Help! I’m having a Generational Crisis
Ok so I’m sure that most of you have heard the term Millennial, at least a time or two. Who are these “millennials” everyone is talking about? And exactly what criteria qualifies one to be a part of this generation?
According to Wikipedia (which is a very distinguished and reputable source…ok, so maybe not), the Millennial Generation is made up of people born between the early 1980’s and early 2000’s. I was born in 1984. So if you believe Wikipedia, then I am a Millennial.
But it’s not quite that simple, the lines between which “generation” I fall into seem to be pretty blurred. I’m somewhere in that grey area where I could technically belong to either Generation X or Millennial (depending on what you believe.) I read somewhere that your generation is determined more by which one you relate to the most, rather than what year you were born.
This led me on my quest to figure out, just where the heck do I belong? I personally didn’t really classify myself as a Millennial, but I decided to do further research before drawing any conclusions.
One theory that I stumbled upon by Neil Howe & William Strauss (whoever they are) says GenXers are a reactive generation “focused on self rather than community.” This doesn’t sound like me! I like to think that I am pretty concerned with my community (and I know several GenXers who are as well.)
Hmph! At this point I am feeling pretty lost, I don’t seem to “identify” with Millennials, but I certainly don’t feel like a self-absorbed narcissist either.
Back to the drawing board! My Google search for Millennials returned the Buzzfeed quiz “Are you More Millennial or Gen X?” Perfect! Problem solved, answering these questions will help me solve my identity crisis! Let’s do it.
I still was not satisfied! Tragic. I began frantically searching the deepest bowels of the Internet to find out which generation I truly belong to. I’m still not sure what difference it actually makes regarding who I am as a person, but I absolutely had to know!
Most of those classified as Millennials grew up accustomed to computers, internet and text messaging. That isn’t the childhood that I remember. I can vividly recall the days before the internet, and texting definitely wasn’t commonplace until I was already a high school graduate. Social media was non-existent until I was a college student. I’m just not sure it’s fair for me to call myself a true Millennial even if Wikipedia says that I can.
GenXers are typically considered more cynical where Millennials are more optimistic. (** Disclaimer: these are generalizations formed by “generation experts” and do not reflect my opinion.) I certainly like to think that I am optimistic, but in full disclosure I know that I can certainly be a cynic at times. Geez, finding out what generation I’m in may be next to impossible!
I suppose that I’ll accept what Wikipedia and Buzzfeed have both told me and say that I am a Millennial, although I don’t necessary feel that I relate with most of “my” generation. There are things about both Gen X and Millennials that I can sympathize with. I honestly still feel that I am stuck somewhere in between the two. Maybe there should be a special generation title for the misfits like me that were born in the early 1980’s. We could be called the Pre-Millennials or Generation XY. Until that happens I’ll just have to deal with saying that I’m a Millennial.
-Molly O’Hearon, Public Information Assistant for the Chamber/CVB
The Right Blend Blog is written by three different authors employed by the Liberty County Chamber/CVB. As we are able, we rotate weeks and each write about our individual experiences, opinions and let our writing reflect our personalities and creativity. All content provided on The Right Blend blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site.
