Vol.III, No.11
www.renewssource.com
June 1, 2017
Generations And Then Some By Pat Farrell
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID San Antonio, Texas Paid Permit #1590
What is a generation? Well, that would depend upon the interests of the person to whom you direct that question. When looking at a Biological Generation, for example, there is you, recognized as being one generation below that of your parents, two generations below that of your grandparents and one generation above that of your children. And, while similar to the Biological Generation, those who consider the Dynamic Generation look at you over a broader range as being associated with all those born around the same time period, which is frequently examined in the interest of analyzing the demographic or economics of the group. Genealogists, on the other hand, are more interested in the Familial Generations, where, like those who compile data for Ancestry and the Mormon databases, they examine who descended from whom and when. We are probably more familiar with
the Societal or Cultural Generations, though we probably didn’t know that’s what they were called. These generations refer to the groups of people who were born around the same time and who essentially experienced the same or similar things during their lifetimes. It is therefore safe to assume that there will be variations in a generation’s inclusive years and related experiences as various locations across the globe are explored. When asked how long, in terms of years, is the span of one generation, the usual responses included 20, 25 and even 30 years, depending upon how long ago the question was posed and what the anticipated longevity was during that time period. We may be familiar with current names such as the X, Y or Z Generations but how much might you know about the Lost Generation, the G.I. Generation or the Beat Generation? The Lost Generation refers to those born between 1883 and 1900, who came of age during or shortly after World War I and experienced the Roaring Twenties and the times that led up to the Great Depression. In literary circles this generation included many prominent writers and artists such as Ernest Hemingway, J. R. R. Tolkien, F. Scott Fitzgerald, C. S. Lewis, T. S. Eliot, William Faulkner and songwriter, George Gershwin, who were a part of this generation and in many cases their works reflected the turmoil of the times. A number of these well-known writers chose to become expatriates and emigrated from the United States to Europe, primarily to Paris. It was Gertrude Stein who named this group the “Lost Generation.” The G. I Generation includes those born between the years 1901-1924 who grew up during a time of post war upheaval, and a time that saw establishment of the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and the passage of the Prohibition Law which gave rise to increased criminal activity, along with the emergence of
speakeasies. They managed to survive the Great Depression and were victorious in the Second World War. This generation had too many notables to mention them all but it did include the Presidents John Kennedy through the senior George Bush. Even today many can remember the music of Louie Armstrong, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, the successes of entrepreneurs, Walt Disney and Sam Walton and the acting abilities of Katherine Hepburn and Lucille Ball, to name a few. This generation was also known as the Greatest Generation, a term coined by Tom Brokaw in his book of the same name. While there is some discussion as to the beginning and ending birthdates for the following generation it is generally accepted as being between the mid-1920s to mid-1940s. This group is known as the Silent Generation because they tended to conform to what was expected of them and were focused on their jobs rather than engaging in activism. Since this was during the McCarthy investigations it was also deemed wise to just remain silent. Some referred to this generation as the “Lucky Few” because they were fewer in number than their parent’s generation, they moved into adulthood during the prosperous 1950s and in military service they did not experience a high level of casualties during the Korean War. Then along comes the Baby Boomer Generation who are the children estimated to have been born between the years 1943 to 1960. As a group they seemed to lean more toward the traditional values of their parents while somewhat agreeing with those of the current rebellious factions. Some during the years following World War II began to reevaluate the conventional structure of society as it had evolved, and college students, among others, started to question what they considered to be runaway capitalism and rampant materialism. This gave rise to the Beat Generation
(within the same time period), which was essentially a literary movement, involving several writers of the time. In their writings they rallied against the “establishment” and the many taboos set in society. This generation gave us some previously unaccepted forms of music like jazz, and literature that not only skirted what was uncensored and therefore permitted in print, but frequently crossed over those barriers. There is little doubt that their influence remains today. Unlike many previous generations, the baby boomers arrived during an era when there was an abundance of food along with educational and employment opportunities that permitted them to achieve high levels of income. While probably the wealthiest, fittest and most active of the generations, the boomers seem to consider themselves to be special and quite different from previous generations as it was the boomer generation that was the most interested in determining the different characteristics of each of those generations. Thanks to some who like to designate who the generations are, there is also a “Generation Jones” that is used to identify those in the latter half of the boomer group and the beginning years of the next generation. As mentioned previously the average time for a generation was about 25 years, but recently those limitations seem to be disappearing as health care improves and technology advances. The generation that follows the boomers is known as Generation X (Gen X) and covers those born between 1966 and 1976. This generation is made up of many “latchkey” children who were exposed to a lot of daycare that was often the result of divorce. They seem to be concerned with “what’s in it for me?” and many have a tendency toward anti-social behaviors. But they are also one of the most educated groups, very attentive to financial planning and consider their experi-