Baby Boomers and Gen X

Actually I believe the greatest generation was the one that made our lives so much easier. The boomers did nothing but disrespect their parents, then over embraced consumerism and made it extraordinarily difficult for the generation that followed. Me, I fall on the very tail end of the boomers, but I never felt like one. The real boomers always change the rules right before the rules might benefit me, after they've used them to their advantage. They can KMA.

I don't think job hopping signifies laziness! I think it signifies a sort of restlessness.

by the way, can anyone clearly define the two generations by date? 1945 to 1960 and 1960 to 1985?

More info - I think

And here's one website's definitions (back to The Lost Generation). I edited the info.

~ Cyber Generation Born 2002 -2025
~ Generation Y also known as the Millennial Generation and the i.generation Born 1982-2001 A civic generation, inner driven within the information revolution, striving to get ahead.
~ Generation X also known as the 13th Generation Born 1960-1981 A reactive generation, street wise.
~ Baby Boomers Born 1943-1960 An idealist generation, often stressed out. Some sources suggest true baby boomers were born between 1946 to 1964 after World War II to experience the pop media revolution and the ideal of peace in our times.
~ Silent Generation Born 1925-1942, 95% of this generation is retired. They are an adaptive generation because they have had to be. This generation includes beats and beatniks. This generation were technically born too late to be war heroes.
~ G.I Generation Born 1901-1924 Concerned primarily with a civic outlook within society.
~ Lost Generation Born 1883-1900 Many fought and died in World War 1. fashion trends, no less!

It seems that all the different sites have different ideas about the dates seperating the generations. The original thought placed boomers from 1945 to 1964 and the next 20 years for the xers. But, notable xers came before that second range of dates. So, there seems to be a concensus that the xers started in the early 19602 and went through the 70s. That 1961 - 1980 range seems to resonate with me.

Most of the links that google listed were about the 2 generations in the work place with advice on how we should get along. And there were a significant number of sites where church groups reached out to xers - odd.

Re: Baby Boomers and Gen X
The "baby boomer" generation is usually considered to be those born up until 1964 and that puts me toward the tail end of it so I'll give you my view from there.



First off, I don't think there is any "hate" between the two generation. There may be some frustration but that's been there between every generation. Secondly, I'm speaking in generalizations here so it isn't aimed at specific people.

But I think your comment that I quoted above hits the nail pretty much on the head. "Gen X" is spoiled (and the baby boomers are the ones that did the spoiling!). Yeah, you had all the toys growing up. But I don't think having the toys is what frustrates baby booomers.

Gen Xer's are also more likely to stay at home longer and to rely on their parents as their fall back for all of lives downturns than the baby boomers did. You commented "So from here all we have to do is support ourselves...". Fine. Go do it! Quit relying on your parents to provide a roof over your head until your 35. Quit asking your parents to co-sign for your car and home loans.

IMO, the frustrations on the part of baby boomers is that a lot of Gen Xer's talk a lot about how they are adults and they can make their own decisions but they don't take responsibility for themselves when those decisions are wrong and they expect their parents to bail them out.

Most baby boomers were married and had their children relatively young. The idea was that those childern would grow up, move out and let us enjoy our middle-aged years in peace. (That's why we also developed the "55+" retirement communities! lol)

Instead, many baby boomers are finding themselves with grown (25+) children still roaming the house or expecting mom and dad to come up with a few hundred $$ every month or two to cover their rent while they drive to their $60K/year job in their BMW.

You're right, Gen Xer's don't have the aftermath of the depression to look back on (people like myself who were at the end of the baby boom didn't really have it either) but they tend to forget that many of their parents DO. Baby boomers are concerned with how they are going to survive in retirement while their spoiled kids are still asking them for hand outs.

Well evidently I'm smack dab in the middle of Gen X (1970.) And ahem I beg to differ with fishin's assessment. :-D

From my perspective, my textbook boomer parents were the spoiled, reckless, irresponsible and entitled ones. They not only didn't pay for my whole education (that'd be amazing), they didn't meet the minimum expected contributions to my college expenses (financial aid formulas), and they (my dad anyway) didn't even contribute enough to claim me as an dependant on his taxes (though he did.)

Meanwhile, they have no savings to speak of -- my mom just started and my dad started a few years before he retired and promptly lost it all in the stock market. So I continue to pay off a huge debt incurred in college while my dad gets himself a new SUV every few years. And while I certainly wish them the best of health, right now I'm very concerned about who is going to take care of them if something happens.

If worse comes to worst, then I'll be taking care of their reckless selves PLUS taking care of my kid.

I think the job-hopping thing doesn't apply one way or the other to a definition of character because the market has changed drastically. The relationship between employee and employer used to be much different, different expectations and performance on each side. Employers are much more likely to be overt about bottom line and there will be someone else to replace you if you leave -- less of an emphasis on Christmas turkeys and gold watches and a life of service. If you're treated badly by an employer (lack of benefits, unreasonable demands, expectations of extra time worked without extra time paid), everyone in the marketplace expects that if you have the skills, you'll find a better job and move on.

I m smack dab ' n the middle I was born 70 (something.) hehe Gen X at its finest I tell ya.

But , yes I do agree that job hopping has nothing to do with laziness. My husband pointed out the statistics one day and I still thought it interesting that there has not been as MUCH of it since 50 + years ago. But then again, the depression was killing jobs an companies, of COURSE there was a record ' job hopping' going on... ( my husband never agrees with that statement hehe )
Maybe 'hate' isnt a good word to describe the feelings between the two generations.. Frustration may be a better word. Maybe even jealousy? Can I toss that word out there too?
Jealousy meaning.. Gen x gets allthe toys, Baby boomers got all the fun and both sides are jealous of what the other had? ( just a thought )
But I do think it is because of the modern ' marvels' ( automatic everything .. etc) that lead to the large majoity of the X'ers to be lazy.
But , my husband pointed out and so has CJ, that boomers sort of ' extreme' behavior has set the way for things to be pretty hard.
I can elaborate...but right now.. i need a coffee refill. :-)

Oh thanks, I'd wanted to add a little disclaimer that while I was rebutting fishin's take and putting things strongly, my parents (especially my mom) have done a lot for me and I do appreciate them both very much.

I think there is always always always tension between generations going back millennia, it's hard-wired in who we are (the instinct to differentiate on the part of the kids and then annoyance at differentiation on the part of the parents.)

I have always chalked that behavior up to being a teenager.
But I think you are exactly right.

1965 -- does that make me a Gen-Xer?

i think job-hopping is a result of the job market, not the other way around.
people change jobs in my line of work bcos they want more $$, or they're dissatisfied with their benefits (or lack thereof), not bcos they're lazy.

84

GenX'ers are the way they are because their parents, the Boomers, allow them to be. I watch my peers, Boomers, do everything for their grown children and then moan and groan about their lack of maturiity and sense of responsiblity. It's crazy. How does a kid know how to be responsible if it's never been taught to them?

I see a lot of that too, eoe. Well put.

My perspective from X was that I was expected to avoid "selling out," like my bb parents, so all sorts of impractical crap was actively encouraged. Which is neithe whinge nor applause -- they did what they thought was right.


Side note: during my childhood I saw the rise of regimentation of children's social lives. Neighborhoods broke up, and everything had to be arranged for kids, transportation provided. This literally happened to me as I grew up (late 70s, early 80s) -- so that I had less autonomy during my free time at 11 than I'd had at 7, which strikes me as a backwards sort of development.

Definitely. My neighborhood was an exception then, already. (Lots of kids who ran wild and until we were called in for dinner.)

There are so many things wrong with the demise of the neighborhood. The increase in adult supervision, the reliance on TV, the reliance on organized sports.

Something I heard a lot as a kid after we moved out of biking distance of my friends and into a neighborhood that had almost no kids: "If you can't find something to do, then you must be boring."

Ah, well, I'll figure out what to do with myself eventually.

'laziness' is the wisdom to realize that spending every waking moment on some meaningless form of struggle, against a culturally induced ideal, that dictates a 'work ethic' should guide you in your path to redemption, is absolute crap, and that life is about experience, not 'duty'!

[and you don't score 'experience' by amassing 'things'!]

never mind