By Tatiana Kielberman
Sometimes we assume that everybody knows the basic terminology which classifies generations, and we forget that there are many people who have trouble understanding the classifications and characteristics of each one.
In a chat with my older brother, I realized that I know more about this theme than he does. He’s a bit lost.
Our conversation went something like this:
-Tati, I know you are part of Generation Y and I’m part of generation X, I’m 32. Is that right?
- Yes, you are on the very edge of X and Y, you were born in a transitional moment between generations.
- Oh, I get it. And what generation is mom from?
- She’s a baby boomer, she’s 58 years old.
-Baby boomer…what? She explodes babies?
-Ha, that’s not what baby boomer means.
-I’ve told you millions of times that our parents are part of the baby boomer generation. They were born in the 50’s and right after the second world war, came a boom in births. People started to have lots of kids, and that’s why they’re called the baby boomers. The boom is an explosion in birth rates.
-Oh, ok. But let me try to understand. How do you know all this?
-Well, for many reasons. My generation studied English as a foreign language more rigorously than yours. You grew up in a time of constant economic inflation and economic tension. There wasn’t much money to invest in extracurriculars. When generation Y was born our parents felt a necessity to guarantee our future. English was a way to do that.
- That’s true. You’re right. I studied English for a very short time, and I never made it a priority. Mom and Dad also didn’t ask a lot of me, and since I entered a job where I didn’t need a foreign language, I didn’t think much of it. So for me, that’s why “baby boomer” makes me think of exploding babies. I know only the basics of English. But for what other reason?
- Well, maybe I am also more connected to these topics than you are. You have different interests. Also generation Y is a bit quicker. So while you guys were thinking about researching something, we were already “googling,” “copying,” “pasting,” and answering your questions, and we always did this with a great deal of creativity, and a certain level of efficiency.
- Convenient huh?
-It’s an example, I’m talking not only about myself here, but about most of the young people my age. This doesn’t exclude you, as part of Gen X, full of your own history, symbols, and idols. Plus, you were raised in a better way than we were. I bet mom and dad said “No” to you more than me. With me, they had to deal with my “No’s.” And I actually don’t think this did me a favor at all, because I think I would have experienced more personal growth, if things had been a bit more difficult for me. But anyways, that’s the reality of the matter.
-I would say that this is called “spoiling.” I guess, I’m spoiled as well.
-Of course you were spoiled, but spoiled by the lack of things. There was a lack of money at some points. That made it so our parents often tried to compensate in other ways. With me, everything was in my reach, at whatever moment, and however I wanted it. The good side of this, is that I discovered that information was available. I got to research and create. I discovered the meaning of a baby boomer before you. The negative aspect of this is that my thirst is somewhat unquenchable, and I’m not easily satisfied. Perhaps when I become a full-time employee this will be one of my weak points.
-Yes, perhaps you should try to diminish this anxiety you have, that seems so typical of Generation Y. In my case, I get anxious when I have to find a new job. But seeing you today, I feel that things in my day were easier. It seems employers expected the basics from Generation X. A good university, an impressive CV. That’s it. And yet, you guys need much more than that.
-Yes, that’s right. Things aren’t easy, and the question is no longer simply to grasp opportunity. Rather, you need to know what will happen to these opportunities once they’re in our hands. We have to be capable of transforming and making something out of them. Nothing is static, everything changes, all the time!
-Maybe that’s why things need to be so innovative these days. I get tired just from thinking about it.
-If you’re tired, imagine us, and the pressure we go through every day! What I want most is to be happy, doing something that I’m passionate about.
-Well, it seems that you’ve discovered this talent, and you can only improve from here.
-I know, I’m generation Y. I have you as generation X to remind me that quality counts. And I’ve got mom and dad to remind me not to forget what really counts in life.
-That’s right. And what about our kids? What do you think it will be like for them?
-Well, that’s a topic for another day. They’ll probably represent unimaginable speed and velocity, that we can’t even begin to conceive. They’ll make the earth move, and if we do our part, then they will be filled with value. In the end, the most valuable aspect of generations is that even though we live in different times, we all grow by living on the edge. Got it?
-What?
-I asked if you understood what I meant. Got it?
-On yeah, I “got it,”
-Oh! At this rate my own kids won’t no the meaning of yes and no.
-No problem, just like a good gen yer, you’ll teach them in a matter of minutes.
