I have never quite understood why we are all categorised under the various generational headings. There are loads of them. Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X, Baby Boomers, the Silent Generation and God knows what else. To crib from the BBC website: Dr Alexis Abramson, who is an expert in what are known as ‘generational cohorts’, (nor me) says we define generations because “when you are born affects your attitudes, your perceptions, your values, your behaviours”. Let’s have a look at what it all means.
If you are Gen Z, you were born after 1993, 1997 or 2000, depending on who you listen to. If this is you, apparently you are all ambitious, digital natives (again, nor me) and confident. If you are Gen X, you were born between 1966 and 1980 you are all resourceful, logical and good problem solvers. If, like me, you are a Baby Boomer, born between 1948 and 1964, you are committed, self-sufficient and competitive. Does this make sense to you? To me, it sounds more like Astrology.
As an Aquarian, I regard Astrology as a load of old bollocks. I put it in the same box as the Paranormal, Ghosts and God, which is to say it’s made-up, non-scientific nonsense. According to the internet, so it must be true, I can be defined as follows: “idealistic, altruistic, detached, independent, original, surprising, gifted, contradictory, innovative, humanistic, likeable, friendly, self-confident, impassive, quiet, intuitive, creative, charitable, elusive, disconcerting, generous, tolerant, paradoxical, and cannot stand any kind of constraint.” Also I can also be described as: “marginal, resigned, distant, utopian, maladjusted, eccentric and cold.” I am so many of these things, but, dear reader, so are you. With many of them, I would say “it depends”. As ever with Astrology, you can frame the charts in order to fit in with how you see yourself, so it’s meaningless. Just like the various Generations.
Astrology digs much deeper than the Gen stuff because the latter only describes me as “committed, self-sufficient and competitive.” Am I all these things? Again, it depends. I am committed to some things, just like everyone is. It’s not just geriatrics like me. I am unquestionably not self-sufficient. I was very competitive, albeit crap, when I played sports but these days my main sport is golf and all I care about these days is to achieve the best score I can get and not make a complete idiot of myself.
My partner, a Gen X-er, is definitely resourceful, logical and a good problem solver, but she is many other things, too, qualities that supposedly belong to other Gen characteristics. The Silent Generation I find extremely problematical. In my experience, they are no more disciplined or loyal than other generations although there is an argument that they are not always keen on technology, preferring to queue at supermarket tills, pay for things by cash and use the internet sparingly, if at all. But that’s not everyone. Many ‘seniors’ happily embrace the technology that, once you understand it, can actually make one’s life better and more rewarding.
I find the whole thing divisive. The idea that traits exclusively belong to age groups, which is what the Gen stuff is all about, is surely wrong. Of course, we are influenced by the world into which we were born but we do not have to conform to rigid categories, apparently assigned by others, so called experts, no doubt.
Gen Y, which I have not covered here, suggests those people are confident, curious and questioning of authority, which us old codgers are less likely to be or do. What utter tosh. Sure, I am not confident in everything about life – I’ll bet all Gen Y-ers aren’t, either, but I am curious and I always question and indeed actively challenge authority. If anything, I’ve become more questioning as I’ve aged.
Perhaps, this Gen stuff is to keep people in a job? I see little value in it. To me, there are both good values and bad ones. Mine have barely changed since I was a young boy. I’ll never be cool and trendy, but then I never was. I’m just me, call me a Baby Boomer if you want, but it means nothing to me. And whatever they, who ever ‘they’ are, tell you what you are supposed to be, ignore them. I do and strongly recommend.
If I was really a Baby Boomer, I’d be listening to Boom Radio or Greatest Hits Radio, going out jogging, holidaying on cruise ships and eating biscuits all day. All of that sounds like hell, apart from the biscuits, that is. Age can’t define me and neither can some made up rubbish about which generation I am supposed to be in. These experts: Why don’t they all f-fade away?
