Generational labels: Accurate or useless? Helpful or harmful?

As someone born in 1969, I am considered to be part of Gen X (birth years 1965 through 1980). We're tucked neatly between the larger Baby Boomer and Millennial generations.

Though I'm not sure that really means anything.

When we were younger, we Gen Xers were defined in pop culture and in the media as being cynical, disaffected slackers. We were associated with alt rock, hip hop, punk, grunge and heavy metal music. We were typically seen as "latchkey kids" whose moms worked outside of the home and who were often victims of soaring divorce rates.

None of that was true for me. I'm not a cynical person, I didn't really get into any of those genres of music, and I'm the product of a two-parent household in which my mom only worked outside of the home when I was much older.

Placing someone in a box labeled "Baby Boomer," "Millennial," "the Silent Generation," "Gen X," "Gen Z" or whatever can be fun, but I've never found it to be particularly useful. People are individuals, and while they're affected by the era in which they grow up, they are not defined by it.

Newsweek recently published an article headlined "10 Ways You'll Know Someone is Gen X, According to ChatGPT" in which they used artificial intelligence to come up with a list of tell-tale Gen X characteristics. I measured myself against this list to see if I was in any way a prototypical Gen Xer.

Spoiler alert: The results were mixed but at least somewhat accurate, as I might have suspected.

Here is Newsweek's (or ChatGPT's) list of Gen X descriptives and a quick analysis of how well each describes me:

(1) "Nostalgia for 1980s and 1990s Pop Culture" - This is half-true for me. I have great fondness for all things 80s but little regard for the 90s. As I've mentioned, I was too busy raising kids in the 90s to care what else was going on. So we'll split the difference. Result: Half-yes, half-no. 0.5 points.

(2) "Preference for Analog Media" - My generation is said to have a preference for vinyl, cassettes, CDs, and VHS tapes. Me personally? Good riddance to all of them, I say. Long live digital music. Result: No. 0 points.

(3) "Independent and Self-Reliant Attitude" - This is sort of a yes for me, I guess? I'm not a DIY guy for most things. I'm quick to call in a professional, which I would like to think has saved me a lot of time and trouble over the years while also depleting my bank account. But when it comes to non-home-repair-related activities, yes, I'm pretty self-sufficient. Again, let's split the difference.  Result: Half-yes, half-no. 0.5 points.

(4) "Cynical Sense of Humor" - Yeah, OK, they got me here. My humor was largely shaped by 80s stand-up comedians, who tended to be cynical and sarcastic. Result: Yes. 1 point.

(5) "Fashion Throwbacks" - According to Newsweek, we Gen X types have a fondness for the clothes of our youth and incorporate elements of them into our current wardrobes. Not me, boy. I had enough neon in the late 80s. Result: No. 0 points.

(6) "Language and Communication Style" - To quote Newsweek's ChatGPT-generated article, "They might use phrases like 'whatever,' 'totally,' 'cool,' or 'dude' naturally in conversation. They may also roll their eyes at newer slang like 'lit' or 'yeet.'" Sadly, I can't help but speak like an actual grown-up. Yet I don't roll my eyes at a new generation's slang because I'm not a cranky old person. Result: No. 0 points.

(7) "Technology Adaptation" - Again, they got me. From the article: "While they are tech-savvy, having adapted to the digital age, they may still exhibit a degree of caution or skepticism toward new technology. They might fondly remember the time before smartphones and social media dominated everyday life." Yeah, that's me. I embrace new tech while reserving the right to be skeptical of some of it. Result: Yes. 1 point.

(8) "Media Consumption Habits" - OK, the Newsweek folks and their AI allies are on a roll now. "Gen Xers might still consume traditional media like newspapers, magazines and cable TV. They are likely to enjoy reruns of their favorite old shows or listen to classic rock or '90s playlists on the radio." That would actually be 80s playlists for me, but broadly speaking, they nailed it. Result: Yes. 1 point.

(9) "Work Ethic and Career Outlook" - Gen Xers, they say, value work-life balance, partially in reaction to the burnout often seen among Baby Boomers. We are said to appreciate flexibility. True and true. I have to hand it to them, they're starting to get me. Result: Yes. 1 point.

(10) "Political and Social Awareness" - Newsweek says we "may lean toward centrist or independent viewpoints, often skeptical of extreme ideologies." The magazine adds that Gen Xers "tend to be pragmatic and open-minded." I would like to think that's true of me. Result: Yes. 1 point.

FINAL TOTAL: 6 out of 10 "yes"

The article captured my personality better than I thought it would. But I think my point still stands: We are all unique, and no overarching label will usefully describe a person no matter when they were born.

The Lazy Stereotypist's Guide to the Generations

I am, apparently, a member of what they call "Generation X." We are loosely defined as those born between the years 1965 and 1979.

And I guess that sounds about right. I was born in the early part of that range (1969), but I identify fairly closely with that whole spectrum of people, who right now are anywhere from 33 to 48 years old.

Still, these generational designations are, almost by definition, somewhat arbitrary and the stuff from which lazy newspaper feature stories are made. Let's just put everyone into a box by birth year and then generalize everything we can about them.

They're also the stuff from which lazy blog posts are made, so if you would be so kind, I'll take several hundred words to try and separate fact from fiction when it comes to the generations:

The G.I. Generation (1900-24)

What everything thinks: They've been called the Greatest Generation because they fought a horrendous world war and (mostly) lived to tell about it. They've also been called old and cranky,  but then again, every generation gets called old and cranky at some point.

The reality: These are, by my estimation, good people. At least the ones who are still around. The oldest of them have passed on and the others likely aren't that far behind, sad to say. They look at the world around them now and shake their heads with simultaneous wonderment and, I would guess, a tinge of sadness. They deserve anything except me making fun of them, so let's move on...

The Silent Generation (1925-45)

What everyone thinks: Somewhere in here is a joke around the idea of these people being called the Silent Generation because more and more of them are, in fact, dead. But I'm better than that, so I won't go there. The term "Silent Generation" was actually coined in the early 50s, and one author referred to this group as "withdrawn, cautious, unimaginative, indifferent, unadventurous and silent." Yikes. Stereotype much?

The reality: I like this generation. A lot. They don't get the press the Baby Boomers or the G.I. Generation get, but by and large they've done OK for themselves. They're a lot better planners and savers than my generation, and they managed to navigate through some pretty turbulent times in history. Some also argue they broke the social contract and didn't leave things better than the way they found them, but that's probably just a lot of whining on the part of my fellow 40-somethings.

The Baby Boomers (1946-64)

What everyone thinks: The popular notion is that Baby Boomers are spoiled, entitled, self-absorbed hippies who took advantage of post-war prosperity to live a relatively pampered and unimaginative existence.

The reality: The popular notion is pretty much spot on.

OK, the real reality: Just kidding. All three of my siblings fall into this generation, which admittedly is really into talking about itself ad nauseum. As if they were the first people ever to graduate college, get married, have kids, grow old, etc.

That last point is key, by the way. Reporters like to point out when the oldest among this generation reach important life milestones. In just a few years, for example, the top-range Baby Boomers will turn 70.

But I generally cut the Boomers a lot of slack. Had I been born, say, 20 years earlier, I'm not sure how I would have reacted to American life. They were raised by a generation that fought a war and endured a lot, which led many of them to criticize their Boomer kids' seeming lack of initiative and appreciation for life.

But when you grow up during a time of postwar prosperity, how exactly are you supposed to act? What are you supposed to say or do? Do you need to be constantly grateful and deferential to those who put you into your privileged position? That would drive me crazy. So as far as I'm concerned, drone on, Boomers. You've earned it.

Generation X (1965-79)

What everyone thinks: At one point I think they called us "slackers." Or was that the generation after us? I can't keep track of it. But I do know we've been criticized as being kind of dull and unmotivated. We're all either well into our 40s or fast approaching them, so I think we're just as self-absorbed as the Baby Boomers thinking about that. Our hair is falling out and our eyesight is starting to go. We can't be wasting precious time fixing the budget deficit or addressing the national health care crisis when we have stuff like that going on!

The reality: My neighbor Tim posted a link on Facebook to an article about the fact that Generation Xers have done a poor job of planning and saving for retirement. We have massive amounts of debt. We're not especially well positioned for the second halves of our lives.

But I will say this: We've also largely powered the technological revolution, and many of us are are leading the charge to bring much-needed attention to the root causes of the world's most pressing problems, which is more than you can say for many of the people who came before us. We may die poor and unhealthy, but darn it, we'll feel good about ourselves!

The Millennials (aka Generation Y) (1980-2000)

What everyone thinks: These young'uns started out with the name "Generation Y," but that was painfully derivative, so they came up with the term I like better: "Millenials." The idea being that they were kids when we entered this new millennium, and their outlook on life was shaped by Y2K, 9/11 and such.

Anyway, to get an idea of what we oldsters generally think about the Millenials, allow me to quote two paragraphs from an article I found on WetFeet.com:

Maybe you already know all the Generation Y stereotypes. In case you don’t, let us clue you in on what people are saying about you: You’re entitled. You’re narcissistic. You have a tendency to job hop. You have no work ethic. You need constant affirmations of your overinflated self-esteem. And you’re afraid to abandon the sanctuary provided by your helicopter parents.
Or consider how the media has proclaimed your supposed inadequacies in headlines like “Generation Y Bother” and “Millennials: The New Office Moron,” or books such as Mark Bauerlein’s The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future.

Here's what I guess I'll say about that, being the parent of four Millenials myself (my youngest, Jack, was born in 2006 and therefore falls into what is tentatively being called "Generation Z" or even "The New Silent Generation," which I think is funny when you consider that the oldest of this generation is still in middle school. It may be a tad early to start generalizing about them.)

Anyway, here's what I'll say about the Millenials: Yeah, the whole helicopter parenting thing definitely had its negative consequences. And many of them do appear to be majoring in Slacker Studies.

But I love the way this young generation thinks. I love the way that, as a group, they're willing to step away from business as usual and reexamine the reasons and the ways business is conducted. They question everything, which is good, because a lot of us who are older simply don't think to do that (many do, of course....I'm just engaging in some huge generalization here).

I don't love some of the things they embrace, but that's OK because that's my job as a dad. I'm required by law to see something in society I don't like and harp on it forever.

I may be biased because I'm a parent of a small slice of the Milennial generation, but I think they offer up hope for the future. Assuming we can get them to look up from their iPods and tablet computers every once in awhile. Otherwise they're all going to wander out into traffic and get killed, and then we'll really be in trouble.

Why, back in my day we...pretty much did the same things kids do today

You know what makes me laugh?

When people my age post things to Facebook about how our childhoods were so much better and kids today are lazy and they're disrespectful and blah blah blah.

This makes me laugh, because I'm not quite sure exactly what childhoods they're remembering.

I knew a lot of these people as kids, and I don't remember them being especially:

a) Industrious
b) Respectful
c) Polite

A good chunk of them were, without a doubt, terrible little demons. Just like a certain percentage of kids today are terrible little demons.

Just like a certain percentage of kids 100 years ago were terrible little demons.

Are you following me here?

I realize the world has changed, but I just don't think we were necessarily raised any better than today's kids are being raised.

I think it's just a case of many of us now being parents and really noticing how badly suited some people are to being mothers and fathers.

Those same bad parents existed 30 and 100 and 1000 years, you know.

Maybe it's just me, but when someone posts that one item about "I didn't just grow up, I was RAISED," I am tempted to remind them of the time they were suspended for three days for throwing things at a teacher.

But I don't.

The reason, simply put, is the utter futility of arguing on the Internet.

95% of Internet denizens have no real interest in reasoned debate. They are interested in stating their ill-formed opinions, the facts be darned.

They are interested in visiting nut-job, off-brand "news" sites to have these opinions validated. Again, without letting facts and reason get in the way.

So for the most part, I keep quiet.

Not that I don't have ill-formed opinions, by the way. I am probably as misguided as the next person. It's just that I have learned the advantages of silence. Something to do with that old Mark Twain quote about keeping your mouth closed and letting people think you're a fool rather than opening it and removing all doubt.

And let me say that I am in no way attempting to slander my fellow Generation X'ers. It was great growing up in the 70s and 80s. I had a ball.

But this sudden feeling of superiority over the current generation (Millenials? What do we call these kids?) is not our most becoming trait.

Seriously, that guy really did get suspended for throwing things at a teacher. Was he "raised" to do that?