POLL: Debunking this myth about Baby Boomers also reveals something about Gen Z

[GPV]

There’s nearly a 50-year age gap between the oldest Baby Boomer and the youngest member of Gen Z. And for years we’ve heard how different these generations can be, from how they spend their money to how they work to how they use emojis.

We’ve seen “OK Boomer” trend on TikTok as Gen Z criticized their elders, and heard Boomers retort that younger generations should “stop whining.”

But Baby Boomers and Gen Z have something in common that’s often overlooked: Bias is shaping the way we talk about them, allowing stereotypes and myths to drown out facts and reality.

It’s an important point the president of the Pew Research Center made in a recent post. And it’s worth unpacking, because it has big implications for how we can better understand huge swaths of the US population – and the country’s political future.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/08/us/baby-boomers-gen-z-cec/index.html

What Gen are you?

65 votes, 1 pass | Time left: Unlimited
	Silent
	2 (3%)
	Boomer
	42 (65%)
	Gen X
	18 (28%)
	Millennial
	2 (3%)
	Gen Z
	1 (2%)
	Alpha
	0 (0%)
	1 DU member did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[2naSalit]

1. So...

i May be atypical, My friends and acquaintances are of varying ages, I don't have anymore "friends" in my age cohort then any other.

[Progressive dog]

2. These arbitrary dividing lines

between generations is unlikely to align with the significant changes in the individuals. Change is almost always gradual.

[zipplewrath]

4. Constantly changing definition

"Boomers" comes from the expression "baby boom" that existed after WWII. But if one looks at the birth rates, the actual "boom" was only from about '47 to 55. For years it was considered to be 47 to 60, which really, being on the 59 side of that with a brother on the 49 side of that, it was a bit long. I was not really of the "same" generation. Extending it to 64 is a bit of a joke. I've heard "early" millennials comment on a similar thing that they get lumped into the same "generation" as "late" millennials.

[Raftergirl]

7. Those born between '56-'64 are sometimes referred to as Generation Jones.

https://www.generations.com/insights/early-boomers-generation-jones-meet-the-two-boomer-subgroups#:~:text=The%20Boomer%20cohort%20is%20typically,40%25%20of%20the%20US%20population.

[phylny]

13. I was born in 1958 and this is how I think of myself.

[LostOne4Ever]

3. Seems like every thing that was said about my generation is now being applied to Gen Z

As a millennial/Xennial I feel for Gen Z!

[Irish_Dem]

5. When my friends complain about their kids and grandkids, I point out the crap we pulled when young.

I start listing all the stuff we pulled when in teens and twenties.

[usonian]

6. You're as old as you think. nt

[we can do it]

8. Generation Jones here.

[shrike3]

11. Same here.

[DavidDvorkin]

9. I'm in the Silent Generation, so I won't say anything about this

Except to say that when I was a teenager and young adult, the older generation constantly complained about how much noise we made, especially our music.

[Solly Mack]

10. Boomer/Generation Jones. My SO is Generation X.

I get along well with those born after me. Primarily because I don't find anything special about being born when I was born. I don't think the music was better or the books were better (good stuff across generations), or the fashion was better (Well, OK. A lot of what passed for fashion in the 70's was just plain ugly) or that my age group has a monopoly on good/better/best work ethics, values, morals, or anything else.

Different people think/feel differently. I accept that. Doesn't change how I think, but I accept that.

[Sky Jewels]

12. The gap is 66 years, not 50.

2012-1946 = 66

[Tree Lady]

14. I am a boomer and close to

My grandson gen X. We hike together. He has an intense love of nature like I do and believes in meditation. I think his generation is very concerned about the environment because it could kill them and they love it too.