From boomers to zoomers
Generations: the social sciences concept so beloved of people who think we can all be conveniently pigeon-holed by birth year; advertisers and social commentators, mainly. I was thinking about this in the wake of Gen Z's inauthentic representation by Hollyweird, and of the okay boomer
viral video from a couple of years ago, by the girl with more tits than brains.
Wackypeedeeyah has a handy graphic to explain the different generations, from zoomer to boomer and beyond, back in the mists of time. Or at least to 1883. Presumably advertisers aren't interested in anyone born earlier than that.
The Lost Generation, also known as the "Generation of 1914" in Europe, is a term originating from Gertrude Stein to describe those who fought in World War I. The Lost Generation is defined as the cohort born from 1883 to 1900 who came of age during World War I and the Roaring Twenties.
But they're not lost: that makes them sound like they fell down the back of the sofa, along with the spare change. We know where they are: Flanders' fields, mainly.
Yeah, yeah, yeah...so what's your point fatty?
Anyhow, petty piss-taking aside, it struck me that most of this shit—although ostensibly western world
—predominantly reflects US social leanings and statistics. A nation's culture and the state of its economy, however, have to play a major role in the shaping of the emerging generation.
But the economies of the Americas, Australasia, and Western Europe have not always been equal, especially after the world wars which saw Europe more-or-less decimated—we Europeans do like a good punch-up, it's just a pity that we make it the world's problem. So do generational cut-offs that are largely, if not solely, based on US social norms apply seamlessly across the west?
I'm really only noting this since, having been born in 1964, I'm a baby boomer ('46–'64). But I'd rather be Gen X ('65–'80), because that sounds so much cooler. (cool)
William Michael Albert Broad—AKA Billy Idol—(b. 1955) rose to fame fronting the UK punk-lite band Generation X, later Gen X. But all the band members were boomers. And that's rock 'n' roll folks! (rocknroll)