For those of us born between 1977-1981 (or so)

[Taualumna]

What generation are we really in? We're not quite part of the current young technical generation (they're defined as those born in 1982 or later) nor are we really Generation X. After all, we were merely elementary school kids during the Brat Pack era and the was already in high school or approaching high school by the time "everyone" had an email address. Are we like those born in the early 1960s, who are technically Babyboomers, but didn't really fit with those who were born in say, 1950?

[AlphaSigOU]

Originally posted by Taualumna
What generation are we really in? We're not quite part of the current young technical generation (they're defined as those born in 1982 or later) nor are we really Generation X. After all, we were merely elementary school kids during the Brat Pack era and the was already in high school or approaching high school by the time "everyone" had an email address. Are we like those born in the early 1960s, who are technically Babyboomers, but didn't really fit with those who were born in say, 1950?

General definitions for the generations (the birth years may vary) :

1946-1964 - Baby Boomers
1965-1975 - Generation X
1976-1981 - Generation Y

[Peaches-n-Cream]

I think that a generation spans 18 years. Baby boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. Generation X is technically the next 18 years, but I think that they are calling people born from the mid 1970s to the early 1980s Generation Y.

[Taualumna]

Originally posted by Peaches-n-Cream
I think that a generation spans 18 years. Baby boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. Generation X is technically the next 18 years, but I think that they are calling people born from the mid 1970s to the early 1980s Generation Y.

You know, it's weird. We don't hear too much about the so-called "Generation Y". Ten years ago, they were talking about Gen X. Now, they're talking about those who were born after 1982. Where does that leave us?

[33girl]

Originally posted by AlphaSigOU
General definitions for the generations (the birth years may vary) :

1946-1964 - Baby Boomers
1965-1975 - Generation X
1976-1981 - Generation Y

No.

1945-1960 = Baby Boomers (Truman-Eisenhower)
1961-1974 = Gen X (Kennedy - Nixon)
1975-1992= Gen Y (Ford-Bush The Elder)

The Presidential administrations, IMO, are much better demarcation points. What's really asinine is hearing people who were born in 1980 referred to as Generation X - umm read the book please

[Taualumna]

Originally posted by 33girl
No.

1945-1960 = Baby Boomers (Truman-Eisenhower)
1961-1974 = Gen X (Kennedy - Nixon)
1975-1992= Gen Y (Ford-Bush The Elder)

The Presidential administrations, IMO, are much better demarcation points. What's really asinine is hearing people who were born in 1980 referred to as Generation X - umm read the book please

Not necessarily. I believe it was either The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times that recently had an article about how those born in 1964 didn't want to be referred to as Baby Boomers because they couldn't relate to those born in the late 40s and early 50s. There was also a recent book that came out that said that those born after 1982 were part of the Millenium Generation (or something like that).

ETA: The Boomer Initative defines Baby Boomers as those born between 1946-1964.

I'm a child of boomers, but I'm not part of the so called Millenium Generation (as aren't most children of older boomers)

[Peaches-n-Cream]

Originally posted by Taualumna
You know, it's weird. We don't hear too much about the so-called "Generation Y". Ten years ago, they were talking about Gen X. Now, they're talking about those who were born after 1982. Where does that leave us?

I'm right in the middle of Generation X. In the early 1990s Gen X was all over the media along with grunge music and flannel wearing slackers with McJobs. It was pretty depressing to be reduced to a stereotype. Before the label Gen X stuck, we were called the Lost Generation and the Baby Busters. I guess we were considered a mystery since there were so few of us when compared to the baby boomers. *shrug* We're kind of squeezed in the middle of the boomers and their offspring.

[queequek]

That's me!

[kappaloo]

Well, according to "experts" (Michael Adams is counted as one) there are 4 major generations alive now

Silent Builders
Baby Boomers
Generation X
Millenial children

with each generations being about 24 years or so. I don't remember most of the exact dates (I've seen a couple talks on this and Michael Adams has written at least 3 books on the subject) but 1982 is the "birth" of the Millenial generation.

So, technically those of us born 1977-1981 are Gen X though, the amount we feel that really varies. If you look at how the Gen X were raised, I am very Gen X, which a lot of my contemporaries who came from family with better financials are more Millenial in type. It really varies.

[33girl]

Michael Adams is full of shite. Generation X comes from Douglas Coupland's book and even including people born in 1974 I'm probably pushing it. He called the generation after them "Global Teens" which along with the definitiion he gives makes much more sense.

Sorry everyone but this is one of those things that makes me nuts.

[bcdphie]

In Canada we are known as the buster generation - those born between 1967-1979 - this is when Canadian women were having fewer children. Those born in the 1980's are known as the boom-echo - women started having more children again, but not to the extent that was seen in the boomer generation. Also, GenX are actually baby boomers, but are born at the tale end of that generation.

It's interesting how there are so many different theories on demographics and generations.


Taualumna, if you haven't read Boom, Bust & Echo 2000, it's a great book. It talks about demographic and population trends in Canada.


The generations according to Boom, Bust & Echo...

born 1914 and earlier - Pre-World War I
1915-1919 - World War I
1920-1929 - The Roaring Twenties
1930-1939 - The Depression Babies
1940-1946 - World War II
1947-1966 - The Baby Boom: "Things are tough for the late-1950's group, but not nearly as bad as for the back end of the boom that arrived just after them. These are the 3.2 million people born from 1961-1966. They are the same age as the characters in Douglas Coupland's novel Generation X, which gave the early 1960's group its name" - David K. Foot
1967-1979 - The Baby Bust
1980-1995 - The Baby-Boom Echo
1996 -2010 - The Millenium Busters

[ZTAngel]

I was born in 1981 and I was always told that I was part of Generation Y. I've never associated myself with being part of Gen X. If I remember correctly from my sociology classes, Gen Y is 1976-1992 but I could be wrong.

[SilverTurtle]

My brother was born in 1968, me in 1977 and my sister in 1981.

My brother was probably technically GenX, but he didn't have the grunge thing going on.
I just missed technically being GenX, but that's what I've always associated most with. Probably because I grew up with my brother and feel more connected with that pop culture than GenY's pop culture.
My sister is definately GenY. Or Milleniel or whatever you want to call it.

[Taualumna]

Originally posted by SilverTurtle
My brother was born in 1968, me in 1977 and my sister in 1981.

My brother was probably technically GenX, but he didn't have the grunge thing going on.
I just missed technically being GenX, but that's what I've always associated most with. Probably because I grew up with my brother and feel more connected with that pop culture than GenY's pop culture.
My sister is definately GenY. Or Milleniel or whatever you want to call it.

I think if you were already in high school (or close to it...give or take a year) when Kurt Cobain died, you're not really the part of the Millenial generation.

[FHwku]

1982 rules.