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An Overlooked Generation?
Posted in: Current Events,history by bill-o on July 03, 2009
Recently, shadows and symbols happened to notice a trend at his local workplace in the United States. All of a sudden, as I walk the halls of my office building, everyone seems to be either about 25 years old or, conversely, 55 years old. The large number of young new-hires seem to be gathering around the offices of the senior leaders (the 55-60 year olds) in order to receive inspiration and directions. Additionally, my workplace is organizing a special meeting that is focussed on addressing the concerns of both the younger-adult, twenty-something generation *and* the more senior, 55-65 generation. Another interesting trend is that rising stars in the younger generation seem to be on the fast-track to promotions.
In the midst of this trend, however, there is a problem: There is a generation in between, and as a member of that generation, I’m feeling a little overlooked these days.
Referencing Strauss and Howe’s work on generations in the U.S., which I surveyed in a shadows and symbols post a few months ago (http://www.shadowsandsymbols.org/?p=44), there are now primarily three generations in the American workplace:
1. The oldest is the Boomer generation. According to Strauss and Howe, this idealist generation was born between the years of 1943 and 1960. They are now, as of 2009, between the ages of 49 and 66. They are known as “boomers” because they were born during the great post-World War II “baby boom” in the United States. Their current ages now put them firmly in control of most business management positions, with the very noticeable exception of the White House.
2. The youngest is the Millenial generation. According to Strauss and Howe, this civic-minded generation was born between the years 1982 and 2000. They are known as “millenials” because they were born right before the start of a new millenium. They are now between the ages of 9 and 27, with their older members now filling the junior ranks of American workplaces.
3. The in-between generation is sometimes known as Generation X. According to Strauss and Howe, this “nomadic” or reactive generation was born between the years of 1961 and 1981. They are now between the ages of 28 and 48. Sometimes called the “baby bust” generation, this generation is about 40% smaller than the Boomer generation.
So, is this just an errant Generation X perspective of the workplace that I think that my generation is being overlooked? Perhaps my generation is just too small in size to have an impact. Or perhaps this is just a natural part of the approaching Fourth Turning time of crisis that Strauss and Howe talk about in their books. In such a time of crisis, the civic-minded younger generation is supposed to look to the older idealist generation for wisdom, guidance, and inspiration.
So, I’m inviting comments here. If you think that I’m being too sensitive or complaining, please leave a comment here. If, on the other hand, you’re a member of the so-called Generation X and you agree with me, please leave a comment here, too.
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Pingback by Shadows and Symbols » At the Dawn of the Fourth Turning? — July 3, 2009 @ 7:01 am
Someone offline reminded me that it is not unusual for reactive generations (such as Generation X) to see themselves as a “lost” generation. Perhaps a feeling of being overlooked goes along with this.
Comment by bill-o — July 3, 2009 @ 5:06 pm
As someone from the younger end of the “boomer” scale, it just seems to me that the so-called “X-ers” have grown beyond the need for receiving advice from the older group, nor do they feel the need right now to offer any to the younger ones. It may be an awkward position to be in, because others from your age group are choosing to take a more recessive posture at this time. This is not a bad thing; perhaps many feel that this is not their time to be a part of the discussion, since they are otherwise occupied with raising their own children, dealing with aging parents, etc.
A daughter of a co-worker was once asked how she felt about the whole “generation x” thing, and she replied “I don’t feel like I’ve been X-ed out at all.” I suppose it’s all in how you look at it. The time surely will come soon enough when others of the X-ers will step up and be more visible and vocal.
Comment by Apoblepo — July 6, 2009 @ 3:51 pm
Strauss and Howe show how, in each cycle, reactive generations seem to receive a lot of scorn in their youth, save the country in times of crisis in middle age, and then are largely forgotten in old age.
If I were to pick a parable for reactive generations, it might be Ecclesiastes 9:13 – 18. The most poignant part of it is: “There was once a small town with few inhabitants, which a great king came to attack; he surrounded it and constructed huge siege-works against it. There was in it a poor wise man, and he saved the town by his wisdom. But no one remembered that poor man.” (REB)
In my version of the parable, the poor, wise man is the reactive generation. He starts off despised (poor), saves the day in the middle of the story (midlife), and in the end is forgotten.
I remember reading in S&H somewhere how the civics respond to the reactives’ leadership, too, in fourth turnings — in ways the civics don’t to idealists. Picking up my parable again, maybe that’s how the poor wise man saves the town.
But, yeah, I can see how reactive and adaptive generations often feel like odd men and women out. I wonder if they are also always so heavily outnumbered by what S&H calls the dominant generations — the civics and idealists — as they seem to be this cycle.
(As bill-o knows, I’m a Boomer.)
Comment by Peter — July 12, 2009 @ 5:01 am
By the way, happy one-year blogiversary!
Comment by Peter — July 12, 2009 @ 5:04 am
Thanks for the one-year blogiversary greeting. It’s been a good year.
Comment by bill-o — July 12, 2009 @ 5:55 pm
And Peter, thank you for the tie in with the story in Ecclesiates chapter 9. I love this story because it really has a great mystery: how did the poor wise man deliver the city from the siege?
If I recall correctly, Strauss and Howe refer to adaptive and reactive generations as “recessive” generations. whereas the idealist and civics are “dominant” generations.
Comment by bill-o — July 12, 2009 @ 6:00 pm
I am considered a gen-Xer, as I was born in 1968. While I can appreciate the perspective of the comments, I have to say, this is not a recent thing with me – I have always felt sort of left out. I either felt I was too young to be important or too old to be considered. At times, I felt like I had always “just missed it” generation-wise. Again, I’ve had this feeling my entire life – since I was grade-school aged – I am now 41. Not really complaining, but just noticing this feeling has not really waned as time progresses. There is something to this, though, and I suspect its something prophetic, like perhaps we are among God’s numerous “hidden”, his “secret weapon” held in reserve for such a time as this.
Thanks for presenting this.
Comment by Catrise — November 10, 2009 @ 1:23 pm
Thanks Catrise. I appreciate your spiritually hopeful take on our generation, Generation X.
Comment by bill-o — November 11, 2009 @ 8:00 pm