Gen X, Yes We Can
Julie| November 4, 2008 10:40 pmOur new President, Barack Obama, was born in 1961. This puts him on the older end of my generation, Generation X.
A common stereotype of Gen X’ers is that we’re pessimistic and lazy, and yet Obama’s campaign message was one of hope, and as one of our country’s youngest Presidents and the first African-American elected to this office, he’s hardly a slacker.
Another stereotype is that Gen X’ers are cynical. I don’t think that’s true; we just tell it like it is. In his acceptance speech tonight, Obama talked about all the work still ahead for the country, and I appreciated his honesty. I don’t know that 4 years will be enough to fix everything, but at the least it will be a start.
2 Responses to “Gen X, Yes We Can”
Interesting post and blog. Relevantly, as many influential experts and publications have repeatedly pointed out, Obama is part of Generation Jones, born 1954-1965, between the Boomers and Xers.
Here’s a recent 5 minute GenJones video which features many top pundits (including David Brooks, Clarence Page, Dick Morris, Juan Williams, Karen Tumulty, Howard Wolfson, Michael Barone, etc.) specifically talking about Obama membership in Generation Jones:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ta_Du5K0jk
Interesting collection of clips, thanks for sharing.
I’m aware of “Generation Jones,” but I and many people ignore it for good reason: the supposed period covered by this generation is too short.
A generation is approximately 20 years. In the past Jones’ers were lumped in with Boomers, but the later Jones’ers actually have more in common with Gen X. Depending on which source you consult, Gen X starts with either 1961 or 1965. It looks like I chose the former and you chose the latter.
Gen X definitely does not include folks born in the 80s. The folks born after 1980 are Gen Y or Millennials. Using the 20 year guideline, it goes something like this: Boomers 1940-1960, Gen X, 1960-1980, and Millennials 1980-2000.