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To anyone who's old enough, has the media always been focused on the latest generation? Like did the newspapers write about Gen X'ers being this and that back a

To anyone who's old enough, has the media always been focused on the latest generation? Like did the newspapers write about Gen X'ers being this and that back at the time?

woofyman 9y ago
Yes, absolutely. Starting in the 60s when youth culture was celebrated.
losteverything 9y ago
Yes and yes. Naming it was not always done / well known. Cronkike called them "youth" Social scientists invented names. Marketers segmemted them. The Vietnam era youth created a disruption of authority which has been followed ever since. Senators (Moynihan) used to count the number of generations since the founding of the country. These are some of the names generations have been called i can remember in my lifetime Child of the depression War baby Baby boom Generation x Generation Y Womans rights era (ERA) Mans world --- Gen x got lots of headlines.. But that group was very bland Most generations, until recently had the real threat of dying in war. And to know personally getting notice of a loved one or friend dying.
- ZenoArrow 9y ago
  I've also seen the 'Greatest Generation' term used for those that were young adults around the time of WW2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Generation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Generation
  - losteverything 9y ago
    They weren't named that till they got old.. I totally forgot that. I know why.... We call them the Selfish Generation...
    - ZenoArrow 9y ago
      Selfish generation is used to describe the baby boomers. The greatest generation were the parents of the baby boomers. The common conception is that they were a generation that endured personal sacrifice and laid the foundations for the modern era. I've never heard the greatest generation being referred to as selfish. However, as we both know, all these labels are nonsense anyway.
      - losteverything 9y ago
        Selfish is my definition. I also forgot "net natives" this, to me, will be a label with meaning.
        ZenoArrow 9y ago
        So the people that went through the Great Depression and WW2 and buried all that shit inside after WW2 ended so their children could live without that burden were selfish? I'd like to hear your explanation on that one!
        losteverything 9y ago
        It's simply my opinion as a first hand?observer of my parents and their friends. Im a BB I also have the?privilege of family history and writings. Imo the war victory meant that the winners began "for the first time" thinking about themselves... Previous generations, from my understanding of my family history, were not all about doing for themselves. Its not the fault of BBers to be selfish because it was planted by our parents
        fapjacks 9y ago
        Ah! That's why Baby Boomers aren't "The Selfish Generation" to this person. It's because he is a Baby Boomer.
        9y ago
ZenoArrow 9y ago
I'm in my early 30s, but I've seen similar things happen with previous generations, yes. However, not all generations are labelled as strongly. I think I'm part of a 'missing' generation. Technically I'm a millennial, but according to the top definition here (I'm aware Urban Dictionary isn't always the most reliable reference)... http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Millennial http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Millennial ... I'd be a Generation Y Millennial. I do think there's a difference between Generation Y and Generation Z, not in the way where one is superior to the other, but in terms of the differences in the childhood and young adult experiences that shaped us. When I read articles about millennials they're almost always targetted at the Generation Z Millennials. I'm not complaining, I'm grateful I avoided the type of pigeonholing that Generation Z has unfortunately had to go through. As for why this media focus on the next generation happens, I think part of it is adults trying to make sense of an unfamiliar culture. Perhaps it's a natural reaction when you have kids to try to make sense of the world they're growing up in (when they're not with you). There's often an undercurrent of negativity, though this can run in both directions (the baby boomer generation is widely seen as greedy, for example, though of course such generalisations don't really hold up to much scrutiny). In short, yes.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- daxelrod 9y ago
  I feel similarly. I think the best dividing line between Gen Y and Gen Z is "Can you remember a time before internet access was ubiquitous?" The terminology you link to is interesting, I had not previously seen Gen Y and Gen Z combined with "Millennial" in this way.
StevePerkins 9y ago
> Like did the newspapers write about Gen X'ers Yes. It was annoying at the time. Especially how marketing people described every product as "eXXXXXtreme!!!!", because they thought that's how we all talked. However, strangely enough I DO miss being, well... relevant. Looking around today, it's like my generation never existed. Most of the musicians I listened to are dead, most of my movies and TV shows and childhood toys have been subsumed by reboots, and most people act as if "Baby Boomers" segued directly into "Millennials". I didn't like being labeled or pigeonholed at the time, but there is something to be said for having a generational "identity". You feel a lot more invisible, even as an individual, when you belong to a smaller generation whose labels don't stay on the forefront. Not to mention, from a practical standpoint of political clout... we'll probably wind up getting thrown under the bus by your bigger generation in our elder years, just as as we were by the boomers in our younger years.
- ZenoArrow 9y ago
  Gen X definitely had an impact on popular culture that hasn't been forgotten. For example, I'd say modern club culture started with Generation X. It has evolved since then, but it certainly wasn't the same at the time when baby boomers were young. As for what it means to be part of a generation, all generations disperse as people get older. It's harder to build a shared identity over common experiences as people's overall life experiences vary wildly. If I've read right, and it's the connection you miss, the answer is to connect with people as individuals. We are always more than the labels we assign to ourselves anyway.
  - sien 9y ago
    The Internet took off when Gen X was 25-40 or so. Larry Page, Sergei Brin, Jerry Yang, David Filo, Marc Andreson and more are all Xers.
ternaryoperator 9y ago
Yes, but less so than today.

To anyone who's old enough, has the media always been focused on the latest generation? Like did the newspapers write about Gen X'ers being this and that back at the time?

woofyman 9y ago

Yes, absolutely. Starting in the 60s when youth culture was celebrated.

losteverything 9y ago

Yes and yes. Naming it was not always done / well known. Cronkike called them "youth" Social scientists invented names. Marketers segmemted them. The Vietnam era youth created a disruption of authority which has been followed ever since. Senators (Moynihan) used to count the number of generations since the founding of the country. These are some of the names generations have been called i can remember in my lifetime Child of the depression War baby Baby boom Generation x Generation Y Womans rights era (ERA) Mans world --- Gen x got lots of headlines.. But that group was very bland Most generations, until recently had the real threat of dying in war. And to know personally getting notice of a loved one or friend dying.

ZenoArrow 9y ago
I've also seen the 'Greatest Generation' term used for those that were young adults around the time of WW2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Generation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Generation
- losteverything 9y ago
  They weren't named that till they got old.. I totally forgot that. I know why.... We call them the Selfish Generation...
  - ZenoArrow 9y ago
    Selfish generation is used to describe the baby boomers. The greatest generation were the parents of the baby boomers. The common conception is that they were a generation that endured personal sacrifice and laid the foundations for the modern era. I've never heard the greatest generation being referred to as selfish. However, as we both know, all these labels are nonsense anyway.
    - losteverything 9y ago
      Selfish is my definition. I also forgot "net natives" this, to me, will be a label with meaning.
      - ZenoArrow 9y ago
        So the people that went through the Great Depression and WW2 and buried all that shit inside after WW2 ended so their children could live without that burden were selfish? I'd like to hear your explanation on that one!
        losteverything 9y ago
        It's simply my opinion as a first hand?observer of my parents and their friends. Im a BB I also have the?privilege of family history and writings. Imo the war victory meant that the winners began "for the first time" thinking about themselves... Previous generations, from my understanding of my family history, were not all about doing for themselves. Its not the fault of BBers to be selfish because it was planted by our parents
        fapjacks 9y ago
        Ah! That's why Baby Boomers aren't "The Selfish Generation" to this person. It's because he is a Baby Boomer.
        9y ago

ZenoArrow 9y ago

I'm in my early 30s, but I've seen similar things happen with previous generations, yes. However, not all generations are labelled as strongly. I think I'm part of a 'missing' generation. Technically I'm a millennial, but according to the top definition here (I'm aware Urban Dictionary isn't always the most reliable reference)... http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Millennial http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Millennial ... I'd be a Generation Y Millennial. I do think there's a difference between Generation Y and Generation Z, not in the way where one is superior to the other, but in terms of the differences in the childhood and young adult experiences that shaped us. When I read articles about millennials they're almost always targetted at the Generation Z Millennials. I'm not complaining, I'm grateful I avoided the type of pigeonholing that Generation Z has unfortunately had to go through. As for why this media focus on the next generation happens, I think part of it is adults trying to make sense of an unfamiliar culture. Perhaps it's a natural reaction when you have kids to try to make sense of the world they're growing up in (when they're not with you). There's often an undercurrent of negativity, though this can run in both directions (the baby boomer generation is widely seen as greedy, for example, though of course such generalisations don't really hold up to much scrutiny). In short, yes.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
daxelrod 9y ago
I feel similarly. I think the best dividing line between Gen Y and Gen Z is "Can you remember a time before internet access was ubiquitous?" The terminology you link to is interesting, I had not previously seen Gen Y and Gen Z combined with "Millennial" in this way.

StevePerkins 9y ago

> Like did the newspapers write about Gen X'ers Yes. It was annoying at the time. Especially how marketing people described every product as "eXXXXXtreme!!!!", because they thought that's how we all talked. However, strangely enough I DO miss being, well... relevant. Looking around today, it's like my generation never existed. Most of the musicians I listened to are dead, most of my movies and TV shows and childhood toys have been subsumed by reboots, and most people act as if "Baby Boomers" segued directly into "Millennials". I didn't like being labeled or pigeonholed at the time, but there is something to be said for having a generational "identity". You feel a lot more invisible, even as an individual, when you belong to a smaller generation whose labels don't stay on the forefront. Not to mention, from a practical standpoint of political clout... we'll probably wind up getting thrown under the bus by your bigger generation in our elder years, just as as we were by the boomers in our younger years.

ZenoArrow 9y ago
Gen X definitely had an impact on popular culture that hasn't been forgotten. For example, I'd say modern club culture started with Generation X. It has evolved since then, but it certainly wasn't the same at the time when baby boomers were young. As for what it means to be part of a generation, all generations disperse as people get older. It's harder to build a shared identity over common experiences as people's overall life experiences vary wildly. If I've read right, and it's the connection you miss, the answer is to connect with people as individuals. We are always more than the labels we assign to ourselves anyway.
- sien 9y ago
  The Internet took off when Gen X was 25-40 or so. Larry Page, Sergei Brin, Jerry Yang, David Filo, Marc Andreson and more are all Xers.

ternaryoperator 9y ago

Yes, but less so than today.