I knew what generation my parents belonged to: The Greatest Generation. They lived through the Great Depression. My dad, like so many members of his generation, fought Hitler. From North Africa to the landing at Salerno, to the epic, bloody battle of Monte Casino, up through France and into Germany, he was on the front lines. And then he came home and proceeded to go on about his business, leaving the war behind.
My sister is a Baby Boomer (1946-1964), part of that large cohort born after World War II. A great time for babies. The first TV generation, they were save-the-world revolutionaries, rock-and-rollers, and career-climbing yuppies.
My kids are Gen Xers (1965-1980), a generation seemingly so lacking in identifying characteristics that they named it X. They’ve been described as “individualistic … cautious, skeptical, unimpressed with authority, self-reliant.”
Two of my grandchildren are Millenials (1981-2000), a generation that’s more famous than that of their parents. You’ve surely heard of them. They’ve been variously described as narcissistic, lazy, and coddled, but also praised for being open-minded and supportive of equal rights for minorities.
My youngest grandchild is part of Generation Z (2001+), another large generation and more diverse than their predecessors. In 2006, for example, 49% of those born in the US were Hispanic.
But what about my generation? Did anyone bother to name the group of people that came before the Baby Boomers?
A year or two ago, I decided to google it, and–what do you know?–we’re called the Silent Generation. Figures.
Recently I thought about my generation again after seeing an interview of E. Jean Carroll, the journalist and advice columnist who wrote in her upcoming book about being raped by Donald Trump. You’ve probably heard the story, so I won’t repeat it here.
What caught my attention, though, beside the whole sordid tale of assault, was Ms Carroll’s response to it. She hadn’t wanted to report the rape then nor was she interested in pressing charges now. She told Lawrence O’Donnell, the interviewer:
I’m a mature woman. I can handle it. I can keep going. You know, my life is going on. I’m a happy woman.
A few minutes later, O’Donnell quoted from her new book, What Do We Need Men For?
I’m a member of the Silent Generation. We laugh it off and get along with life.
“There’s a kind of toughness,” he commented, “that you bring to experiences like this.”
“Either you laugh or you cry,” she said. “We use humor to move on.”
I’ve never been raped. And I believe rape should be prosecuted and rapists punished. And yet, I do recognize that attitude–Don’t feel sorry for yourself. Don’t complain. You can handle it. It’s not that bad. Maybe it has something to do with being a member of the Silent Generation.
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You may enjoy as I did this article by Dr. Jill Novak, The Six Living Generations in America. I thought her description of the Silent Generation was right on target. Does she get your generation right?
Well done Nicki! Thank you for your excellent assessment of the generations and the choices they made
Glad you liked it, Stan.
Nicki,
I’ve always called myself a “War Baby.” It’s only those of us that were born during the war that don’t seem to have a label–probably because there are SO few of us! But we did benefit from the advances aimed at the Baby Boomers!! –Veda
“War Baby” is a good, descriptive term, although it only applies to those of us who were born during those four years, from 1941-1945. Being born so close to the end of the Silent Generation, we have a lot in common with the Boomers, and I think you’re right about us benefiting from the benefits aimed at them. But when I talk to my sister, a Baby Boomer four years younger than me, about our college years, we find some differences. The Vietnam draft didn’t start until I was almost done with college. She knew more people who served and died in Vietnam than I did. Drug use was more common during her time. The parties I attended served beer.
I’m supposed to be a millennial but I don’t think I heard that label until I was in my late 20s. I don’t really think the description fits me very well. I don’t like working in teams and I have never been told I’m special (maybe that’s an American thing?). In fact, I remember that when I was a child I once asked my mother if I was beautiful and she replied I was “average”. Hahaha! But it’s true that I don’t live to work. I don’t expect anyone to hold my hand at work though haha.
Your mom is funny, Marta. You are beautiful. But maybe she was thinking that very few girls are beautiful enough to win a beauty contest, so it’s better to think of oneself as average. I think you’re right that being told you’re special is an American thing for Millenials. There’s a lot of criticism of the practice of giving prizes just for participating or for ordinary accomplishments that should be expectations for everyone. It’s all about self-image. It seems that some Millenials have been led to believe that they’re more special than they are and others still feel that they’ll never measure up.
Of course you don’t expect anyone to hold your hand at work. You’re one tough lady.
I read Generations by Strauss and Howe years ago. After which I became convinced of the patterns and commonalities within a generation. If I recall correctly, it was the Silent Generation that influenced Gen X. The Silent Generation is also where many of our great comedians and writers come from.
In my case, being at the end of the Silent Generation, it’s not surprising that I would influence my Gen X children. For most Gen-Xers, though, the Silent Generation would be their grandparents. I suppose that makes sense. I wonder if there was some resistance against their Boomer parents. Nice to think of many great comedians and writers having come from the Silent Generation.
I think my generation (Gen X) was more materialistic than described. I knew so many white boys who were all about BMWs and making money like Alex P. Keaton on “Family Ties.”
But I think our mentality has even more to do with our color and gender than our generation. White boys felt owed opportunities and riches. Girls were praised for being quiet and well-behaved and giving. If we were mistreated by males, society frowned upon those who came forward and “ruined a boy’s life.” We were valued less and valued ourselves less.
Asian-Americans kept their heads down, put their energies into scholastic success, worked hard, and invested in real estate as soon as possible.
If you were a Black American, you had to learn to navigate life like the Green Book (the actual book that showed safe places on American roads, not that problematic movie adaptation). Their lives and opportunities depended on how well they could circumvent everything from redlining to racist cops.
I don’t have a very good feel for Gen X-ers since my Gen-X daughters spent most of their childhood overseas and at an international school. They’re not very materialistic, but my Millenial grandchildren are even less so. No BMWs for them. Walking and buses are good enough. My half-Asian-Gen-X daughters have never seemed much interested in keeping quiet and keeping their heads down. I think you’re right about gender and race being other factors to consider.
Many of the qualities Dr. Novak identified for Gen-X seemed hazy and arguable. One of her points that’s true and does make a difference: They were “raised in the transition phase of written based knowledge to digital knowledge archives.”
I’m a boomer and pretty much fit the description. Not completely, nobody does, but mostly. It’s from living in the times and being influenced by what’s going on around you. When I supervised I could tell where a person belonged by their attitude and actions. It’s not hard. Sometimes it’s as simple as how comfortable they are with technology. Rape is a lot more common than most people think. Reporting is daunting and embarrassing. Surviving is the ultimate weapon. Surviving, being successful and living to tell.
You hit the nail on the head, Kate, when you said: “It’s from living in the times and being influenced by what’s going on around you.” I just had lunch with a couple of Millenials. They have a whole different set of knowledge than I do. They refer to different books and songs. They’re lightening fast on the draw in finding things with their phones. Such fun!
There’s a dilemma we don’t like to talk about when it comes to rape and sexual assault. On the one hand, if we focus on the survival of the victim and not allowing the rape to seriously impact her life, does that mean we allow the perpetrator to get away with assault and society to become too permissive regarding sexual misconduct? On the other hand, if we emphasize how harmful the event is to the victim, will she have more trouble getting on with her life than she otherwise would have? I don’t know.
And . . . I was able to post from my desktop again. Yay! Thanks for getting the glitch fixed.
I’m sure glad that works now! Thanks for complaining.
Just as horoscopes are not a perfect predictor of any group of people, neither are generation labels.
I don’t need a label.
I am NOT a bottle of wine.
Or a banana. 😛
If you’re interested:
https://nrhatch.wordpress.com/2013/06/08/i-am-not-a-bottle-of-wine/
I liked your post about labels. Like you after you quit practicing law, I’ve spent many years having no answer to the question: What do you do? When I was an expatriate wife, the question at cocktail parties was: Who does your husband work for? It was a label that told very little about who I was.
When I was in college, the question was: “What’s your major?” Not such a bad question really. It was a way of learning about something you were interested in and a goal you were working toward. My youngest daughter is a structural engineer, a career she was well suited for. But even before she started college, she was concerned about being labeled too narrowly. She was an engineer, but she also studied literature, art, and music. She joined the band and the volleyball team. Labels have value, but they’re of limited value. We’re all unique individuals.
Labels are OK . . . as long as we peel them off and peer beneath them from time to time.
Your daughter’s well-rounded education will make her a more well-rounded individual. Good for her (and you!)
Thanks, Nancy. I think my husband, an engineer with a wide range of interests, was a good example for her.
Your posts are always so interesting and educational. After learning about the Silent Generation, I now understand more about my parents and even the way I deal with situations. Lovely picture, also.
Everyone’s different, and yet, we’re all influenced by our experiences and the times we live in.
I like that photo too. It must have been either after my dad finished basic training or after the war ended.
I didn’t know about the Silent Generation designation. I know several people who never talk about their experiences, so I guess the name fits. It’s sad though.
I don’t know how silent the Silent Generation actually is, but we didn’t grow up with selfies, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. So whatever we had to say didn’t go far. Our photos were put in photo albums, and our letters were mailed and maybe saved in boxes in the attic. I think people from this generation do talk about their experiences, but maybe we have a tendency to think we need to solve our own problems. According to Dr. Jill Novak, we’re pre-feminists, who stayed home to raise children or worked as teachers, nurses, or secretaries, and we’re the richest, most free-spending retirees in history.
A sound additional observation, Nicki
Thanks for weighing in, Derrick. We may not have grown up with Instagram and Twitter or even a computer, but now some of us communicate through our blogs, among other ways.
you are absolutely right. But, we managed to create a retirement that fits our own personality. Congrats on your book would love to read it. Some dy may our paths cross again. It has been a long time since high school.
Thanks for stopping in, Charlotte. That’s smart to create a retirement that suits your personalities. If you get a chance, check out my first novel before the second comes out. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N200AHI/