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The Baby Boomer Boondoggle and the “Gen X” Lie
Can we have an intelligent conversation about generations?
One of these things is not like the other. Can you guess which one?
- Baby Boomers
- Millennials
- Gen X
- Gen Z
Guess before my article is done.*
Generations?
You are not of your parents’ generation. That seems pretty obvious. They perceive and think differently than you do, partially because they have more life experience than you but mostly because they grew up in a different time.
Being born in a particular set of cultural circumstances affects how you perceive the world. The times in which you grew up are formative of your values and expectations. My question is how are we to think about the different sets of values and expectations that different generations formed and often still have about the world.
We need to start by deconstructing the current memes defining generations. The corporate media loves simplifications. It enjoys painting with a broad brush and placing…