Who here resonates with this? We're not Boomers, we're Generation Jones!

[nolabear]

From the article:

“Before Generation X came Generation Jones. This is the micro-generation between Baby Boomers and Generation X that was born during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Read on to learn more about this important generation in American life and politics.

At a personal level, I never felt like I was part of the Baby Boom Generation, despite what the so-called experts said back then. I remember my social studies teacher quoting one of those experts to my high school class back in the 1970’s, and the class immediately bust out in laughter, because it was so obvious to us that we weren’t part of the Boomer Generation.

I didn’t give it much thought until many years later, when I heard that the “experts” had finally identified our post-Boomer generation, which they were calling Generation X. But when I looked into what they described as Xers, I quickly realized that they had, once again, ignored people my age, because we were no more Xers than we were Boomers.

It was at that point that I realized I was part of a lost generation of Americans, and decided that I would try to arrive at the key common denominators among people my age that made us a cohesive generation, to determine which birth years were the correct boundaries between our generation and the surrounding ones, and to come up with a name which encapsulated our generation…”


https://www.jenx67.com/2016/11/generation-jones.html?fbclid=IwAR1g8HEwZPpaQibFRgbar8GupJjWK-iAfmlUD2cyelG7X00YTkYqj1LZ4WE

[hlthe2b]

1. Interesting... I think he makes a point. Obama too was born in 1961. Not a baby boomer, really

but certainly not GEN X

[nolabear]

3. I was at the absolute end of 54. We were a bit young for all the 60s stuff.

I hardly knew anyone who was drafted because the war was winding down. My father was actually in it, at 35 because he was radio support and not front line. I was 13 in ‘68, deeply affected because I was interested in civil rights from the get-go but I was very young. Hell, I’m the Pink Floyd Steely Dan generation!

[Beringia]

2. My sister posted this same thing on a group text on the iphone

I thought, okay interesting. I asked her who was a typical GenXer, and she never answered.

I liked the phrase I heard the other day from someone giving a speech. "If you remember the 60s, then you weren't there". Because of all the Pot and drugs in general and the parties.

[GoCubsGo]

4. Me, too.

I was born 4 days after Kennedy was inaugurated. I relate to Generation X FAR MORE than I do to Baby Boomers. I consider myself "Generation Jones." Or, as a fellow Joneser I once knew put it, a "Cracker." My parents were in a similar situation: Too young for "The Greatest Generation." Too old to be Boomers.

[crud]

5. First I've heard of this

Never considered myself a boomer. born in 1955. Never had to face going to Vietnam, turned 18 the year after they quit drafting people. Too young to be a hippie. I generally don't like the same music as most boomers. Loved President Carter.

[TeamPooka]

6. That would be me Born in Dec 1963. His article hits all the cultural points that

defy the Baby Boomer label.

[malthaussen]

7. I'd opt for the later date for this micro-generation.

Born in 1956, the "pop culture" icons referred to (Watergate and the Iran Hostage Crisis were "pop culture?" Who knew?) mostly do not resonate with me (though I do have fond memories of "Room 222" ). I can relate to those of the Boomers much more. While I avoided Vietnam by the skin of my teeth, it would be false to claim it did not dominate my teenage years as I contemplated eventually being sucked into the quagmire. My experience is that, for males at least, the reality of Vietnam was a Damocles sword that hung over the heads of everyone my age or older. Those who were younger had more breathing space -- a 12 year old is lots less likely to worry about eventually being drafted than a 16 year old.

I'd also argue that regional variations probably played a great deal larger role in "pop culture" identity than is recognized, and that it would be a useful research topic to study how regional variations affected generational identity. Because I think quite a few who grew up in the flyover states were never really assimilated by the Boomers or any other generational movement than those closer to major communications centers.

-- Mal

[LiberalLoner]

8. Yes!!!!!!

[Leith]

9. Late 1950s here

and I'm definitely a Boomer. I had 2 older siblings who grew up in the same house and watched the same TV who were Boomers.

My cultural touchstones were the same: the war in Vietnam, Woodstock, the Tate-LaBianca murders, riots in Detroit and Watts, Kent State massacre, Watergate, to name a few.

TV shows were much the same: Ed Sullivan (I remember when the Beatles were on), I Love Lucy reruns, Bullwinkle, Underdog, Gilligan's Island, and all the Saturday afternoon reruns (The Rifleman, Topper, The Andy Griffith Show, Ernie Kovacs Show).

I was too old to watch The Brady Bunch, Josie and the Pussycats, and Fat Albert because I was too busy being a "cool" teenager.

I don't like to separate people by arbitrary generational divides. I listened to my mother's old 78s as much as FM radio in the 1970s (where we took turns holding the antenna to get better reception until we discovered aluminum foil was easier). MTV took about an hour to bore me for life.

[LizBeth]

10. I saved this to read later. '61 here and I have had many conversations about this.

sounds interesting and will read later.

[smirkymonkey]

11. Totally identify!

I was born in July 1963 and don't identify with most of the cultural markers of the Boomers at all, but certainly identify with those mentioned in this article. My siblings are Gen X, and I don't really identify with their generation's culture either. Very interesting concept. I would love to read more about it.

Thanks for posting!

[nolabear]

18. It's really interesting isn't it? And as someone else said, cultural.

My part of the country lagged behind in many ways. My ideals pushed forward. It was fragmented and weird.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

12. Born in 1957

While I'm old enough to remember the 60s I wasn't really old enough to participate in some of the excesses.

Of course I would have prefered the 60s to Ronald Reagan's 80s.

[CottonBear]

13. *Raises hand* Me! I'm Generation Jones!

Graduated High School & University in the 1980s.

My parents were too young to be Seniors/Greatest and too old to be Boomers.

I was just 5 years old in 1969.

I was totally a child of the 70s and 80s.

[shrike3]

14. Definitely Generation Jones

[JenniferJuniper]

15. born early 60's - no way am I a Boomer,

my mother was a Boomer we were miles apart culturally.

She hated the Clash!

[arlyellowdog]

16. Baby Boomer classic

1950, born under Truman. I can tell you where I was when Kennedy was shot. Graduated from high school the day Robert Kennedy was buried. Took over buildings in college. Went to Woodstock. And I still cannot believe that out of all the amazing Baby Boomers I have known, the worst of us got elected president.

[DBoon]

21. Some say Al Gore was actually voted president

Though the Supreme Court did not agree

And for every boomer like Trump, there is one like Bill Clinton

[tymorial]

17. Microgenerations tend to be more accurate for certain groups

People born in the late 70s tend to be lumped in with Gen X because it was the tail end of the generation. Those of us from that time find ourselves having traits of both Gen X and Millennials. I was definitely a latch key kid and I adopted technology quickly because I was raised with computers from as far back as I can remember (commodore 64 then Packard Bell, so on and so on)

Generation Jones is a new one for me. I love learning about microgens. They are interesting. Mine is Xennial, Carter Baby, Oregon Trail Generation.

[cemaphonic]

27. Yeah, I think that a full generation just isn't granular enough

Even when talking about broad cultural touchpoints and stereotypes.

I was born in 74, which puts me pretty squarely in the middle of Gen X, but my dad has always loved gadgets, so we had computers in the house from the time I was 8 or so. Culturally, I feel like I fit in just as well with older Millennials as with Xers.

[MoonchildCA]

19. This makes so much sense.

I was born at the tail end of the Boomer generation, and never really identified much with it. I never knew anyone who was drafted to Vietnam. My friends, siblings, cousins were all too young. Our fathers served in WWII. (though I did have a POW bracelet). Our childhood and teenage culture definitely had its own vibe.

[Whatthe_Firetruck]

20. Born '63

And I never felt part of the Boomers. I graduated High School in '81, so I was early for that.

I guess I'm gen Jones, and I'll add a touchstone...

*If you learned to count backwards from 10 by watching Nasa launches.

[nuxvomica]

22. I was born in '55 but I've always identified with Boomers

Maybe it's because I had parents older by a decade than most of my classmates. I also had older sisters that heavily influenced my taste in music: our Victrola went from Danny Kaye and Patti Page to The Beatles, though our babysitter introduced us to all the dead teenager music of the time. I totally rejected my parent's Swing Era music but now I love it. I loved the late sixties, wish we could reclaim that vibe, and got all up in the movie nostalgia trend back then, idolizing Bogart, Monroe and The Marx Brothers. I did worry about getting drafted though I squeaked by without it happening.

[davsand]

23. I absolutely ID with the Jones Generation!

I was born in 1960. My experience of life has been completely different than that of my husband--who was born in 1954. We did share some of the "touchstone" experiences referenced in that article, and even allowing for locational differences (I was a farm kid and he was in Metro East St. Louis) our experiences were incredibly different. I remember re-runs of some of the TV programs he watched, and I listened to some of the music he did because I had an older brother that was his age. Beyond that, well, our reference points are pretty different.

I remember Kennedy's funeral. I remember asking my mom why Jackie was wearing a black veil. I'd only seen brides wear a veil, and those were supposed to be white! I remember watching that funeral and my mom saying I was watching history... My husband watched the funeral in his classroom and remembers where he was when he heard Kennedy was killed.

I remember eating dinner every night while the TV announced body counts and KIA numbers from Viet Nam. I also remember my dad getting really pissed at me when I said Calley was a bad man for killing villagers. That may be the first of many times I argued politics with my father, come to think of it. Similarly, I remember him being really angry at me for drawing peace signs on a sewing project for 4-H in tailor's chalk. It brushes off--that's why tailors use it!

When the Viet Nam protests were going on, I remember local news showing footage of snipers on top of the buildings at the local Big 10 university. Similarly, the footage of protests after Dr. King was assassinated, made a huge impression on me.

I remember discussions about Woodstock and how it offended everyone's "decency" that there was nudity and communal bathing/toileting/skinny dipping.

I remember Captain Kangaroo, Get Smart, A Family Affair, Lost In Space, and Carol Burnett on TV. I also remember Laugh In and the Smothers Brothers on TV--but my dad was not a fan, so it wasn't a regular thing. Later it was MASH and All In The Family.

I remember WLS on the radio. I loved soul music, and that was about the only place I could ever hear it--and even THAT was limited! Later, it was Don Kirchner's late night show and even Soul Train! While I was huddling over the radio and the TV in my bedroom my husband was at Dead shows...

Something that remains vivid for me was the racism that was so real and so prevalent. My dad was a very bigoted man. I realize he was not alone in that, but I remember when they were on the news reporting about Selma and the Pettus Bridge. I remember hearing about the fire hoses and the dogs they used on marchers. I was just a little kid--not even in school yet--and I remember that horror of it all.

To be honest, I know my boomer husband is equally horrified and saddened by the bad stuff, but I truly feel that I'm more pragmatic about it. I know it happened. I hate it. It was the reality and can't be undone. His horror translates into direct action and mine seems to be manifested a great deal by political action and personal relationships. Neither approach is wrong, but it really does conform with the article's opinions of Boomers and Jonesers.

Sorry to ramble on here, but this fascinated me.


Laura

[nolabear]

24. Don't apologize, it was wonderful!

I was born at the end of 54 (Dec) but I identify with much of what you describe.

[hatrack]

25. Woodstock? I was in third grade . . . .

My coming-of-age cultural and political experiences were:

Watergate
The fall of Vietnam
Jonestown
Oh, and disco . . . the encore at my senior prom? "Disco Inferno".

Life lesson #1 - things can, do and will go seriously wrong. And people wonder why I come across as "pessimistic."

[phylny]

26. Me!

I was born in 1958.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

28. 1965

First year x and last year of Jones. I straddle both generations and have qualities of both.

Very much an 80's kid with a love of the culture of the 70's and the 90's as well.

I relate to people and cultures younger and older than myself.

[JHB]

29. Yup! Statisticians dragooned me into the Boomers, but I've never been one.

[pecosbob]

30. We were raised in a world of plenty only to find economic uncertainty and unemployment as adults

No more pensions, no more one-worker families, no more affordable health care...no more American Dream. A store clerk today makes the same wages they did in the 1980s. I guess quarterly profits were more important than people.

[JanMichael]

31. Sort of off topic response - why not birth decades instead? Or split decades like 60-70?

Because it isn't arbitrary to one country or culture, yes it would have some overlaps, but generally speaking if you were born in the 60's you were still a kid/teen in the 60-70's (18+). Of course some birth decades would have specific life experiences that others do not.

Same as the Boomers, Lost Gen, Gen X, Millennial, whatever plus 2000 are called Z's?, WWII gen/Greatest, Transcendental, Gilded, Progressive, Missionary, really Lost Gen. Phew.

20 year generations make no sense. Is it because they use 18 years as child to adult thing? Or 20 as a "score". Why does Gen X (me born in 1968) only gets 1964/65 to 1980/81 (15 or 17 years?)? Boomers get 19 years, Millennials get 19 or 20 years? Maybe Jones is just an attempt to shorten these long periods, like X was but shorter.

I guess this is just for thesis generation in universities?

Fine I'll just be my Gen X self and go listen to some grunge (then Kansas and Boston???), put on a flannel shirt but no t-shirt over it, go outside and hold a boom box over my head (feel stupid) and then finally take a nap. I'm 52...

[myccrider]

32. I'm a *real* boomer, born 1950.

And I totally agree that most of those born in the late ‘50s to mid ‘60s were generally not part of my generation culturally. My sister was born in ‘52, my brother in ‘58. My brother’s major influences were different than for me and my sister.