I’ve never quite believed in the difference between generations. The sociologists invent the categories, perhaps when they’re writing poetry or reading a Library of America book. And so we have The Greatest Generation, the Silent Generation, the Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, Gen Z, etc. What on earth does it mean?
I’m going to skip the Greatest and the Silent, and go right to my own. As Baby Boomers, we grew up watching TV and listening to rock music. We were bombarded with commercials that tried to sell us Fruit Loops and poptarts. But we overlapped with a generation of intellectual hipsters,who read Shakespeare and Greek poetry. They pulled up up from the commercial ghetto.
Boomers were said to be spoiled and entitled, or accused of being yuppies. By reputation, we were lawyers (and that would be a LOT of lawyers), living in suburban houses, driving minivans, having dogs and 2.5 children. We were less materialistic than the society wanted us to be, but we still pondered with anxiety whether to live in apartments or buy a house..
And then Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) came along. There are fewer members of Generation X than Baby Boomers or Millennials, so their demographic is sometimes overlooked. They are known for their independence, analytical ability, and creativity. They grew up with video games, home computers, cable TV, and, one can only suppose, books and the movies. The term Generation X may have come from Douglas Coupland’s novel Generation X, or Billy Idol’s band, called Generation X, or Paul Fussell’s book, Class.
The Millennials. Having a tough time in a challenging world with a yoyo economy.
Generation Z. Are they the generation that professors complain about because they won’t finish David Copperfield?
So here we are, a jumble of people, defined by imaginary characteristics. What we want is life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.