Generation Jones
We aren’t like other Boomers
The Boomer cohort is so big that it is divided into sub-generations. I was born in 1959 — towards the end of said Boomers — and thus, fall into what is known as Generation Jones.
We were still just elementary school kids during Woodstock and the Vietnam War. By the time the guys in my class turned 18, the mandatory registration for the draft was still in effect; however, no one was being conscripted to serve anymore.
We were still toddlers when JFK, his brother, Bobby, and Dr. Martin Luther King were assassinated. I remember watching my mother weep as she watched the news. I knew something horrible had happened, but I was not sure why my mom was so upset. At that point in my life, I didn’t even know what it meant — that word — “assassinated”.
We benefited from the turmoil of the feminist and civil rights movements. We were ever grateful for our big brothers and sisters who paved those particular paths. We were able to apply to colleges. We were able to join the military. We were able to make reproductive health choices. All things our mothers could even never do.
However, we are much different than those big brothers and sisters. My oldest sister is 81. She and I both love to travel. We look alike. We even both drink tequila. But our opinions on current events…
