27 May 2008

Penance St. Croix

A "twixter" is someone who is trapped between adolescence and adulthood. A "boomerang baby" is a young adult, usually a recent college graduate, who returns home to their parents. Somewhat similar to that, a boomerang baby in Japan is called a "parasite single," but they use the term to indicate single men and women who live with their parents so that they can enjoy a comfortable and carefree life. Plus housing in Japan is just scarce.

Isn't it nice to know that there are special definitions out there for people just like you? I don't know how anyone feels special anymore. If you think you're leading a totally unique life, check again.

I've always enjoyed trying to figure out which generation I'm a part of. Obviously, I'm no Baby Boomer (1946-1964). Technically speaking, I should be a part of Generation X (1965-1980), but I sort of feel a kinship to Millenials (1981-2000). What exactly do these things mean anyway? How can you describe a whole generation of people by affixing them with fun little labels? Well, apparently, you can.

Because people born in a common time frame face the world (hypothetically) together, they share common challenges and advantages. Take Generation X for example. We got birth control pills, saw the end of the Cold War, and can remember when modems ruled the Earth. The problem is, I don't have much in common with the majority of Gen-Xers -- the top end of which would be people in their low 40's, an age I generally feel no kinship to. I mean, I really didn't like Singles that much. Then again, Reality Bites is my favorite movie and Troy Dyer is my hero so I guess I fit the profile nicely: slacker.

"If you couldn't neatly place yourself in any of the (generations), then you're probably a Cusper. 1943-1947, 1962-1967 and 1976-1985 are each considered transition times. Many people born during these cusp periods identify with the generations on either side. Often, Cuspers feel like they belong to neither and belong to both. They are generationally bilingual. They can act as translators and ambassadors between the generations."
-John Losey-
Actually the whole point of this post was to share these two articles from Radar Online: Generation Slap, an article billed as a "call to arms against Millenials" and Get Off the Stage, one Millenial's response. My main take on it is that I fear my time is already over and unless I throw my lot in completely with the Millenials, I'll never make anything of myself.