Who Are You?

Who are you? Or better yet – what label do you place on that person next to you? Labels. Social trends of today seem obsessed with labels. Many of us growing up didn’t really address labels. It was ‘the kids down the block’; the ‘cascade kids, (to make it relevant to this community); ‘the Simms kids’; ‘’Ulm kids’; the ‘country kids’ or to kids the ‘old people’ (which was everyone older than them).

Media now appears to place labels on EVERYONE! And they have definitions. Not one to pay much attention to these labels, the definitions and labels themselves are often confusing and plainly an unknown topic. While you may not use the generational names in everyday conversation, it’s helpful to know the difference between (for example) Baby Boomers and Gen X’ers or who is that GenY.?

Historians generally agree that generational naming began in the 20th century. It was American writer Gertrude Stein who coined the term "Lost Generation". She bestowed this title on those born around the turn of the 20th century who devoted their lives to service during World War I.

We can trace this new wave back to Karl Manheim, a German sociologist who defined a social generation “as a group of people of a similar age who have experienced significant historical events during their youth. Manheim explained that, because they were exposed to such events at a young age, this group of people will have a distinct perspective on life when they become adults.”

When we think of a difference of opinion as being caused by a “generation gap” we are, indirectly, referring to Manheim’s work. And the fact that we consider it natural for a 60-year-old person to have a different worldview than, say, a 30-year-old person, speaks to how engrained this theory is.

Labels are often started by advertising companies or journalists. Advertising theorizes that by labeling generations they are able to reach specific groups of people better. Labels gain popularity and then stick. Labeling has been used to help understand trends in purchasing, core ideas and beliefs of a generation, political participation and preferences in the workplace.

But what are the labels based on or created from? It depends. Birth-rates “booming” after the end of World War II were the reason that group was nicknamed “baby-boomers”; while the term “Generation X” became widely adopted after novelist Douglas Coupland published a book with that name. “He said he used the letter X because he wanted to capture the generation’s desire not to be defined, referring to the mathematical use of X as an unknown variable.”

The terms we use to describe generations originated from multiple circumstances. First, we have the ‘Greatest Generation’, those born 1901-1924. These folks were permanently impacted by the Great Depression, which molded their children in regards to frugality. This group was also representative of the majority of soldiers in World War II.

Then came the Silent Generation, those born 1925-1945. This is the smallest group, due to consequences from the Great Depression and World War II. They earned their name because of the size of the population and their hesitancy to speak out against social issues due to the McCarthy era of government. The Silent Generation is the oldest group still alive offering mentorship to younger generations. They value loyalty and make an effort to help others.

The Baby Boomer Generation was born from 1946-1964. Baby boomers, along with Millennials, are one of the most misunderstood and mislabeled groups. The baby boomers are one of the most relevant groups in modern society as they were integral and present for many of the technology advances in the last 50 years. They have been more adaptable to modern growth and learning how to function in today’s technological age.

Previously the largest generation, Baby Boomers are hardworking individuals who are more likely to value an established hierarchy of responsibility and authority. This generation could be envied because they experienced all that young people would have wanted to at that time. They saw how John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr came together to form The Beatles in 1962. They experienced the landing of a man on the Moon (1969), the soccer players Pelé and Maradona at their best and the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9,1989.

They went through the entire period of technological evolution and the rise and development of the media, as well as enjoying stability in terms of both work and family and being active both physically and mentally.

Generation X – born 1965-1979. As with Baby Boomers, Gen X’ers are the most relevant generation of modern times, in relation to technology. They serve as a bridge from older populations to younger ones. They were present for the inception of the internet, video games, artificial intelligence and is the population that has created many of these advances.

Gen Xers are independents and value more relaxed flexible environments. The name comes from a novel by Douglas Coupland, ‘Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture’, published in 1991. Gen X is also referred to as the “latchkey generation” as they were often left unsupervised at home after school until their parents came home from work.

Millennials or Generation Y were born 1980-1994. Millennials are greatly misunderstood and often mislabeled. Older folks tend to name anyone younger a “Millennial” when they don’t understand old time values and hold the same views. True Millennials are between the ages of 28 and 42. They are the first to have grown up in the age of being tech savvy. In the late 1990s, authors William Strauss and Neil Howe coined the term “Millennials” to describe the generation coming of age at the beginning of the 21st century.

Generation Z was born in 1995-2012. This group is interesting. They have been exposed to social media, and were the first population to cope with cyber-bullying and other internet related issues. It was also during this time that school related violence and climate crisis became more prevalent.

Gen Z tends to have a more global mindset. They grew up on things that relied on technology which made them more adaptive to change. But why is Gen Z named after the last letter? In many ways, it's symbolic that Generation Z is named after the last letter in the alphabet because their arrival marks the end of clearly defined roles, traditions, and experiences. After all, Gen Z is coming of age on the heels of what has been referred to as the most disruptive decade of the last century.

Gen Alpha, born between 2013 – 2025 are the youngest and the first to be born in the 21st century. They are the first generation to be born to parents who grew up with the internet, cell phones, tablets and social media. They are also inclined to be the most racially diverse and the most technologically adept. Generation Alpha has always known social media. Their technology skills are extremely sharp. They appear to be the most diverse of any generation.

This provides food for thought. Maybe ruminate on the definitions to gain a better understanding of the different generations. One might ask a question or two. Are we labeling too much? Are we placing a label and expecting everyone under that label to act the same? Society appears to need labels, but do labels limit us? Do labels prevent us from seeing the person as a person or just as someone under a label. Do labels prevent us from reaching our full potential or allowing the other person from reaching their full potential? Can a person be labeled one thing but in reality, be a combination of several definitions, because of who they are as a person? One could get pretty philosophical at this point.

We can be more than one ‘label’. Is it important to not stereotype people under their generation? As one wise person stated – ‘labels are a personal opinion. Labels don’t provide a true identity.’ Instead of reading labels look behind the labels to see who the person is in reality.