09-23-2019, 02:48 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-23-2019, 02:48 AM by Eric the Green.)
(09-20-2019, 03:20 PM)Ghost Wrote:(09-20-2019, 07:39 AM)Bill the Piper Wrote: Generation Y was originally believed to start in the late 70s, but the dates moved. So will the dates for generation Z.
The Millennial and Generation Z birth years are so muddled.
The earliest birth year I've seen for Millennials from a legitimate source is 1974 (1972 if you include Canada's definition of Millennials), and the latest birthyear I've seen from a legitimate source is 2006 (yes, not joking here). However, the most common definitions seem to be either 1981-1996 (not at school when the Challenger exploded but at school during at least one of these three - the Columbine shooting, Y2K, and/or 9/11) or 1982-2000 (coincidentally parallels with the 1946-1964 definition according to the Chinese zodiac).
So, in reality, a 45-year-old and a 13-year old can both be Millennials, even though the former could literally be the parent of the latter.
Some say that Generation X will eventually be 1965-1985 and that Generation Y/Millennials will eventually be 1986-2006, but what does a 33-year old guy with a job, a house, and kids have in common with someone who just became a teenager today?
Edit: Coincidentally, 1986-2006 is actually 1365-1385 according to the Persian calendar.
I think Strauss and Howe have a lot of credibility among those who read their books and heard them speak. According to Mr. Howe, the Millennial Generation runs from 1982 to 2004. Why wouldn't people on a Fourth Turning forum site continue to view those dates as credible and likely dates for the Millennial Generation (Gen.Y)?
Demographers like Pew Research Center have little relevance to the question of generation dating, nor do demographic characteristics. A generation shares to some extent some common experiences in families and world events and culture. Generation X certainly begins in the early sixties birth years, not at the end of the "baby boom" in 1965. How many babies were being born has little relevance to the character of a generation. Boomers have been given that name, but it doesn't describe the generation the way Missionary, Lost and Silent do. Millennial is just a point in time, but it was the name Strauss and Howe came up with and became mainstream. Generation X was chosen by another author and seemed to fit the nature of the generation pretty well, though not in an obvious way.