 1 or 2 years later than you automatically doesn't remember the same things you remember, and have the same mindset as people much younger than them instead. That doesn't make sense, and I'm sure most people agree.

For example, if you were a senior in high school when a cultural phenomenon happened, you can't say the 7th graders (people born 6 years after you) don't remember it too. Sure, they were younger than you, but they weren't living in a cave either. And some people are just more "aware" of cultural events than others because of older siblings, whereas others were more sheltered.

Also, the Child of the 80s or 90s thing annoys me too. You have everyone from people who were in their 20s in the 80s to people who were babies saying they were children of the 80s, and the argument is endless. If you were a child, in the 80s anytime before December 31, 1989, you were a child in the 80s. Child of the 80s is something that's completely subjective, as is Child of the 90s. Nobody is ever going to agree on where the cut-off is.

OK, rant over.



Oh totally. Even though I enjoy discussing the topic the generation theory holds little water with me. Even though I suppose I am in Generation Y I dont really fit too many of the stereotypes and consider myself to be an individual not part of an arbitrary "generation". That being said I have not gotten tired of discussing this topic yet even though I may someday. As much as I like talking about it though I do know(as we all do) that end the end generations are nothing but stereotypes made to make money off people born within a certian time period. The fact is the generation theory goes all the may back to the late 40's/early 50's when people first started to refer to the children being born as the "baby boom" generation. Generation sterotypes dont fit everyone and everyone is different and thats the bottom line.

Oh totally. Even though I enjoy discussing the topic the generation theory holds little water with me. Even though I suppose I am in Generation Y I dont really fit too many of the stereotypes and consider myself to be an individual not part of an arbitrary "generation". That being said I have not gotten tired of discussing this topic yet even though I may someday. As much as I like talking about it though I do know(as we all do) that end the end generations are nothing but stereotypes made to make money off people born within a certian time period. The fact is the generation theory goes all the may back to the late 40's/early 50's when people first started to refer to the children being born as the "baby boom" generation. Generation sterotypes dont fit everyone and everyone is different and thats the bottom line.


Oh totally.  I definitely, as a liberal believe in individuality, I just find categorizing stuff fun that's all; it's not because I'm a bigot or have an agenda, I just enjoy analyzing things.  I'm not tired of the subject yet; someday I might be, after all what else is there to talk about on these boards? What band/show is the best?  The P3NIZ?  ;D

Oh totally.  I definitely, as a liberal believe in individuality, I just find categorizing stuff fun that's all; it's not because I'm a bigot or have an agenda, I just enjoy analyzing things.  I'm not tired of the subject yet; someday I might be, after all what else is there to talk about on these boards? What band/show is the best?  The P3NIZ?  ;D



Yeah, me too. I know that generations are like the person that started this topic said a load of bull but I still find it fun to post in them and see what other people's opinions are.

Yeah, me too. I know that generations are like the person that started this topic said a load of bull but I still find it fun to post in them and see what other people's opinions are.


Exactly. It's not because we're Nazis, we're just Decadeologists :)

Exactly. It's not because we're Nazis, we're just Decadeologists :)



;D

Except for the baby boom generation, which is the worst generation in our nation's history and unfortunately it will be up to us to straighten out the mess they put us all in.

Except for the baby boom generation, which is the worst generation in our nation's history and unfortunately it will be up to us to straighten out the mess they put us all in.


I credit them for our country's economic ruin.

Why do people feel the need to dump on what other people find interesting?  This isn't the first time someone in this forum criticized people for talking about decades and generations and the such.

And weren't the generational labels originally supposed to be about birth rates in the United States of America?  However you see people all over the world call themselves Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, Gen Yers, etc, etc.  Some people go strictly by the book on USA birth rates, but then someone in Australia, England, France or South Africa is likely unaware of these facts and does not even care.  People outside of the USA are using pop culture trends to identify themsleves as a Boomer, Gen Xer or Gen Yer.

I do think this eventually had to happen on these boards though, where this topic had reached a maxed out plateau of sorts, and other posters started rebelling/complaining  about the non-stop discussion of generations.  It's been explored and anaylsed from about every conceivable angle, and then some.  It can be interesting, otherwise I wouldn't have dropped into so many of them,...but it often seems repetitive. 

And people assume too many things about people born in certain years.  For example...someone born in 1948 MUST BE a classic Baby Boomer that grew up on 1950s rock and then marched and protested as a hippie in the '60s and '70s.  Someone born in 1968 was a Madonna goupie or dressed like Don Johnson in the 80s, and they are still stuck back there.  Someone born in 1975 is stuck in the early 1990s, still wishing 90210 would come back on the air.  Someone born in 1978 is still focused on mid '90s grunge and/or late 90s post grunge.  Someone born in 1982 only has the greatest hits of the year 2000 in their homes.  All of this stuff is serious stereotyping.  Then there are the pop culture facts people get grossly wrong.  If you don't understand why Cyndi Lauper fell out of fashion with the public by 1989 then just weren't old enough to be there.  Everything didn't happen at the same time in the 90s or 00s, so why do kids think it all happened at the same time in the 80s?  And on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on.............. :o   


Even when they do use birthrates it's incorrect. For instance I run into every once in a while the marginalized 65-76 span of a generation, claiming to use the downward slide of birthnumbers as it's basis. But that is false for at least 2 reasons. First the downward slide actually began in the late 50's. Secondly, the actual birthrates of the early 70's was never matched until at least 2000, proving that the "Baby Bust" never really ended.

The first use of birthnumbers really didn't start until the BabyBoomers. Before then the other celibrated generations were the GI which was based on those who served in WW2, and the Lost and Beat which was based on a literary movement. Actually Gen X was first based on early BBrs in the 60's and then late BBrs in the very early 90's. However that title was quickly moved to the younger set for marketing, as well as Gen Y a couple years later which originally focused in on those born between 74-80.

In reality the terms Gen X and Gen Y are really marketing campaigns, which is the reason why their isn't a true consenus of what they mean.

Personally a true generation is a set span from when a generation is first born till it first starts having kids. A true generation does not need to be defined, rather it defines itself.