Being an 18-year-old in 2016, I constantly hear older folks saying that x-generation is the problem in the United States of America. I am a part of Generation Z, which is people who were born from 1995-2015. My dad is 75 and is always saying that my generation is the source of problems and that we will make the United States fall apart when we grow older. He is not the only one saying this, but this cannot be more false. I did some research to prove that there were major problems in each generation. The world has not yet fallen apart. Here is what I found:
The Lost Generation
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The Lost Generation, also known as the Generation of 1914, consists of people born from 1883-1900. A major problem with this generation was that people were being taught unrealistic things about life after World War I. "The common people of the 'Lost Generation' (born from 1883 to 1900) grew up in a time when mass immigration was occurring and America was changing drastically. Upon the return of the soldiers from WWI, the American lifestyle was altered. Many became disillusioned and they became known as the "bad kids" and "flaming youth." Doughboys, flappers, gangsters, and stars were all common during the 'Roaring Twenties.' However, the '20s came to a close with a bang when the Stock Market crashed, ending the spirit of the 1920s." http://1920sgirls.tripod.com/lostgeneration.html
The Interbellum Generation
The Interbellum Generation consists of people born from 1901-1910. People in this generation were either a part of the Roaring Twenties or the first phase of the Great Depression. Problems with the Roaring Twenties include a ton of social issues such as the prohibition of alcohol, arguments over human origin (the Scopes trial), immigration, communism, isolationism and the 1928 United States presidential election. Groups such as the Ku Klux Klan were formed when the people of this generation were the age of my generation today. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interbellum_Generation
The Greatest Generation
The Greatest Generation consists of people born from 1911-1924. Journalist Tom Brokaw gave this generation that name because it was people who grew up in the United States during the Great Depression, then fought in World War II when they grew up. Is this generation really the greatest though? This generation invented nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, biological weapons, and weapons of mass destruction. This generation also strongly believed that materialism was the biggest priority and they did not care much about the environment. http://www.truthcontest.com/insights/greatest-generation/
The Silent Generation
The Silent Generation consists of people born from 1925-1945. This generation were either children during WWII or fought as young adults in the war. This generation lived through WWII, the Great Depression, the Cold War, McCarthyism and the Civil Rights Movement. This generation also consisted of men working while the women stayed home with the children. Instead of changing the government, they worked within it. They were silent. http://extension.missouri.edu/extcouncil/documents/ecyl/Meet-the-generations.pdf
The Baby Boomer Generation
Baby Boomers were born from 1946-1964. This generation was alive during the famous Woodstock, Vietnam War, Civil Rights Movement, movies in color and the Beatles. Many of my generation's parents were Baby Boomers. One con about this generation is that they ranked lowest when it came to being adaptable and collaborative according to Business Insider. Also, according to Daily Republic, this generation doubled the divorce rate. http://www.dailyrepublic.com/news/locallifestylecolumns/ranking-greatest-and-worst-generations/
Generation X
Generation X consists of people born from 1965-1976. When I looked up "Generation X" on Google, the first thing that came up was Google's definition of Generation X. This definition is, "The generation born after that of the baby boomers (roughly from the early 1960s to mid-1970s), often perceived to be disaffected and directionless." Some characteristics of this generation are: They reject rules, mistrust institutions and are individualistic. According to American Bar, "Even more so than Baby Boomers, members of Generation X dislike authority and rigid work requirements. An effective mentoring relationship with them must be as hands-off as possible." http://apps.americanbar.org/lpm/lpt/articles/mgt08044.html
Generations Y and Z
I decided to group these two generations together because they are so closely similar to each other. Generations Y and Z consist of people born from 1977- now. We are the most advanced when it comes to technology and we've had life fairly easy compared to other generations. Some bad things about us are: We expect results right away, we may come across as rude and sometimes things are handed to us too easily. http://growingleaders.com/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-generation-iy/
Each generation has its pros and cons. No generation is perfect and no generation is terrible. I wrote this article to show that each generation is not perfect, not just mine. The world has not fallen apart yet, and each generation contributes something positive to the world. To older adults, don't lose hope for my generation. We are not that bad and will do something great for the world. To my generation, don't let older adults tell you that our generation is terrible. We are amazing and will change the world.
