In The Suicide Squad, a sequel to the 2016 super hero film Suicide squad, Peacemaker casually dismisses The Rat Catcher 2 with one word; Millennials. That one word was intended to serve as reason and explanation for her being tired and lazy all the time. I would like to think that Peacemaker, having only narrowly escaped the millennial generation, would be the last to tag Millennials as lazy and always tired. It is also important to note that Rat Catcher 2 actually belongs to Generation Z.
Although I must admit that when I first learned of the 7 different generations, Millennials did actually sound like an entitled and lazy bunch, it turns out that the former is true but the latter is not. I am a proud member of the Millennials and after doing a study on all the generations, it is clear that all generations are unique and their different and distinctive attitudes, habits, behaviours, expectations and mannerisms collectively give the entire race a lot to learn and enough to complain about.
A generation simply refers to people who were/are born and live(d) at the same period of time. This period is usually around 15 to 20 years. What are the 7 generations and what are they known for? Let me do this chronologically.
The Greatest Generation (1901 To 1927)
This generation follows The Lost Generation (often omitted in generation listings). The Greatest Generation is also referred to as G.I Generation or World War II generation.
This generation is truly great; most of them experienced their adulthood in the Great Depression and also fought in World War II. They are characterised by their sense of responsibility, humility, good work ethics, prudence, respect for commitment and their integrity.
As at date, anyone alive in this generation is between 95 to 121 years old. Some popular Greatest Generationers still living today include Dick Van Dyke (Bye Bye Birdie 1963), Angela Lansbury (Beauty and the Beast 1991) and Marsha Hunt (Pride and Prejudice 1940).
The Silent Generation (1928 To 1945)
The Great Depression and World War II had caused the preceding generation to decide to have fewer children.
This is a generation with a smaller population than The Greatest Generation and they are known not only for their size but also for their silence, hence the name. These are people who were raised in very difficult times and by very frugal and disciplined parents. They were often always spoken for and so they felt no need to speak in any matters; be it social, political or any matter at all.
This generation is characterised by their loyalty, thriftiness, respectfulness and determination.
However silent this generation may have been, they were responsible for the creation of rock and roll music and for forming the leadership of the Civil Rights Movement.
Some notable people in this generation include Wole Soyinka, Elvis Presley, Elizabeth Taylor, John Lennon, Bruce Lee and Muhammad Ali
Baby Boomers (1946 To 1964)
This generation was named because of the significant boom in birth rate. Statistics in the US show that over 3 million babies were born in 1946. By 1951, birth rates peaked and over 4 million babies were born yearly until 1965.
This generation is currently between the ages 58 and 76 years and is characterised by their confidence, self-reliance, independence and orderliness.
This generation has been assigned a few bad reviews, some of which are:
- They criticise technology but they use it, a lot.
- They are responsible for ruining the economy.
- They are impossible to work with.
A few notable people in this generation include Bill Gates, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Michael Jordan, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Johnny Depp.
Generation X (1965 to 1980)
Following the baby boomers, this generation, who are currently 42 to 57 years old, had to grow up at a time when there were many cultural and social changes. At this time, most mothers had started working full time and divorce rates had also increased, so a number of generation Xers had to grow up with little or no supervision. Most of their behaviours were thereby influenced by their peers rather than their parents or the home. This is responsible for their love for independence and informality.
This generation was influenced greatly by hip hop and rock music and they are sometimes referred to as the MTV generation.
They are known for their
- Informal and flexible life
- Ability to balance life and work
- Directness
- Independent life
A few notable Generations Xers include Gordon Ramsay, Idris Elba, Elon Musk, Tupac Shakur, Kobe Bryant, Reno Omokri, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Millennials (1981 to 1995)
This generation was initially referred to as generation Y. The new name was coined because some of the oldest members of the generation became adults when the millennium began. Although this generation was not born with social media, they witnessed its birth and evolution and have become totally engrossed in it.
Common characteristics of Millennials:
- Well informed and proficient with modern technology.
- Result oriented.
- Poor work ethics and career impatience.
- Often seeking to be praised and want to be rewarded.
- Lovers of collaborations.
- Very ambitious.
- Unable to take or give criticism.
- Often look out for themselves.
- Act entitled.
This group of people is currently between the ages of 27 and 41 years old. Some of the notable people in the generation are Serena Williams, David Adedeji Akindele (Davido), Usain Bolt, Mark Zuckerberg, Lionel Messi and Britney Spears.
Generation Z (1996 to 2010)
Also referred to as Zoomers, this group is the first generation to grow up hand in hand with access to the internet and advanced portable technology. This generation values their job unlike the Millennials who insist on loving what they do. They are very competitive and are financially focused. For their social and family life, they prefer physical human contact even though they are always in touch with people via their devices.
Other distinctive characteristics of Generation Z:
- They are very independent.
- They are not in denial about troubles surrounding them.
- They enjoy the company of other people.
- They love change and welcome it.
Their current age range is 12 to 26 and some notable members of this generation include Shawn Mendez, Kylian Mbappe, Jaden Smith, Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun (Wizkid) and Jace Norman.
Generation Alpha (2011 to 2025)
The oldest members of this generation are currently 11 years old. This is a visual generation. As a mother to one of its members, I totally agree with this. They tend to spend all of the days 24 hours in front of a TV screen, phone, tablet or any viewing device made available to them.
As a people who are still being born and still growing and developing physically and mentally, it is safe to say that some of their current characteristics may likely change. For example, most of them do not like to share and they have very different diets from the preceding generations.
Conclusion
It is clear how different every generation is from the other and the reasons why. I happen to be surrounded with family and friends from every generation from the Silent Generation to Generation Alpha and I will repeat that every generation is unique and they all bring something beautiful to the table of the human race.
