Dr. Twenge considers what survey and census data tell us about the similarities and differences between generations from, roughly, the 1940s to the present. There are some surprises. Worth reading to understand one another. ( )

This was fantastic.

Birthdate and generation:
1901-1924: Greatest
1925-1945: Silent
1946-1964: Boomers*
1965-1979: X
1980-1994: Millennials
1995-2012: Z

* Note one exception: my husband, born in 1964, is insistently, definitively, indubitably, NOT a Boomer. Just ask him.

I'll cut right to the chase - Generation X, if not the "Greatest," then easily the "least annoying" of any generation that has ever lived (as per Chuck Klosterman).

"Gen X is the last generation to have had a mostly analog childhood." Then follows a list of experiences for which we were the Last Generation Standing: rotary phones, childhood without cable TV or videotapes, no internet, typewriters, bound encyclopedias, cameras with film, radios with dials, cassette tapes. Very sad.

"Gen X and later-born Boomers grew up in a unique time in media history, when TV was ubiquitous but had not yet splintered into the millions of viewing options that would come later... Gen X kids watched what was on TV because it was there... The result was a more unified pop culture experience than has existed since, and a trove of pop culture touchstones experienced by most Gen X'ers. A striking number of Gen X childhood memories revolve around TV."

You said it. I remember in the early 90s a staging of "The Brady Bunch Live" where some actors would simply act out an episode of said TV series verbatim with over-the-top acting. It was mind-blowing. Understand that in the early 90s my generation wasn't a thing yet. We weren't in charge. We were just getting jobs. And then suddenly our TV references were out there. Being staged. Being mentioned in movies ("I just don't understand why things can't go back to normal at the end of the half hour like on the Brady Bunch" - Reality Bites). Now it's old hat but I can't describe how funny it all was at first - like YES! You remember that too??

Of course all the descriptions of Gen X talk about how we were 'children of divorce.' I lived a conservative Catholic subculture where this was decidedly NOT the case. Same goes for 'latchkey kids' - Moms in my neighborhood didn't work. I had one friend with divorced parents, one - and it was WEIRD.

The Silents can speak for themselves (or could - they tend to be dead now), and nothing need be said about the Boomers. So let's switch focus to the next generations, Millennials and Z. These kids tend to be politically and socially active, which is typical of young people and great; but it's worrisome how divorced from reality some of their perceptions are. It's true many Millennials suffered the 2008 Great Recession at a bad time, but the economy did rebound, and the general pessimistic attitude about what a bad hand they've been dealt is not warranted. As for Z, they seem to believe some bizarre things, like that discrimination against women in higher ed is still rampant (women are solidly beating men in number of degrees earned); so their tendency to believe that society needs to be totally destroyed and rebuilt is scary.

Kids today. ( )

pg 231 Milennials