# What Generation Do I Belong To? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 1, 2020, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006 "2020-05-01T23:02:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2020, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006/1 "2020-05-01T23:02:13Z")
I’ll give you some background first. 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? :):):):):):)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006/2 "2020-05-02T00:10:43Z")
Is there anything more Generation X than being in your 20s when Bill Clinton was President? ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006/3 "2020-05-02T00:26:19Z")
You are definitely X. My sister, born in ‘62 is a boomer. My ‘65 brother and I (‘70) are Xers. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006/4 "2020-05-02T00:36:09Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006/5 "2020-05-02T00:44:39Z")
The whole concept that people “belong” to a particular Generation is deeply flawed. No one’s fated to share a wide variety of interests and outlook with others who happen to have been born within a particular time frame. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006/6 "2020-05-02T01:00:05Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > The whole concept that people “belong” to a particular Generation is deeply flawed. > > No one’s fated to share a wide variety of interests and outlook with others who happen to have been born within a particular time frame. 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! ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006/7 "2020-05-02T01:10:25Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > The whole concept that people “belong” to a particular Generation is deeply flawed. > > No one’s fated to share a wide variety of interests and outlook with others who happen to have been born within a particular time frame. 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. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006/8 "2020-05-02T03:05:28Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006/9 "2020-05-02T03:21:50Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006/10 "2020-05-02T03:37:37Z")
If you were saying 'let me out of here!" before you were even born, you belong to the Blank Generation. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006/11 "2020-05-02T03:42:41Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > I’ll give you some background first. > > 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? > > :):):):):):)🙂 My parents were born in the 1920s, and I was born in 1967. I’m firmly a Gen Xer ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006/12 "2020-05-02T04:29:10Z")
So, Jim, you asked What Generation Do I Belong To? then proceeded to tell us > [@Jim\_B](#): > > …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? > > :):):):):):)🙂 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)? ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006/13 "2020-05-02T13:00:11Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006/14 "2020-05-02T15:04:09Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > 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. 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. Here’s [my pick](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3ylxGzqT6Q) for the thread’s theme song. \*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.\* ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006/15 "2020-05-02T15:39:16Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > 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. We’re not trying to cause a new sensation. We’re just talkin’. ---
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006/16 "2020-05-02T22:22:46Z")
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! ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2020, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006/17 "2020-05-02T22:58:57Z")
I’m late baby boomer but my life experiences are more like an early gen-Xer. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006/18 "2020-05-03T00:06:13Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006/19 "2020-05-03T01:53:37Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > I’m late baby boomer but my life experiences are more like an early gen-Xer. +1 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. ---
**Author:** ![GMANCANADA](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gmancanada/32/2837_2.png) [@GMANCANADA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GMANCANADA)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2020, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006/20 "2020-05-03T02:36:29Z")
**@ 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. [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=888157](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=888157) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-generation-do-i-belong-to/853006.md?page=2)