3 ms·
"Am I missing something?" Yes - you're missing the detail of the first of these generations - those returning to the United States from having served in World
by rsync 8y ago
"Am I missing something?"
Yes - you're missing the detail of the first of these generations - those returning to the United States from having served in World War 2, took full advantage of the economic preeminence of the US, and begat the "baby boom generation".
So of course you are correct - births happen continuously and there is not an obvious "banding" of "generations" ... but in this case there was a very clear and pronounced age band, and all of the subsequent "generations" (baby boomers, gen X, gen Y, Millenials, etc.) proceeded from there.
- azinman2 8y agoNot to mention general shifts in population sizes, methods of upbringing, shared cultural watershed moments, shared childhood information sources, cultural norms and expectations at a given time, experiences of war or famine or financial crisis, etc etc. Essentially all your priors from a Bayesian point of view. I don’t know what’s not clear — if you grew up in China during the cultural revolution, you will be different than if you were born before or after. Your basic assumptions about humanity and government will be affected by such experiences and it will carry with you thru life.