The Sun-Herald

it's funny, when I first heard of "the baby boomers" it was twenty years ago and my parents didn't make the cut.
They were born in 1949 and 1951

• by allen unwin on May 23, 2009 at 03:06 AM

I think the whole flaw the with generation game is rooted wth Gen Y. Out of all the generations this one has got an extremely bad rep. By birth, I'm in this generation but, so far, I have lived like a pioneer and, culturally, identify more with Gen X. No one really wants to be Gen Y, do they???

On a side note, love the industry name for this show.

• by Cat on May 23, 2009 at 04:37 AM

The survey would seem to indicate that every generation, perhaps excluding the pioneers, of which I am not member of that cohort, burns many hours of their lives watching drivel.

• by Dismayed on May 23, 2009 at 06:12 AM

From Wikipedia: Generation Jones.
Have you heard of this before?
1955-1964 (9 years)
Generation Jones was the heretofore lost generation between the Boomers and GenXers, which has emerged now as a bona fide distinct generation. The election of Barack Obama to the U.S. Presidency created significantly increased awareness of this generation as many prominent sources referred to Obama as specifically a member of Generation Jones. If you go to the Gen Jones link on Wiki, it quotes as our spokes person the one and the only ...Sid Vicious.
who said
"I was too busy playing with my Action Man to be in the Summer of Love."
Isn't that great! finally we have a name
and, now that I have a label, I am happy...........

• by large nick on May 23, 2009 at 09:40 AM

So what does Generation "Lez" prefer?

You know; the generation brought up without knowing that EEO guidelines and supposedly anti-sexist legislation were actually rammed through Parliament onto an unsuspecting public without any fanfare or proper discussion.

Maybe generational generalisations are "the rage" right now because that's what they generate... rage that is!

I bet if I work hard at it, I could describe an upcoming generation that is totally defined by the marketing philosophies of the moment, with neo-feminist values (where virginal whoredom is an appreciated state for young women to aspire too) and pseudo-masculinity - where young males are encouraged to explore whores without hurting their feelings, unless they glass them - in which case they're considered macho enough to avoid any further repercussions, is inculcated into our young men through every avenue of influence available.

The TV they'll watch will be soporific twaddle that's loaded with product placements for the latest bondage style fashions starring talentless and vacuous "spunks" who'll epitomise the message that "anyone can be a star" as long as they wear the "right" clothes and makeup, and talk the same mindless drivel that the scripts will be loaded with.

Actually it sounds like a generation that could be fun for anyone who feels inclined to manipulate it for their own hedonistic ends!! Even clever Boomers or Y'ers or X'ers or whatever gen as long as there's still enough blood coursing through the veins to appreciate the young bounty about to be unleashed... It'll be open season!!

I'm gonna get my leather gear outta my drawer right now, given we aren't that far way from attaining such a generation of marketing manipulated losers who foolishly that they're winners!

Bring 'em on!!

• by Steve C on May 23, 2009 at 11:08 AM

I agree with Micalleff. I fall directly into the gen Y bracket, and so do my friends, and we all like and appreciate thing like Gameboy Colour and CatDog.

• by Lilith on May 23, 2009 at 11:20 AM

I'm a boomer and have only watched two of the listed programs for the humour: the Simpsons & Midsommer Murders (they kill over digital cameras!). I regularly watch Mad Men, Insight, Q&A, First Tuesday Book Club, Spooks, The Gruen Transfer. Spicks & Specks and until the last episode was shown recently, Boston Legal. My teenage iGen twins loves all of these, except for Q&A, where it depends on how interesting the guests are.

• by Ru on May 23, 2009 at 12:38 PM

I've always thought of myself as Gen X - although I am borderline boomer according to the various dates on offer. But my TV preferences match better and better the further down towards i/Y that you go. There's no theory that can match.

• by Anil on May 23, 2009 at 04:34 PM

I was born 1990 so i guess i'm supposed to be gen y I am insulted by the stereotype's inflicted on me. Why do we feel that the pathetic marketers know more about ourselves than we do? Under no circumstance would i ever watch any of the television programs assigned to my age group.

• by Chanan Crompton on May 24, 2009 at 03:15 PM

I was born in December 1979 so I never quite know what Gen pidgeonhole I fit into. I guess that makes me unique, above the riff raff of generational warfare. Or maybe it just reinforces my belief that Gen generalisations are just like astrology...to be taken with a very large grain of salt.

• by MemB on May 25, 2009 at 07:29 AM

I believe it is more about parenting styles of the generations than their children that tells 'who we are'
Parents of :
Pioneers/Frugals: English Victorian repressive ideas
Baby Boomers:The above plus a heavy dose of Protestant Work Ethic or Catholic Guilt for postwar recovery urgings, added to the Victorian repressive
Gen X: BB Parents who wanted to alleviate their own pain and gave their kids too much because they never had it
(BB's are the only gen caught between two very different cultures - post war ideas and new age - they struggle most of all)
Gen Y: Hippie parents who taught them nothing and so opt out
iGen: ? Gen X parents ? Most savvy of all who are aware of the world much more than their parents, untainted by repressive mores and will have the best ride.
I resent the post about the BB's being rich and greedy. Most BB's I know are not, if any are it is because they bought their houses by hard work in early years when real estate was cheap. Although it was not cheap to them then due to the low wage structures. That real estate is worth a lot of more and gives them equity now was not their fault but the culture that makes real estate supply and demand and drives up prices to ridiculous amounts.

• by Daughter of Narcissists on May 25, 2009 at 08:46 AM

Humans will always need to find a way to identify common characteristics - and differences between different groups of people. Without this, we have no sense of identity. That's not to say we should get fixated. So - generational distinctions are useful for that.

Generations (based on the last three) typically span about 13 years. It's natural this might speed up - given the pace of change in society (courtesy of factors such as technology and globalisation etc)

The book-ends of any generation will always have similar defining characteristics so its natural there will be some cross-over and dispute about dates.

As for the name - I think giving generations "cute" names such as the "iGeneration" is more representative of products and technology than actual characteristics themselves. It makes a lot more sense to use the generation name as a navigational device - and the alphabet serves a great purpose there and stops us arguing over which "cute" characteristic to play up over another.

It’s time to draw a line in the sand and get a name out there that’s used consistently. Generation Z may not be the most creative title but it is logical – and why must the title be imaginative. Aren't we more interested in the characteristics?
To that end, I might point out that many of the commentary around recent generations is based on observations about their behavior or assumptions about how they might behave based on purchasing patterns etc. Few studies I have seen actually draw on opinions and views and thoughts out of the mouths of the generation in question.

What we know from a recent study into Gen Z - based on tens of thousands of surveys of teens from that group is that they are absolutely NOT the ‘i’ generation as that term suggests (whether deliberately or otherwise). Neither are they the "me" generation as we have seen with the Baby Boomers and Gen Y. They are a lot more like the "we" generation. Gen Z (teens under 18 years ... the others still perhaps too young to draw firm conclusions about) for example is far less interested in fame and fortune than Gen Y were at the same age. They also seem to care a lot more about what their parents think and to be generally more altruistic. They have quite a traditional, more conservative value system & are strongly drawn to social justice issues - seeking out fair play and the absence of discrimination above all other factors when it comes to their concerns around their career.

I could go on, but my main point is that I think it's problematic to categorise generations according to external factors such as technology or use of gadgets. Secondly, it's a mistake to assume this group is in it for themselves - or that they simply lose themselves in technology and lack social skills. Gen Z has a powerful sense of community and this drives them strongly in all of their choices.

• by Fleur Brown on May 25, 2009 at 04:04 PM

By the way...that last post is a good example of Gen jones - join in but dont take it too seriously!

• by large Nick on May 25, 2009 at 07:23 PM

Much as I believe bothering to respond will have as much effect as say arguing with an ATM, Large Nick, my point was meant in jest and not so much about talking to people as about not watching TV if the above-mentioned crap is what people are watching. Everyone's in a neat little box lapping up the exact garbage that's been designed for them and advertisers and TV execs will continue serving up more of the same unless people heave themselves from their jason recliners and vote with the remote. Or watch MadMen. How about people demand something better instead of wallowing in the cliche that's been carved out for them? Generation X loves 'The Logies'? 'The Biggest Loser'? The statistics are real but come on.....After several thousand years of cultural growth we've reached the pinnacle of our achievements - fat chicks in bike pants crying.
What can we learn from the statistics? That we're cattle.
Moo.

• by darren on May 26, 2009 at 05:57 AM

Born in 1965, I have regarded myself as a 'cusper' (on the cusp, or near it) and will continue to do so, I suppose, but only when I am required to regard myself in this manner (perhaps when reading dissertations of ABS findings) Not a boomer, not an X-er.
The list of TV shows is waaay off, (who likes any of that tripe?) but since it (too) is another generalisation, it is neither here nor there. I guess ratings don't lie. iGeners are nowhere near as likely to be into, say, The Simpsons, as folk like me and my ilk.
'Two Apostrophes and a Laugh Track' eh? Well, the budget for misplaced apostrophes must be ample, because the category labels - 70's (and so on) are INCORRECT in terms of any reasonable style guide... '70s would be acceptable... denoting the absence of the 19... but I digress. Can something be done about that please?
What is the fascination with dumbed-down and simplified (and arguably frequently erroneous) nostalgia anyway?
Love Micallef for his cheeky editatorializing (and general subversive quirkiness)... he was perfectly correct when he lampooned the Scout Movement logo as being some modern re-working that was misleading, when one considers the ORIGINAL logo.
Twaddle... but I watched tonight, in the interest of staying informed (!)

• by Eve on May 26, 2009 at 09:17 PM

It would be interesting to consider the impact of the parents generation on the characteristics of their childrens generation.
From my observations the parents of those born 1955-1964 were a very dull conservative lot. You only have to look at the music and dance from that period.
I think they in turn raised a generation lacking creativity. Generally they are people who accept the status quo, are very mindful of their own wellbeing and only seem to react if that wellbeing is under threat.
As a baby boomer I found the generation Jones very boring.

• by redrover on June 01, 2009 at 10:30 AM