My parents were born in the late 1920’s and early 30’s. They are Depression Era children. So oddly that could make me a Baby Boomer.
But I was born in 1968. I once heard Generations X’ers were all born between the assassination of JFK and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Some might dispute that. But still, clearly 1968 would make me a Gen X’er.
Me personally, I identify with Generations X. I grew up with them, I went to school with all them. And plus I know all the Schoolhouse Rock anthems by heart. What more can I say?
Yes, definitely Gen X. I’m a 68er myself, and I feel that I’m smack dab in the middle of that generation. I might even have kept one of my old flannel shirts hidden in a closet somewhere.
ETA: Kurt Cobain was born in 1967. I think that’s a good reference point.
Bingo! My hometown “boomer” cohort contained many ethnic, class, and cultural distinctions. Kids in my high schools might be parented by office workers, aerospace workers, farm/dairy workers, artists, athletes, anything. Our listening and viewing tastes were scattered. We scattered in many directions, to fame or infamy or just getting by. You’re in Generation Z? Gosh, I’m in the Northwest Hemisphere!
No, but you would have a similar set of shared experiences like growing up without internet or cell phones, worrying about nuclear war with the Soviets until the mid 80s, NOT worrying about any significant geopolitical crisis until 2001, experiencing various pop culture phenomenon at certain ages (whether you cared about them or not). Stuff like that.
Belonging to a generation has nothing to do with feeling like part of a group or identifying with your peers. You were simply born between year X and year Y.
Depending on who you listen to, I’m either the tail end of the Boomers or the leading edge of Gen X. I feel far more X than Boomer, so that’s where I identify. I think 1968 is well into X.
So, Jim, you asked What Generation Do I Belong To? then proceeded to tell us
Okay, you’re telling us you’re Gen X. So, why start this thread? I must be I missing something (like, you want to be something else, or expect us to dispute your birth date)?
Your generation has nothing to do with what generation your parents are; I mean, my Dad’s a boomer, but Mum’s X, would that somehow make me a hybrid generation?
The generally accepted cut off for the end of ‘x’ is now around '80-82, I’ve never heard the Berlin Wall definition before.
Given how differently people “experienced” various phenomena and identified (or not) with political causes and pop culture of the time, it’s always struck me as artificial and meaningless to lump everyone born between certain dates as being a member of ___ Generation.
*Beatnik slacker hippie or a freak,
Ain’t it all the same thing all of us seek
What our parents do, way back when?
Makes me hear the same thing again and again…
Generation “A” or Generation “Z”,
Who the hell are you to put a label on me?
This label of the week is getting kinda lame,
The more things change the more they stay the same.*
My husband and I are technically Gen X. Our parents were born before the Baby Boom, but are too young to really remember WWII. (at least, they’ve never said anything about living through it.)
But as has been said, there’s no hard and fast rule about what generation you are in. I’ve done quite a few “What generation are you?” online quizzes, and most of them say Boomer. One even said Greatest Generation!
I am part of the hazy border between the tail end of Generation X and the oldest of the Millennials. Alternately called Xennials or the Oregon Trail Generation. Even in that, I’m in between. It’s said there is the “Atari wave” and the “Nintendo wave,” but those are my brothers. Either way, “analog childhood, digital adulthood” is still accurate.
My parents were a little older, being the earliest of the Baby Boom, '46 and '47 (dad was technically a war baby). This age and the influence of my older brother keep me closer to Gen X.
My son just turned three and is apparently part of “Generation Alpha,” but I’m 10+ years older than the vast majority of his peers’ parents.
I mean, I was in 1st grade during the ‘Woodstock’ era. I share almost no cultural traits of friends/acquaintances who were solidly in the BB window. Some of them are insufferable to be around now, what with all of this latent generational chauvinism they spout. I’m more comfortable around the mellenials they love to bash so viciously.
@ Jim B.
FYI - This topic was beaten to death a few months ago. You should read it, nothing has changed since then, virtually every post so far is identical to what was posted then.
