Really interesting overall, but as a Gen X, nothing was mentioned about us at all lol, typical. To be fair to the author, not her fault she wasn’t asked a single question about Gen X
This was my thought exactly! I know she is a boomer but almost every question was about how boomers compared to gen z with a few millennials questions sprinkled in. Gen X was just used a dividing line nothing more. Even the newest generation for more talk time. 😂
Two be exact …two factors were mentioned : Gen X is “the last generation to have experienced unified culture” E-mail is the preferred Gen X ‘ means of communication
Hey Gen X-er’s, don’t feel bad that you were overlooked in the discussion-you’re the least problematic, the most independent-Carrie nailed it. Love, Mom
You're looking at "free speech" though the wrong end of the telescope if you actually think that's something the right-wing has more believe in, you better get your definitions for this straitened out.
Interesting, but as a few other commenters have mentioned there is almost no acknowledgement of Generation X, any wonder why we are sometimes called the forgotten generation? We lived through many important and influential events, the Challenger explosion, the rise of cable television, the home computer and internet, the fall of the Berlin Wall just to name a few. As another commenter said we were also the “Latchkey Kids” coming home after school to take care of ourselves and sometimes younger siblings since many more moms worked outside the home, either due to being from a divorced home and living with mom alone or due to the need or desire of our parents to be a two income household. We were much more self sufficient and independent, we learned to think for ourselves and many of us learned to let things go more than hold on to grudges. Of course my observations are somewhat generalizations, but when I think of my fellow Gen X friends we all seem to have at least some of these characteristics. So my Gen X friends, remember we know who we are and the value we add even though we are sandwiched between two of the most self-obsessed generations. We are now raising the next generation so let’s make sure to give them the best of us and our life experiences.
From what I am seeing, the parents of today are great parents. And the kids about to vote are ready to help the world. I have hope for the world because of them.
@@Rowan2314 I agree! I am very grateful for the younger generations. They are very important in our society and will play a big role in the upcoming election. That is why the GOP is scrambling to make it harder for voters aged between 18-25 to vote. They are scared of the power of their vote and don't want to lose power themselves, AT ALL COST. So, Gen Z and Millennial's need our support now more than ever💙💙💙🤝🙏
A little hard to sustain a work ethic when no matter how hard you work, you won't be able to buy a house, give your family the same style of life your parents had, can be downsized any minute. Speaking as a highly educated GenX who worked 2-3 jobs at a time, have been waiting decades for Boomers to retire, then will be passed over for younger candidates as am nearing retirement age with no funds to retire on. GenX is the generation who fell through the cracks.
Katie is all Boomer,Boomer,Boomer. I guess because that's her generation. But, Gen X is barely mentioned. It's the nature of how we were raised. Passed over.
Just thinking the same thing. This whole discussion almost entirely skipped over Gen X. The generation who fell through the cracks is an excellent description.
I agree - I enjoyed listening to her. However, may I suggest to Katie & staff that they put her name somewhere in title or under picture or written out somewhere during interview because I had to come down to comments to find out who she was beyond “Jean.”
Katie: Please don’t ignore Gen X! There was hardly any mention, while there was more than ample attention to Boomers, Millennials and Gen Z. I expected more given my typical respect for your journalism.
It’s so Boomer to make it all about Boomers. They are such a narcissistic generation . They even point out that they victimized their own members with their hyper-corporatization and deregulation. Now the rest of us are forced to pick up the pieces. Sorry to be negative, but I’m over it.
Yeah, I had to laugh at this: As usual, we get ignored. LOL! Katie, I love you, but your Boomer bias showed here, "Tell me about Boomers...I'm a Boomer!" nothing wrong with this, but it would have been nice to get more equal distribution through the generations. Maybe a follow up discussion? That would be fab!
I love learning about all the generations tho, being a Gen X'er, kept waiting for Gen X's turn but it never came. This should have been titled "everything to know about Katie's generation". Was still interesting but would have loved to learn more on the last 3 generations.
Across all generations there is selfishness and self obsession.That is a human character flaw based on self preservation and survival. Some people are dicks,doesn’t matter when they were born.
Like she says outta the gate she’s a boomer, naturally she’s been traumatized by Vietnam Nam-it was no joke. Maybe it’s partially to boomers’ credit that gen X’ers turned out to be such a great generation-it was a the right balance of independence, responsibility + oversite + of course the times in regard to technology. Also, it was a long, long wait for the Greatest Generation to move into retirement-Boomers were late to the management party.
Another reason workers attitudes have changed is because the work environment has changed. Silents and Boomers could start at a company right out of school and stay with that company until retirement. Most of the places I have worked for (I'm a Gen X) aren't even around anymore. Also, everything is run by giant corporations now.
Yeah, that annoyed me too. Not much attention given to how the work environment changed. I think Katie tacitly admitted that “work to live” isn’t exactly healthy either.
18:01 "The Boomer wants to see you face-to-face. The Gen-Xer wants to email you. The Millenial wants to text you and Gen Z wants to send you a TikTok video" - Professor Jean Twenge As a Gen-Xer, I resemble that remark #LOL
Financial status is also a factor across all age groups. When you're debt-free, have enough money to pay bills and enjoy life, you have choices. Being in debt, working multiple jobs to make ends meet and never getting ahead causes stress, depression, anxiety and hopelessness. It would be interesting to see some of the issues discussed - work ethic, independence, community, life span - stratified across financial status to see how each generation responds.
You’re right about that-even worse being in debt to the government aka student loans. My ancestors were endentured for seven years-i’m endentured for life (as a social service worker).
I think one really big misperception that social media and smart phones are the main/only driver to mental health issues/depression. We need to also study how our overall health has been impacted from decades of poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyle. Our neural pathways and hormones are directly affected by our nutrition and all of these poor fats, additives and stabilizers have contributed to overall poor biological performance.
I was born in '96, right when smartphones were becoming the next big thing. By the time I hit 11 or 12, I was all about those Android phones. Then in '09, bam, social media entered the scene, and from that moment, it was like my whole world revolved around smartphones, online gaming, and apps. It's like I became this digital native, you know? Totally feel what she's saying about teens not hanging out as much outdoors. That's literally my life-more screen time, less fresh air. And yeah, driving? Nope, not for me. Didn't even think about it 'cause I was knee-deep in those online games and apps, like, all the time. As if that wasn’t enough, it hit me hard, feeling more down than ever. I had this moment where I was like, "Why am I feeling this way?" It made me seriously think about how glued I am to all this digital stuff and how it might be messing with my head. So, yeah, it's been a real eye-opener, realizing the impact of my tech-heavy life on my mental game.
Gen X???still ignored😟😟 I think Gen X was on the forefront of influence in today's popular music, work/life balance, and overall popular culture. And when we were in our 20s, Baby Boomers loved to put us down in the media. We were called Baby Busters, the Slacker Generation....I will never forget how much that hurt. I can't remember even one time that Gen X was discussed in a positive light in the American media when I was in my 20s.
Katie's guest called it correctly,and Katie hardly noticed as she was chomping at the bit to get her point out, but the guest stated that gen z realizes there's a problem, they just don't know what to do about it. That is the profound truth. It's upto the elders to then assist the gen z with solutions.
Me as Gen-X: OMG, a generational convo and we are listed in the title! Listens for a few minutes, hears we prefer email, otherwise ignored … again. #whatever
I think Gen X is ignored because it has few substantive differences with the boomers. So it's lumped into boomers. To me main difference was that boomers enjoyed the Golden Age of 60's and 70's music which had started tapering off in quality with the advent of alternative.
@@tjbeep Thank you for your smart and informed reply. I couldn’t agree more … there are few substantive differences between The Beatles and The Clash. Samey samey. Next.
Late Boomers are so different from Gen X. Especially considering most of us are 70s babies. We grew up on tech, MTV, hip hop, a totally different world.
@@hgoodin1013 Late Boomers are so different from Gen X. Especially considering most of us are 70s babies. We grew up on tech, MTV, hip hop, a totally different world.
I think a large reason the younger generations don't live to work is that they have seen how companies treat their workers! There is no loyalty from the companies who will fire you or lay you off the minute you reach 50 or they can hire someone younger for less money. My ex was an engineer who was in his late 40's and early 50's. This was in the 90's and he was always terrified he would lose his job because he was aging. He still had his skills, but they could hire two younger guys who were willing to work extra hours, be paid less and often even sleep at the job site because they were "young and hungry" in Silicon Valley where we lived. I thought he was crazy because he was highly skilled and why would they let him go? But he was right, and I was wrong. First, they put you in a management position when you are a design engineer NOT a manager and the next thing is you are laid off. So why would younger workers put work first when the companies see you as expendable?
Which company should they be loyal to? If they're working multiple jobs just to try to keep their heads above water because none of the jobs pay well enough to earn a living, how are they supposed to choose which one gets their loyalty?
I agree. Even though I was born in 1962, we all were parented the same. Even though our parents tried to be better than their parents. Sometimes, they parented the same. Some of my peers went to bed without dinner or were hit. I didn’t have any of that abuse. But, I had my parents blow up at me, sometimes around people. I got privileges taken away. Those, weren’t a big deal and I don’t remember that. But I remember how hurtful it was to be blown up at for my incessant complaining, problems doing my homework or being fat. It could happen at one of my parents friend’s houses, my grandparents house or a restaurant, as well as at home. Then it could be both parents reprimanding me and as I got older, my sister got into the mix. I suffered depression as a child, because I was getting schizoaffective disorder. In our day, the psychiatrists didn’t know how abusive this was and it was ok, to them. Also, there were no medications for the depression. My parents tried to help me the best that they could. We all were depressed in some way. I was just the worst. So, it was easier to get frustrated with me. Today, this is not ok. When it happens, which is rare, others get upset.
@@nancun2837 I know. I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s. But, think that is why a lot of people in our generation are depressed or anxious. That’s how it went. My sister still was a screamer in the 90’s and 2000’s. She has one child that has adult attention deficit disorder and depression and a autistic child with depression. I think screaming affects people differently. Some have a strong skin and don’t take it personally. Some people like I am with schizoaffective disease, depression, anxiety and paranoia take it personally and seriously. Because, I also am concrete. Which doesn’t help me, either. I still love my parents and am happy that I still have my dad. It’s rare for him to blow up at me now. But, occasionally when my sister is around he might blow up if I complain about something due to my paranoia that I am unimportant. Then I look like I am ungrateful. Of course my sister gets into the mix. It’s bad when I am not neurotypical and cause some of my problems just by being me…….🐱
@Cindy You are a thoughtful, sensitive human being. You’ve been the perfect YOU since birth. There is no such thing as causing problems just because of who you are. That is a lie others have told or are telling you. I used to think that way, too…I think I understand? What I didn’t know was literally what I didn’t know: not everyone reacts or reacted to a sick child the way our parents did. There are healthier people who take responsibility for THEIR choices. Those people are able to control themselves when feeling emotionally volatile because they remember they’re the parent with fully grown brains to cope with their own unease or inconvenience of being around differently abled people. They are able to mentally step back when they feel angry, do what they need to do in a healthy way to reduce those feelings and come up with a better solution besides screaming. Maybe even see it as an actual OPPORTUNITY to model appropriate behaviour and self-care for their little ones. I only know this because I was blessed to meet such a person later in life. It is important that you be your own best friend now as much as you can if you are still in a verbally or emotionally abusive situation. Try not to be hard on yourself because you’re not neurotypical. If I met you I’m sure I’d learn a whole lot of other good qualities you have. Just a thought(s)….take what you like and leave the rest, hope I’m not out of line in my comments.
What has fascinated me for years is how it is that some people (particularly in the UK) seem to think "the past" is World War II, after which time apparently stops. I grew up with swing music but that's the music of my early childhood, my parents. I was born in 1940. My people are Elvis, the Beatles, the Stones, and so on-people who made rock and roll history. They're the same age I am, for heaven's sake! I still like rock and folk and do not like jazz (because my parents did). My son is Gen X and his taste differs from mine. He likes jazz! Blech! Maybe he's reincarnating my parents? As for work, I've been a freelancer for many years. I have, at various times, worked at two or three jobs. None of my friends consider themselves retired, even though many of them are better off than I am. They still work.
Very interesting interview on many fronts but I agree with several others here in the comments that the very few references of Gen X in the larger discussion of current generations is frustrating, but not surprising.
Gen X - we're the gloomy yet goofy quintessential middle child.😐We're often reduced to a demographic footnote. Stuck between two of the largest, loudest and most annoying generations in American history. Gen X is sometimes called the “Forgotten Generation.” We're the smallest generation by population, with about 65 million people. We Xers are savvy, skeptical and self-reliant. We're not into preening or pampering (cue Grunge scene.) And when it really comes down to it... we don't give two F's what others think of us or whether others think of us at all.
I do wonder what effect the pandemic has had on all of these issues. The ramifications of the pandemic is definitely, and should be, the topic of many sociological studies.
You forgot to mention Watergate shaping Gen X. Of course you forgot! We are always forgotten. But please, tell me more about Boomers! I haven’t heard nearly enough about them, their tastes, accomplishments, etc. Oh wait, please, I almost missed that. Another description of yet one more Boomer experience. Thanks for clearing that up for me. Now I have an even better idea of what they think and how they feel. Now I’ll just get back to my invisible Gen X life and send some emails.
Gen Xers were the last generation to know what the world was like without internet, to be young adults out of pen-and-paper colleges with liberal arts degrees looking for jobs with no computer experience and then BANG here comes Windows 95, 98 etc and the internet which ranks with the automobile and television as changing the world. We had to go to the library or encyclopedia to look something up. We had 3-5 tv channels. We had videotape collections then had to replace with laserdiscs then dvd then blu-ray then forget it just stream. We had bookcases full of books, then get rid of them and get the books on the hard drives and now kindles. We had vinyl records then cassette tapes then 8-tracks then cds then oh just throw that away. I had a waterbed. 13 years I slept on water. Probably explains my insomnia. I miss my waterbed. I miss my big rotary Snoopy phone. We had no caller id. We had to read paper maps. No GPS. We had all these useless degrees that we were told to earn and then employers say, so what, do you do windows (I said to the job recruiter in 1995, sure, just get me some windex), then excel then etc, etc. and you have to keep starting over and over and over and then come the younger and faster to replace you, and you are so tired and disgusted that you feel like the big fat X you were to begin with. Oh it's depressing. Somebody get me a Hubba Bubba Soda
My sister and I are 11 months and 3 weeks apart. She was born in April 1964, .I was born in April 1965. But we are in different generations? I think that's ridiculous. We had the same experiences growing up. People like labels and grouping people, sometimes arbitrarily. I'm happy to be a Gen Xer though! LOL! I got to grow up in the late 60's, then the 70s and 80s! The best!!
My youngest daughters are also 11 months and 3 weeks apart and also fall into 2 different generations! 😊 My older two are in another 2, so I'm a Gen X with a Millenial, a Gen Y, a Gen Z, and an Alpha! No wonder I'm so exhausted 😅 I call them North, South, East and West because they are all so different. Sometimes I'm the equator, but more often and not, I'm Pluto... 🌌
Born in 63 - agree we were lucky to grow up in the 60s/70s. So much freedom - uncomplicated, simple childhoods in terms of technology. Less stuff, more time. Paper routes, 4 TV channels that signed off at 11 pm, going barefoot in summer, almost everything could be repaired. It’s hard to capture. And we had no idea we would be the last.
@@SN-sz7kw You are SO right! 1967 here. We had no idea we’d be the last…I’m guessing you’re referring to the impending AI revolution that I’m guessing will mark a generation of its own. Chat GPT just the beginning: horrifying to hear that company’s CEO describe existential threats on 60 Minutes a couple of weeks ago. I’m already mourning the relative simplicity of my childhood but mostly the freedom like you said. To play outdoors with nothing but your imagination as part of your plans for the day. When exploring meant getting up and moving, not plugging in and sitting….until the computer and internet. I have a Gen Z child and it often felt more like I was a grandmother because of the great changes after 9/11. Everything changed then.
Of course they are arbitrary. Do you think they can take billions of people around the world as individuals? This data is large amalgamations and doesn't always reflect individuals, but statistically they show up. The further you are from the middle of that group the less likely you are to experience everything indicated.
@@SilortheBlade just poking fun at the idea that my sister and I, less than a year apart, are considered different generations. I honestly never gave it the kind of deep thought that you clearly have. It's not that serious!
Gen X here and what I’m noticing is that whenever Gen X comes up tangentially in the interview (Jean states she is Gen X), Katie immediately pivots to Boomers. I get that Katie is a Boomer but it’s typical that so much is Boomer navel gazing and not being able to look outside themselves. A journalist should be able to be cognizant of others’ experiences. I’ll probably look for Jean’s book at the library so I can get a more balanced view on all the generations mentioned, including the ones that impact my personal life (silent generation/depression era parents, Gen. Z kids being launched into adulthood).
I am a Millennial and most straight couples I know the women has a college degree and the man doesn’t … so the woman is the primary bread winner … this is a lot different than my parents generation where both parents were educated but the man made way more
But it's not because women's pay is on parity, it's because men are dropping out. It's different. Women still make only 0.80 cents to every man's dollar.
All of this talk about the boomer work ethic is hilarious. My parents: one is the silent generation, one is a boomer. We lived in a middle class neighborhood. Only my father worked. My mother had a housekeeper twice a week. This was normal for our neighborhood.My father worked long hours but not equivalent to the two earner households we see today. When he came home, the house was clean and dinner was ready so he could rest. Can we please give the boomer work ethic a rest? Boomers were at the forefront of the hustle for your corporation that will drop you in a second and also votes against healthcare and strong public schools. Now everyone is stressed out because they glorified the few at the top that lobbied for all of these exploitive laws. They believe in work ethic for their underlings. The rest is smoke and mirrors. Oh, and kids today are being raised by stressed out exploited parents who are being fed a diet of cheap frankenfoods that destroy health and disrupt hormones. I don’t know what the science says, but it matters what you look at.
Baby Boomers worked very long hours and many of them were left out to freeze when companies downsized or relocated their operations to other countries. Millennials and Gen Xers witnessed that firsthand. So, the definition of work ethic might have changed because of that. By the way, are other Western societies as obsessed with labeling the different generations as the US? Maybe they do, but I wonder.
No company will turn down free labour, and in the end you will rarely get anything from it. Maybe experience to help with a promotion, but in this age you are more likely to move up in pay if you move to a new job.
@victor Well Canada does the labelling here too, I'm not sure if it's an obsession though. I find it quite fascinating myself! (Gen X here...& the 80s rocked! 😝)
Not one question about gen X. Figures, not Jean's fault. Our generation is the one taking the reigns of power and there is never even one discussion about this. We are in our 40s and 50s and the CEO's of many consequential companies and are never discussed.
Gen x: we grew up playing hard and we like play, as a kid I went skiing, sailing, boating, hiking, and a lot more leisure stuff and I just like to do that more than work, maybe that’s it too
Yes, we were more rough and tumble. Left to figure our own crap out---no helicopter parenting, no cell phone on our hips--out in the wild, but damn it, be home for dinner and when the streetlights come on, you better head home for the night.
I’m a baby boomer with millennial daughters. They do not talk on the phone since getting their own first cellphone when age appropriate. Text only. Same today, only text, with millennial coworkers and friends. Today toddlers are texting 😅. I’m very happy I grew up when I did. I’m 68 yo:
Katie always brings inciteful questions for all her guests. Sexual orientation seems to be the most significant changes between generations. If communities are less localized, becoming online based then individualized acceptance opens up. The group forms from ideas not location. But that's also a detriment when it starts a riot or any violence..
As a Gen X Im at home being low key and doing my own thing we are undefinable and cant be "understood" or generalized to prove how varied we are I think we get enough attention I just figure all the previous points plus the smallest generation by numbers think about it we catch little to no flack. Hey this is kind of...our style. Just wonder why Gen X is even mentioned in the title seems pretty much about boomers maybe a retitle would end any confusion.
Regarding the question, why is it mostly Gen Z'ers who are coming out as transgender...It's because they have been exposed (via social media, mostly) to the idea of transgender - and with that, now have a name for what they are feeling. My son (a Millenial) came out as transgender, and has educated me, his mother about the issue. In learning about it, I began to realize that this was the answer to what has been confusing me about how I identify. Without these discussions with him, I would never have known why I have always felt differently from others in my assigned gender. I think that there are more older people who are coming to this realization as well, but since we are a bit more inhibited in that thinking, are not necessarily making it known to others.
The problem with wanting more restrictions on speech is that those who are in favor of more restrictions only want restrictions on people who don't agree with them but don't want restrictions imposed on them.
Something that bothered me as a disabled millennial is that the minute the pandemic hit remote work was made more of a priority, but the minute things started getting somewhat better Covid-19 wise it was like "Ok let's get back to the office now." I worry about what the future holds living in a red state with no public transit as someone who wants to work. I get the pessimism of my generation overall. Those who are able-bodied work harder for less and less while whole segments of society are left out. Trying to enter the job market feels daunting when you add disability from birth on top of it.
I remember when I was 28ish, I finally got a descent paying job, and was only there for like 2 years, and the market was becoming competitive in the brake industry, and the employer decided to move the plant to New Mexico where they could pay the workers less😳 to make some money. They offered early retirement packages, and one elder told me that he couldn't take it becuz his wife wasn't old enuff to get her social security or medical benefits as she didn't work. Needless to say, I lost my job, 2 cars that were almost paid off, and if that elder would have retired, that wouldn't have happened to me😭. The government should have allowed her to get the benefits early so us young uns could have worked that one more year, and I could've kept my cars. Instead, I lost out 30 grand or more in car payments and full coverage insurance😭😭😭. The gov will help the bleeping Ukraine while Americans suffer. UGHHH. I loathe the Monopoly game, people with no empathy, people with no common sense or critical thinking skills. They come off as selfish and greedy.😬😔. So sad here. Just sayin...p.s. I didn't blame that elder as we were BOTH stuck between a rock and a hard place. I do, however, BLAME THE GOVERNMENT💯💯 with all the things coming out like bill Clinton affairs, JFK,s affairs, and oh yes, who knew that "Foreign Affairs" would come to mean the CIA etc etc protecting Epstein island. 🙄
JFK was killed by CIA. No one blinked an eye. I empathize with your observations on our governments' abandonment. Moreover, about being unable to relocate. My cousin (like a sister) was the only one in her 350 person company to relocate. She did for fear of losing medical after receiving transplant. She couldn't really afford her home and benefits slowly degraded. She wasn't paid her worth and couldn't afford supplement treatments. She suffered, rotted, and died. You have each other, and here today to share that story. I bet they never had a worker as good as you. Their lost.
This should have been titled Boomers. That's all Katie focused on. This wasn't fair or balanced at all. When the guest tried to mention Gen X, Katie directed the conversation right back to Boomers.
As I’ve read in most of the comments, Generation X was once again mostly ignored - barely mentioned. It’s like people cannot comprehend that after Baby Boomers there was a such thing as the generation of people being born. After that, us Gen-Xers did come before the millennials. Someone needs to explain to Katie Couric that when her podcast episode title has Generation X in it that group of people should talked about too. The title does say ‘The real difference between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers & Silents - not just Boomers, Millennials, & discussions here & there about Gen Z. If us Gen Xers are going to be continued to be ignored, do not put our generation in the subject heading of generational topics.
Boomers, Boomers, Boomers…other people…let’s get back to Boomers, problems with other people… Boomers… just call it an interview about Boomers. I mean does anyone else even matter?
Interesting fact. I live on a river, its very private and secluded, not gated.. its no a wealthy area where I live mostly working class yet also a small community. That said, I see men women children on the river everyday that will go by and never look up from their cell phones. Here they are on a beautiful river yet they are really seeking selfees to post while ignoring everything around them.. its weird.
In contemporary politics, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair applied communitarian beliefs through his advocacy of a “stakeholder society” in which businesses should be responsive to the needs of their workers and the consumer communities they served. Similarly, the “compassionate conservatism” initiative of former U.S. President George W. Bush stressed the use of conservative policy as the key to improving the general welfare of American society.
I'm a millennial at the END of the spectrum at 40 years old, I've had older people around my entire life, grandparents, etc. I'm noticing more and more people are younger than me, and less and less people are older, I'm becoming the older person, its weird and I don't like it. Someday there won't be "Old People" in my life, just me, I'LL be the old person, the elderly man wearing compression socks with arthritis or some shit, everyone else in my life will be younger, no-one to tell me stories about the way things were back in the day, or give me advice.
When reporting relies only on data and not real life experiences, it’s not really representative of the realities - try working or living in a city with a highly dense population where multi-generations are clashing & co-existing.
Polars or Generation Alpha will become a extremely smart and logical thinking generation that will change the current style of living. They will also be very small in numbers. Small but mighty. From adversary comes toughness. This is the reality of life. Millennials are too over confident for the their own good, which will make them suffer, but will be very rich because of inheritance, boomers were hard workers but have don’t want to let go, I can understand why. Gen X will always be overlooked but just want to do their job and go home. Gen Z is very physically weak and mentally as well now.
I love this. I hope you’re right. My kids are alpha (almost 4 and almost 10) and I think about the uncertainty they will face and already I just stress to them to think critically and think outside the box. I pray you are right! God bless.
Starting with Gen X, who watched bosses go to lunch get drunk and worthless after lunch working to cover, and never being rewarded for working overtime at a low wage salaried job with NO Overtime, kind of soured us on the whole work centric thing. Especially after we raised ourselves, anyway, because the Boomers were gone working, and at some point you have to ask yourself WHY? We still aren't rewarded, as the Boomers STILL have the top jobs, and are more than willing to outsource and automate our jobs. Just today, I saw someone chewed out for not responding to an e-mail on a travel day at a conference when they hadn't even landed. That's just insane.
Omg even as a boomer i cringe at this. First massive layoffs in 2008 due to the financial crisis. Then massive layoffs during covid. This generation is not getting the benefits of capitalism or of working hard. That’s why they don’t
Why even have Gen X in the title. You glossed over Gen X only focusing on Boomer, Millennials and Gen Z. Even the Silent Generation got more coverage. Katie, you're losing your grip.
Gen X doesn't accept societal norms and expectations, we set them for ourselves and the older and younger generations consider us not tolerant to what they want to push on us, so nothing has changed! That's why they avoid talking about us.
When Gen Z have to live with their parents longer, don't have a car and are not raised to be independent (and a risk taker), of course they are not have very much sex. You gotta have a place to do it, or at least a belief that you can solve the problem and be creative and resourceful to find a safe place to do it. You can't have sex with another real person in your phone. And I don't want to hear someone chime in about sexing--that is not the same thing. Better than porn, but still not real human sexual touch.
I don't even know why I'm watching this. I despise people being generalized and pigeonholed, especially when the time frames are so broad. My niece and nephew are both Gen Zers. One is 23 and the other is 11. My mother is one year into the silent and I'm one year into Gen X. None of us fit into any those given categories.
I pay close attention to attitudes, I've always been a details person. I notice an extreme arrogance and total disrespect for others in young people today. They appear to have little interest in anything that they do not benefit from. They are extremely selfish and rude.
Why is Gen Z bigger than millennials in her definition? The one where it is 1997-2012 is much better and makes more sense. Like 1995 and 2012? That's a HUGE time period of change in the USA.
I really dislike the categorization of people in the ways you discussed .....I recently had an experience that was a real aggravation....I manage a drop for special milk and another for delivery of organic goods....an individual asked to join both drops...when I attempted to communicate with him, I was ignored and when I expressed my annoyance due to the need for them to understand how it all worked it was explained to me that millianals .. did not talk on the phone, they text....my reply was that I was a senior and thought it quite rude to not respect the need to properly communicate when requested. Good manners and good communication skills are a necessity in ANY generation and any society!!!
THIS concept of generational differences is so full of garbage. If you do ANY research and thinking, you will find this concept dates to sociologists in the early 1900's and became more prominent in a book by William Strauss and Neil Howe in the 1990's. Strauss and Howe became very esoteric in their conception of the "turning" of generations. The concept is so pernicious in spreading stereotypes, misunderstandings between people, and hatred of certain "generations". IF anyone thinks it's such a great idea, go to a cocktail party and start getting to know people by asking them what "generation" they came from, rather than really talking to them as people with real dreams, feelings, needs, what makes them happy and sad, etc. UNBELIEVABLE that some people call themselves psychologists and yet have very little understanding of people.
I am the very youngest of boomers, born 1964. Been fighting against anthropogenic global warming (AGW) and overpopulation my entire life. So have my siblings. We are all antinatalists.
Any thoughts on the androgyny & open sexuality of culture of the early 1970's. I've been wondering if there are any parallels between that group of mostly Boomers and what's happening now with openness to multiple genders and sexual partner preference?
Gen X here. I agree with others, Gen Z was largely glossed over here. But I hate all this technology. I am the worst cell phone owner. I am no Luddite, I can use it, in fact I use a Linux operating system on my PC and only open source apps on my phone and I scrub Google from it. But, I miss the days when call was only something you got at home. I often leave my house and leave my phone at home. And I NEVER sleep with my phone. I cancelled my social media in 2019 and I am happier for it. Sure, technology is useful and can be a help, but I see these younger kids who are walking around only looking at their phones. I pity them. How will they ever hold a job, when they can't put down their phone?
Why are the younger generations drastically changing their sexual identification? Ms. Twenge says "We don't know yet." I think there's a clear influence that no one seems to talk about. That has to do with the easy and readily available access to pornography. Free pornography educates younger people on sexual options. Older generations had little or no exposure to this kind of information. There's a cultural taboo about talking about pornography and its easy availability and use, and that's why we don't connect it to the social changes that are occurring. (Katie and I grew up in the same neighborhood at the same time (Boomers) and we both went to Yorktown H.S.)
The sexual identification crisis started in the 60S and 70S mostly through musical artists in their lyrics. So this means that Gen X is accused of perpetrating this kind of thinking. It may be possible that school guidance counselors are trying to convince kids that they are the opposite sex. 1 in 10 kids have a gender transition. I don't think that pornography has anything with this type of change. Do you have any concrete facts to back your assumptions?
The real differences between the generations-in other words-Boomers and how the rest of us revolve around them. 🙄 I would have liked to hear a short lecture/overview about it instead of just question/answer.
Does anyone else think that the Silent Generation is the most horribly named generation ever, since they're called a generation that's silent with no voice? I was born in the same year that Jennifer Love Hewitt was, so I'm Gen X.
I would challenge the free speech views here. If I say I don't want to hear someone's bigoty am I not exercising my free speech? If I tell a business of employer they won't get my work or business if they want to support something that is denying freedoms to others is that not my right to do so? By the logic presented here my dollars are owed to a company , or my labour to a work place. You seem to fall into the bigot trap where the real bigots are those who discriminate against the bigots. I think if you looked at the actual actions and reasons behind it you would get a much better picture. And I say this as a 47 year old Gen X.
The current mental health crisis is more along the lines of exotic drug usage and gambling. I don't really see unhealthy food and water being a factor into your equation. Can you make a video explaining your POV?
They all had parents that did not care about our nation's democracy and the shallow buying with corruption that is how they were raised - not to speak of politics and religion unlike successful democracies as Western European.
Really interesting overall, but as a Gen X, nothing was mentioned about us at all lol, typical. To be fair to the author, not her fault she wasn’t asked a single question about Gen X
Exactly. I’m a typically fan of Katie’s journalism, but she almost completely ignored the existence of Gen X. Quite odd.
This was my thought exactly! I know she is a boomer but almost every question was about how boomers compared to gen z with a few millennials questions sprinkled in. Gen X was just used a dividing line nothing more. Even the newest generation for more talk time. 😂
Two be exact …two factors were mentioned :
Gen X is “the last generation to have experienced unified culture”
E-mail is the preferred Gen X ‘ means of communication
GenX is often forgotten/overlooked in the media. So weird.
I know right? Always that way.
Hey Gen X-er’s, don’t feel bad that you were overlooked in the discussion-you’re the least problematic, the most independent-Carrie nailed it. Love, Mom
Lol
You're looking at "free speech" though the wrong end of the telescope if you actually think that's something the right-wing has more believe in, you better get your definitions for this straitened out.
Thanks Mom💕
What the F! So typical! Where is the discussion about Gen X?????? As usual, we get totally skipped over. Thanks for nothin‘, Ms. Couric. 🫤
Interesting, but as a few other commenters have mentioned there is almost no acknowledgement of Generation X, any wonder why we are sometimes called the forgotten generation? We lived through many important and influential events, the Challenger explosion, the rise of cable television, the home computer and internet, the fall of the Berlin Wall just to name a few. As another commenter said we were also the “Latchkey Kids” coming home after school to take care of ourselves and sometimes younger siblings since many more moms worked outside the home, either due to being from a divorced home and living with mom alone or due to the need or desire of our parents to be a two income household. We were much more self sufficient and independent, we learned to think for ourselves and many of us learned to let things go more than hold on to grudges. Of course my observations are somewhat generalizations, but when I think of my fellow Gen X friends we all seem to have at least some of these characteristics. So my Gen X friends, remember we know who we are and the value we add even though we are sandwiched between two of the most self-obsessed generations. We are now raising the next generation so let’s make sure to give them the best of us and our life experiences.
Thank you for this comment. As a Gen X'er and former latch key kid, I was wondering the same thing. One day, we will be remembered 💜
From what I am seeing, the parents of today are great parents. And the kids about to vote are ready to help the world. I have hope for the world because of them.
@@Rowan2314 I agree! I am very grateful for the younger generations. They are very important in our society and will play a big role in the upcoming election. That is why the GOP is scrambling to make it harder for voters aged between 18-25 to vote. They are scared of the power of their vote and don't want to lose power themselves, AT ALL COST. So, Gen Z and Millennial's need our support now more than ever💙💙💙🤝🙏
The comment section tells me all I need to know about this particular talk. Thank you Carrie for putting it all into words for us (also- great name 😉)
So well said! I love being gen x! Fantastic generation IMO❤
A little hard to sustain a work ethic when no matter how hard you work, you won't be able to buy a house, give your family the same style of life your parents had, can be downsized any minute. Speaking as a highly educated GenX who worked 2-3 jobs at a time, have been waiting decades for Boomers to retire, then will be passed over for younger candidates as am nearing retirement age with no funds to retire on. GenX is the generation who fell through the cracks.
Agreed - people go from Boomers to Millennials and I scream I AM RIGHT HERE 🤨
Katie is all Boomer,Boomer,Boomer. I guess because that's her generation. But, Gen X is barely mentioned. It's the nature of how we were raised. Passed over.
Can’t agree more with you.
Yup. Yup. Yup.
Just thinking the same thing. This whole discussion almost entirely skipped over Gen X. The generation who fell through the cracks is an excellent description.
Jean is brilliant, no question. Very articulate, no waffling, and really knows the supporting details.
I agree - I enjoyed listening to her. However, may I suggest to Katie & staff that they put her name somewhere in title or under picture or written out somewhere during interview because I had to come down to comments to find out who she was beyond “Jean.”
Katie: Please don’t ignore Gen X! There was hardly any mention, while there was more than ample attention to Boomers, Millennials and Gen Z. I expected more given my typical respect for your journalism.
Indeed , completely ignored Gen X
It’s so Boomer to make it all about Boomers. They are such a narcissistic generation . They even point out that they victimized their own members with their hyper-corporatization and deregulation. Now the rest of us are forced to pick up the pieces. Sorry to be negative, but I’m over it.
AS a Gen X, what were your social causes? I really don't know.
Yeah, I had to laugh at this: As usual, we get ignored. LOL! Katie, I love you, but your Boomer bias showed here, "Tell me about Boomers...I'm a Boomer!" nothing wrong with this, but it would have been nice to get more equal distribution through the generations. Maybe a follow up discussion? That would be fab!
I love learning about all the generations tho, being a Gen X'er, kept waiting for Gen X's turn but it never came. This should have been titled "everything to know about Katie's generation". Was still interesting but would have loved to learn more on the last 3 generations.
I think it’s funny that Katie starts with Boomers and keeps going back to them. To me, that’s a great representation of Boomers in itself.
True. Boomers tend to be self-obsessed.
I'm a boomer and I noticed that too. I think I'll have to read Jean's book to learn about gen x and gen z!
Across all generations there is selfishness and self obsession.That is a human character flaw based on self preservation and survival. Some people are dicks,doesn’t matter when they were born.
Hahahaha!
Like she says outta the gate she’s a boomer, naturally she’s been traumatized by Vietnam Nam-it was no joke. Maybe it’s partially to boomers’ credit that gen X’ers turned out to be such a great generation-it was a the right balance of independence, responsibility + oversite + of course the times in regard to technology. Also, it was a long, long wait for the Greatest Generation to move into retirement-Boomers were late to the management party.
Another reason workers attitudes have changed is because the work environment has changed. Silents and Boomers could start at a company right out of school and stay with that company until retirement. Most of the places I have worked for (I'm a Gen X) aren't even around anymore. Also, everything is run by giant corporations now.
I guess they consider all that as part of technology & it's downstream effects..?
Yeah, that annoyed me too. Not much attention given to how the work environment changed. I think Katie tacitly admitted that “work to live” isn’t exactly healthy either.
18:01 "The Boomer wants to see you face-to-face. The Gen-Xer wants to email you. The Millenial wants to text you and Gen Z wants to send you a TikTok video" - Professor Jean Twenge
As a Gen-Xer, I resemble that remark #LOL
@@cg4806 that’s what generation names are, generalizations that focus mostly on life events that impact cohorts
That’s genius and rings true to me, fellow genX
Financial status is also a factor across all age groups. When you're debt-free, have enough money to pay bills and enjoy life, you have choices. Being in debt, working multiple jobs to make ends meet and never getting ahead causes stress, depression, anxiety and hopelessness. It would be interesting to see some of the issues discussed - work ethic, independence, community, life span - stratified across financial status to see how each generation responds.
And, you don't think people in ALL generations experienced some of that?
You’re right about that-even worse being in debt to the government aka student loans. My ancestors were endentured for seven years-i’m endentured for life (as a social service worker).
Excellent analysis. Very engaging topic! Thanks, Katie :0)
I think one really big misperception that social media and smart phones are the main/only driver to mental health issues/depression. We need to also study how our overall health has been impacted from decades of poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyle. Our neural pathways and hormones are directly affected by our nutrition and all of these poor fats, additives and stabilizers have contributed to overall poor biological performance.
I agree as well!
I was born in '96, right when smartphones were becoming the next big thing. By the time I hit 11 or 12, I was all about those Android phones. Then in '09, bam, social media entered the scene, and from that moment, it was like my whole world revolved around smartphones, online gaming, and apps. It's like I became this digital native, you know?
Totally feel what she's saying about teens not hanging out as much outdoors. That's literally my life-more screen time, less fresh air. And yeah, driving? Nope, not for me. Didn't even think about it 'cause I was knee-deep in those online games and apps, like, all the time.
As if that wasn’t enough, it hit me hard, feeling more down than ever. I had this moment where I was like, "Why am I feeling this way?" It made me seriously think about how glued I am to all this digital stuff and how it might be messing with my head. So, yeah, it's been a real eye-opener, realizing the impact of my tech-heavy life on my mental game.
‘96 baby here 😎. We’re called the Geriatric Zoomers lol (old Gen-Z’s)
Katie, this was fascinating. One of your best PC's 👍
Excellent interview and content. Thanks
Gen X???still ignored😟😟 I think Gen X was on the forefront of influence in today's popular music, work/life balance, and overall popular culture. And when we were in our 20s, Baby Boomers loved to put us down in the media. We were called Baby Busters, the Slacker Generation....I will never forget how much that hurt. I can't remember even one time that Gen X was discussed in a positive light in the American media when I was in my 20s.
Katie's guest called it correctly,and Katie hardly noticed as she was chomping at the bit to get her point out, but the guest stated that gen z realizes there's a problem, they just don't know what to do about it. That is the profound truth. It's upto the elders to then assist the gen z with solutions.
Me as Gen-X: OMG, a generational convo and we are listed in the title!
Listens for a few minutes, hears we prefer email, otherwise ignored … again. #whatever
Yes. The author is even Gen X. Still ignored.
Ikr! I hate emails #GenX
I think Gen X is ignored because it has few substantive differences with the boomers. So it's lumped into boomers.
To me main difference was that boomers enjoyed the Golden Age of 60's and 70's music which had started tapering off in quality with the advent of alternative.
@@tjbeep Thank you for your smart and informed reply. I couldn’t agree more … there are few substantive differences between The Beatles and The Clash. Samey samey. Next.
@@tjbeep Gen X would disagree with you.
I was born in 1961 to very young parents. I assiciate more with the gen-x sensibilities. I fit better as an elder gen-x.
Agree 100% Born in 1963 here, but with parents who grew up during the Depression. I feel so much more affiliation with Gen X than the Boomers.
1960s babies should have their own distinction! The 60-64 don’t fit with boomers and 65-69 don’t fit with genx 🤷🏽♀️
Late Boomers are so different from Gen X. Especially considering most of us are 70s babies. We grew up on tech, MTV, hip hop, a totally different world.
@@hgoodin1013 Late Boomers are so different from Gen X. Especially considering most of us are 70s babies. We grew up on tech, MTV, hip hop, a totally different world.
I think a large reason the younger generations don't live to work is that they have seen how companies treat their workers! There is no loyalty from the companies who will fire you or lay you off the minute you reach 50 or they can hire someone younger for less money. My ex was an engineer who was in his late 40's and early 50's. This was in the 90's and he was always terrified he would lose his job because he was aging. He still had his skills, but they could hire two younger guys who were willing to work extra hours, be paid less and often even sleep at the job site because they were "young and hungry" in Silicon Valley where we lived. I thought he was crazy because he was highly skilled and why would they let him go? But he was right, and I was wrong. First, they put you in a management position when you are a design engineer NOT a manager and the next thing is you are laid off. So why would younger workers put work first when the companies see you as expendable?
Which company should they be loyal to? If they're working multiple jobs just to try to keep their heads above water because none of the jobs pay well enough to earn a living, how are they supposed to choose which one gets their loyalty?
At 73 years old, it’s clear we had depression as teens. Don’t know how we coped except we were expected to do so.😮
I agree. Even though I was born in 1962, we all were parented the same. Even though our parents tried to be better than their parents. Sometimes, they parented the same. Some of my peers went to bed without dinner or were hit. I didn’t have any of that abuse. But, I had my parents blow up at me, sometimes around people. I got privileges taken away. Those, weren’t a big deal and I don’t remember that. But I remember how hurtful it was to be blown up at for my incessant complaining, problems doing my homework or being fat. It could happen at one of my parents friend’s houses, my grandparents house or a restaurant, as well as at home. Then it could be both parents reprimanding me and as I got older, my sister got into the mix. I suffered depression as a child, because I was getting schizoaffective disorder. In our day, the psychiatrists didn’t know how abusive this was and it was ok, to them. Also, there were no medications for the depression. My parents tried to help me the best that they could. We all were depressed in some way. I was just the worst. So, it was easier to get frustrated with me. Today, this is not ok. When it happens, which is rare, others get upset.
Cindy, screaming at kids, hitting them and worse we’re not unusual in the 50s
@@nancun2837 I know. I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s. But, think that is why a lot of people in our generation are depressed or anxious. That’s how it went. My sister still was a screamer in the 90’s and 2000’s. She has one child that has adult attention deficit disorder and depression and a autistic child with depression. I think screaming affects people differently. Some have a strong skin and don’t take it personally. Some people like I am with schizoaffective disease, depression, anxiety and paranoia take it personally and seriously. Because, I also am concrete. Which doesn’t help me, either. I still love my parents and am happy that I still have my dad. It’s rare for him to blow up at me now. But, occasionally when my sister is around he might blow up if I complain about something due to my paranoia that I am unimportant. Then I look like I am ungrateful. Of course my sister gets into the mix. It’s bad when I am not neurotypical and cause some of my problems just by being me…….🐱
@Cindy You are a thoughtful, sensitive human being. You’ve been the perfect YOU since birth. There is no such thing as causing problems just because of who you are. That is a lie others have told or are telling you. I used to think that way, too…I think I understand? What I didn’t know was literally what I didn’t know: not everyone reacts or reacted to a sick child the way our parents did. There are healthier people who take responsibility for THEIR choices. Those people are able to control themselves when feeling emotionally volatile because they remember they’re the parent with fully grown brains to cope with their own unease or inconvenience of being around differently abled people. They are able to mentally step back when they feel angry, do what they need to do in a healthy way to reduce those feelings and come up with a better solution besides screaming. Maybe even see it as an actual OPPORTUNITY to model appropriate behaviour and self-care for their little ones. I only know this because I was blessed to meet such a person later in life. It is important that you be your own best friend now as much as you can if you are still in a verbally or emotionally abusive situation. Try not to be hard on yourself because you’re not neurotypical. If I met you I’m sure I’d learn a whole lot of other good qualities you have. Just a thought(s)….take what you like and leave the rest, hope I’m not out of line in my comments.
@@wendymacneill6689 Thank you so much. I appreciate your kind and heartfelt comment. 🐻
What has fascinated me for years is how it is that some people (particularly in the UK) seem to think "the past" is World War II, after which time apparently stops. I grew up with swing music but that's the music of my early childhood, my parents. I was born in 1940. My people are Elvis, the Beatles, the Stones, and so on-people who made rock and roll history. They're the same age I am, for heaven's sake! I still like rock and folk and do not like jazz (because my parents did). My son is Gen X and his taste differs from mine. He likes jazz! Blech! Maybe he's reincarnating my parents? As for work, I've been a freelancer for many years. I have, at various times, worked at two or three jobs. None of my friends consider themselves retired, even though many of them are better off than I am. They still work.
Great interview. Looking forward to reading this book now!
Very interesting interview on many fronts but I agree with several others here in the comments that the very few references of Gen X in the larger discussion of current generations is frustrating, but not surprising.
Gen X - we're the gloomy yet goofy quintessential middle child.😐We're often reduced to a demographic footnote. Stuck between two of the largest, loudest and most annoying generations in American history. Gen X is sometimes called the “Forgotten Generation.” We're the smallest generation by population, with about 65 million people. We Xers are savvy, skeptical and self-reliant. We're not into preening or pampering (cue Grunge scene.) And when it really comes down to it... we don't give two F's what others think of us or whether others think of us at all.
I do wonder what effect the pandemic has had on all of these issues. The ramifications of the pandemic is definitely, and should be, the topic of many sociological studies.
You forgot to mention Watergate shaping Gen X. Of course you forgot! We are always forgotten. But please, tell me more about Boomers! I haven’t heard nearly enough about them, their tastes, accomplishments, etc. Oh wait, please, I almost missed that. Another description of yet one more Boomer experience. Thanks for clearing that up for me. Now I have an even better idea of what they think and how they feel. Now I’ll just get back to my invisible Gen X life and send some emails.
Hahahaha!!
What? Watergate was in the early 70s, when most Gen X were born and before.
@@anikadiamond007 Right, Watergate happened during '72-74. The majority of us Gen X-ers were still in elementary school. When it all began I was 4! 😂
Love this topic!
As a Gen X, the discussion about Boomers grows tiresome. Then when you discuss other generations, you skip Gen X entirely.
I know, right?
Gen X is the truly forgotten generation.
32:00 Much more chemicals. Endocrine disruptors.
These are going to vote in incredible numbers!
Wow this was sooooooo good
I'm a 65-year-old boomer mom, and asked my son if I was an "OK Boomer", and he said absolutely not. He made me feel so happy!
Gen Xers were the last generation to know what the world was like without internet, to be young adults out of pen-and-paper colleges with liberal arts degrees looking for jobs with no computer experience and then BANG here comes Windows 95, 98 etc and the internet which ranks with the automobile and television as changing the world. We had to go to the library or encyclopedia to look something up. We had 3-5 tv channels. We had videotape collections then had to replace with laserdiscs then dvd then blu-ray then forget it just stream. We had bookcases full of books, then get rid of them and get the books on the hard drives and now kindles. We had vinyl records then cassette tapes then 8-tracks then cds then oh just throw that away. I had a waterbed. 13 years I slept on water. Probably explains my insomnia. I miss my waterbed. I miss my big rotary Snoopy phone. We had no caller id. We had to read paper maps. No GPS. We had all these useless degrees that we were told to earn and then employers say, so what, do you do windows (I said to the job recruiter in 1995, sure, just get me some windex), then excel then etc, etc. and you have to keep starting over and over and over and then come the younger and faster to replace you, and you are so tired and disgusted that you feel like the big fat X you were to begin with. Oh it's depressing. Somebody get me a Hubba Bubba Soda
My sister and I are 11 months and 3 weeks apart. She was born in April 1964, .I was born in April 1965. But we are in different generations? I think that's ridiculous. We had the same experiences growing up. People like labels and grouping people, sometimes arbitrarily. I'm happy to be a Gen Xer though! LOL! I got to grow up in the late 60's, then the 70s and 80s! The best!!
My youngest daughters are also 11 months and 3 weeks apart and also fall into 2 different generations! 😊 My older two are in another 2, so I'm a Gen X with a Millenial, a Gen Y, a Gen Z, and an Alpha! No wonder I'm so exhausted 😅
I call them North, South, East and West because they are all so different. Sometimes I'm the equator, but more often and not, I'm Pluto... 🌌
Born in 63 - agree we were lucky to grow up in the 60s/70s. So much freedom - uncomplicated, simple childhoods in terms of technology. Less stuff, more time. Paper routes, 4 TV channels that signed off at 11 pm, going barefoot in summer, almost everything could be repaired. It’s hard to capture. And we had no idea we would be the last.
@@SN-sz7kw You are SO right! 1967 here. We had no idea we’d be the last…I’m guessing you’re referring to the impending AI revolution that I’m guessing will mark a generation of its own. Chat GPT just the beginning: horrifying to hear that company’s CEO describe existential threats on 60 Minutes a couple of weeks ago.
I’m already mourning the relative simplicity of my childhood but mostly the freedom like you said. To play outdoors with nothing but your imagination as part of your plans for the day. When exploring meant getting up and moving, not plugging in and sitting….until the computer and internet. I have a Gen Z child and it often felt more like I was a grandmother because of the great changes after 9/11. Everything changed then.
Of course they are arbitrary. Do you think they can take billions of people around the world as individuals? This data is large amalgamations and doesn't always reflect individuals, but statistically they show up. The further you are from the middle of that group the less likely you are to experience everything indicated.
@@SilortheBlade just poking fun at the idea that my sister and I, less than a year apart, are considered different generations. I honestly never gave it the kind of deep thought that you clearly have. It's not that serious!
Gen X here and what I’m noticing is that whenever Gen X comes up tangentially in the interview (Jean states she is Gen X), Katie immediately pivots to Boomers. I get that Katie is a Boomer but it’s typical that so much is Boomer navel gazing and not being able to look outside themselves. A journalist should be able to be cognizant of others’ experiences. I’ll probably look for Jean’s book at the library so I can get a more balanced view on all the generations mentioned, including the ones that impact my personal life (silent generation/depression era parents, Gen. Z kids being launched into adulthood).
I am a Millennial and most straight couples I know the women has a college degree and the man doesn’t … so the woman is the primary bread winner … this is a lot different than my parents generation where both parents were educated but the man made way more
But it's not because women's pay is on parity, it's because men are dropping out. It's different. Women still make only 0.80 cents to every man's dollar.
All of this talk about the boomer work ethic is hilarious. My parents: one is the silent generation, one is a boomer. We lived in a middle class neighborhood. Only my father worked. My mother had a housekeeper twice a week. This was normal for our neighborhood.My father worked long hours but not equivalent to the two earner households we see today. When he came home, the house was clean and dinner was ready so he could rest. Can we please give the boomer work ethic a rest? Boomers were at the forefront of the hustle for your corporation that will drop you in a second and also votes against healthcare and strong public schools. Now everyone is stressed out because they glorified the few at the top that lobbied for all of these exploitive laws. They believe in work ethic for their underlings. The rest is smoke and mirrors. Oh, and kids today are being raised by stressed out exploited parents who are being fed a diet of cheap frankenfoods that destroy health and disrupt hormones. I don’t know what the science says, but it matters what you look at.
Fantastic interview!
Baby Boomers worked very long hours and many of them were left out to freeze when companies downsized or relocated their operations to other countries. Millennials and Gen Xers witnessed that firsthand. So, the definition of work ethic might have changed because of that. By the way, are other Western societies as obsessed with labeling the different generations as the US? Maybe they do, but I wonder.
It’s all about marketing shorthand. How do you sell something to people born in different eras. It’s super-lazy.
No company will turn down free labour, and in the end you will rarely get anything from it. Maybe experience to help with a promotion, but in this age you are more likely to move up in pay if you move to a new job.
When I graduated college, there were very few jobs. We came into the workforce when companies started laying people off in mass.
@victor Well Canada does the labelling here too, I'm not sure if it's an obsession though. I find it quite fascinating myself! (Gen X here...& the 80s rocked! 😝)
Not one question about gen X. Figures, not Jean's fault. Our generation is the one taking the reigns of power and there is never even one discussion about this. We are in our 40s and 50s and the CEO's of many consequential companies and are never discussed.
Gen x: we grew up playing hard and we like play, as a kid I went skiing, sailing, boating, hiking, and a lot more leisure stuff and I just like to do that more than work, maybe that’s it too
Yes, we were more rough and tumble. Left to figure our own crap out---no helicopter parenting, no cell phone on our hips--out in the wild, but damn it, be home for dinner and when the streetlights come on, you better head home for the night.
I’m a baby boomer with millennial daughters. They do not talk on the phone since getting their own first cellphone when age appropriate. Text only. Same today, only text, with millennial coworkers and friends. Today toddlers are texting 😅. I’m very happy I grew up when I did. I’m 68 yo:
Katie always brings inciteful questions for all her guests. Sexual orientation seems to be the most significant changes between generations. If communities are less localized, becoming online based then individualized acceptance opens up.
The group forms from ideas not location. But that's also a detriment when it starts a riot or any violence..
As a Gen X Im at home being low key and doing my own thing we are undefinable and cant be "understood" or generalized to prove how varied we are I think we get enough attention I just figure all the previous points plus the smallest generation by numbers think about it we catch little to no flack. Hey this is kind of...our style. Just wonder why Gen X is even mentioned in the title seems pretty much about boomers maybe a retitle would end any confusion.
Regarding the question, why is it mostly Gen Z'ers who are coming out as transgender...It's because they have been exposed (via social media, mostly) to the idea of transgender - and with that, now have a name for what they are feeling. My son (a Millenial) came out as transgender, and has educated me, his mother about the issue. In learning about it, I began to realize that this was the answer to what has been confusing me about how I identify. Without these discussions with him, I would never have known why I have always felt differently from others in my assigned gender. I think that there are more older people who are coming to this realization as well, but since we are a bit more inhibited in that thinking, are not necessarily making it known to others.
Any links to the guest’s book and/or sites?
The problem with wanting more restrictions on speech is that those who are in favor of more restrictions only want restrictions on people who don't agree with them but don't want restrictions imposed on them.
Good afternoon Katie
Sometimes I get the impression that people think Gen X just disappeared, given that no one ever talks about them. Were we so unimportant? ; )
Yes .. other than causing the current crisis's we have going on
Something that bothered me as a disabled millennial is that the minute the pandemic hit remote work was made more of a priority, but the minute things started getting somewhat better Covid-19 wise it was like "Ok let's get back to the office now." I worry about what the future holds living in a red state with no public transit as someone who wants to work. I get the pessimism of my generation overall. Those who are able-bodied work harder for less and less while whole segments of society are left out. Trying to enter the job market feels daunting when you add disability from birth on top of it.
I remember when I was 28ish, I finally got a descent paying job, and was only there for like 2 years, and the market was becoming competitive in the brake industry, and the employer decided to move the plant to New Mexico where they could pay the workers less😳 to make some money. They offered early retirement packages, and one elder told me that he couldn't take it becuz his wife wasn't old enuff to get her social security or medical benefits as she didn't work. Needless to say, I lost my job, 2 cars that were almost paid off, and if that elder would have retired, that wouldn't have happened to me😭. The government should have allowed her to get the benefits early so us young uns could have worked that one more year, and I could've kept my cars. Instead, I lost out 30 grand or more in car payments and full coverage insurance😭😭😭. The gov will help the bleeping Ukraine while Americans suffer. UGHHH. I loathe the Monopoly game, people with no empathy, people with no common sense or critical thinking skills. They come off as selfish and greedy.😬😔. So sad here. Just sayin...p.s. I didn't blame that elder as we were BOTH stuck between a rock and a hard place. I do, however, BLAME THE GOVERNMENT💯💯 with all the things coming out like bill Clinton affairs, JFK,s affairs, and oh yes, who knew that "Foreign Affairs" would come to mean the CIA etc etc protecting Epstein island. 🙄
JFK was killed by CIA. No one blinked an eye. I empathize with your observations on our governments' abandonment. Moreover, about being unable to relocate. My cousin (like a sister) was the only one in her 350 person company to relocate. She did for fear of losing medical after receiving transplant. She couldn't really afford her home and benefits slowly degraded. She wasn't paid her worth and couldn't afford supplement treatments. She suffered, rotted, and died. You have each other, and here today to share that story. I bet they never had a worker as good as you. Their lost.
You don't have to blame Ukraine for government policy.
@@junehodsdon8037 🙄🤦♀️Really? Zelensky was video recorded "Begging the US and NATO for money and weapons"...Ssssoooo...your move 🤭🙃
Peer pressure only exist when one is insecure.
Like 95% of all middle schoolers.
Wow. Thanks for this, from a Boomer
This should have been titled Boomers. That's all Katie focused on. This wasn't fair or balanced at all. When the guest tried to mention Gen X, Katie directed the conversation right back to Boomers.
from waiting for a book, for waiting for a movie, to filtering out noise, and evil porn
Did behavior change in people born after leaded gas stopped being used?
a957 here... retired at 62, retirement comes more so due to what type work you do vs what opportunities you are offered.,
As I’ve read in most of the comments, Generation X was once again mostly ignored - barely mentioned. It’s like people cannot comprehend that after Baby Boomers there was a such thing as the generation of people being born. After that, us Gen-Xers did come before the millennials. Someone needs to explain to Katie Couric that when her podcast episode title has Generation X in it that group of people should talked about too. The title does say ‘The real difference between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers & Silents - not just Boomers, Millennials, & discussions here & there about Gen Z. If us Gen Xers are going to be continued to be ignored, do not put our generation in the subject heading of generational topics.
.. 1957 here too. I agree I lived the boom to bust more then once...
That's what I don't understand about some Boomers who complain about the economy. We've been through this before.
Boomers, Boomers, Boomers…other people…let’s get back to Boomers, problems with other people… Boomers… just call it an interview about Boomers. I mean does anyone else even matter?
There are also a lot more and different hormones in the food we consume and that affects our brain chemistry.
Todays kids are also are living in a nation filled with guns and the fear of random gun violence. What effect will that have on their lives long term.
What about Xennials..1977 to 1984
Interesting fact. I live on a river, its very private and secluded, not gated.. its no a wealthy area where I live mostly working class yet also a small community. That said, I see men women children on the river everyday that will go by and never look up from their cell phones. Here they are on a beautiful river yet they are really seeking selfees to post while ignoring everything around them.. its weird.
How can 20 years be a generation?
In contemporary politics, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair applied communitarian beliefs through his advocacy of a “stakeholder society” in which businesses should be responsive to the needs of their workers and the consumer communities they served. Similarly, the “compassionate conservatism” initiative of former U.S. President George W. Bush stressed the use of conservative policy as the key to improving the general welfare of American society.
I'm a millennial at the END of the spectrum at 40 years old, I've had older people around my entire life, grandparents, etc. I'm noticing more and more people are younger than me, and less and less people are older, I'm becoming the older person, its weird and I don't like it. Someday there won't be "Old People" in my life, just me, I'LL be the old person, the elderly man wearing compression socks with arthritis or some shit, everyone else in my life will be younger, no-one to tell me stories about the way things were back in the day, or give me advice.
I'm first year gen x and I can't wait to retire that is if there is any social security left.
When reporting relies only on data and not real life experiences, it’s not really representative of the realities - try working or living in a city with a highly dense population where multi-generations are clashing & co-existing.
Polars or Generation Alpha will become a extremely smart and logical thinking generation that will change the current style of living. They will also be very small in numbers. Small but mighty. From adversary comes toughness. This is the reality of life. Millennials are too over confident for the their own good, which will make them suffer, but will be very rich because of inheritance, boomers were hard workers but have don’t want to let go, I can understand why. Gen X will always be overlooked but just want to do their job and go home. Gen Z is very physically weak and mentally as well now.
I love this. I hope you’re right. My kids are alpha (almost 4 and almost 10) and I think about the uncertainty they will face and already I just stress to them to think critically and think outside the box. I pray you are right! God bless.
Starting with Gen X, who watched bosses go to lunch get drunk and worthless after lunch working to cover, and never being rewarded for working overtime at a low wage salaried job with NO Overtime, kind of soured us on the whole work centric thing. Especially after we raised ourselves, anyway, because the Boomers were gone working, and at some point you have to ask yourself WHY?
We still aren't rewarded, as the Boomers STILL have the top jobs, and are more than willing to outsource and automate our jobs.
Just today, I saw someone chewed out for not responding to an e-mail on a travel day at a conference when they hadn't even landed. That's just insane.
Omg even as a boomer i cringe at this. First massive layoffs in 2008 due to the financial crisis. Then massive layoffs during covid. This generation is not getting the benefits of capitalism or of working hard. That’s why they don’t
Why even have Gen X in the title. You glossed over Gen X only focusing on Boomer, Millennials and Gen Z. Even the Silent Generation got more coverage. Katie, you're losing your grip.
She's clueless.
Best technology device in daily life = the vacuum cleaner. To think of only being able to sweep shit around not suck it up, makes me shudder ...
Gen X doesn't accept societal norms and expectations, we set them for ourselves and the older and younger generations consider us not tolerant to what they want to push on us, so nothing has changed! That's why they avoid talking about us.
When Gen Z have to live with their parents longer, don't have a car and are not raised to be independent (and a risk taker), of course they are not have very much sex. You gotta have a place to do it, or at least a belief that you can solve the problem and be creative and resourceful to find a safe place to do it. You can't have sex with another real person in your phone. And I don't want to hear someone chime in about sexing--that is not the same thing. Better than porn, but still not real human sexual touch.
I don't even know why I'm watching this. I despise people being generalized and pigeonholed, especially when the time frames are so broad. My niece and nephew are both Gen Zers. One is 23 and the other is 11. My mother is one year into the silent and I'm one year into Gen X. None of us fit into any those given categories.
I pay close attention to attitudes, I've always been a details person. I notice an extreme arrogance and total disrespect for others in young people today. They appear to have little interest in anything that they do not benefit from. They are extremely selfish and rude.
Am a boomer with 3 millennial boys. Find the art of small talk has gone by the wayside, Eating out with them is way so awkward...
Why is Gen Z bigger than millennials in her definition? The one where it is 1997-2012 is much better and makes more sense. Like 1995 and 2012? That's a HUGE time period of change in the USA.
More importantly what are the common bonds of our collective.
I really dislike the categorization of people in the ways you discussed .....I recently had an experience that was a real aggravation....I manage a drop for special milk and another for delivery of organic goods....an individual asked to join both drops...when I attempted to communicate with him, I was ignored and when I expressed my annoyance due to the need for them to understand how it all worked it was explained to me that millianals .. did not talk on the phone, they text....my reply was that I was a senior and thought it quite rude to not respect the need to properly communicate when requested. Good manners and good communication skills are a necessity in ANY generation and any society!!!
THIS concept of generational differences is so full of garbage. If you do ANY research and thinking, you will find this concept dates to sociologists in the early 1900's and became more prominent in a book by William Strauss and Neil Howe in the 1990's. Strauss and Howe became very esoteric in their conception of the "turning" of generations. The concept is so pernicious in spreading stereotypes, misunderstandings between people, and hatred of certain "generations". IF anyone thinks it's such a great idea, go to a cocktail party and start getting to know people by asking them what "generation" they came from, rather than really talking to them as people with real dreams, feelings, needs, what makes them happy and sad, etc. UNBELIEVABLE that some people call themselves psychologists and yet have very little understanding of people.
I am the very youngest of boomers, born 1964. Been fighting against anthropogenic global warming (AGW) and overpopulation my entire life. So have my siblings. We are all antinatalists.
Any thoughts on the androgyny & open sexuality of culture of the early 1970's. I've been wondering if there are any parallels between that group of mostly Boomers and what's happening now with openness to multiple genders and sexual partner preference?
Gen X here. I agree with others, Gen Z was largely glossed over here. But I hate all this technology. I am the worst cell phone owner. I am no Luddite, I can use it, in fact I use a Linux operating system on my PC and only open source apps on my phone and I scrub Google from it. But, I miss the days when call was only something you got at home. I often leave my house and leave my phone at home. And I NEVER sleep with my phone. I cancelled my social media in 2019 and I am happier for it. Sure, technology is useful and can be a help, but I see these younger kids who are walking around only looking at their phones. I pity them. How will they ever hold a job, when they can't put down their phone?
Why are the younger generations drastically changing their sexual identification? Ms. Twenge says "We don't know yet." I think there's a clear influence that no one seems to talk about. That has to do with the easy and readily available access to pornography. Free pornography educates younger people on sexual options. Older generations had little or no exposure to this kind of information. There's a cultural taboo about talking about pornography and its easy availability and use, and that's why we don't connect it to the social changes that are occurring. (Katie and I grew up in the same neighborhood at the same time (Boomers) and we both went to Yorktown H.S.)
The sexual identification crisis started in the 60S and 70S mostly through musical artists in their lyrics. So this means that Gen X is accused of perpetrating this kind of thinking. It may be possible that school guidance counselors are trying to convince kids that they are the opposite sex. 1 in 10 kids have a gender transition. I don't think that pornography has anything with this type of change. Do you have any concrete facts to back your assumptions?
The real differences between the generations-in other words-Boomers and how the rest of us revolve around them.
🙄
I would have liked to hear a short lecture/overview about it instead of just question/answer.
Rock Stars in their 70s?
Does anyone else think that the Silent Generation is the most horribly named generation ever, since they're called a generation that's silent with no voice? I was born in the same year that Jennifer Love Hewitt was, so I'm Gen X.
Isn't nonbinary the same as androgyny? That's been a thing going back to the 60s. David Bowie, Grace Jones....
Also - the rise of the neoliberal ethos (i.e. the culture of greed) is a factor in how millennials and younger differ from boomers.
populations shift. Korean war vs Vietnam war.....the draft! etc.
I would challenge the free speech views here.
If I say I don't want to hear someone's bigoty am I not exercising my free speech? If I tell a business of employer they won't get my work or business if they want to support something that is denying freedoms to others is that not my right to do so? By the logic presented here my dollars are owed to a company , or my labour to a work place.
You seem to fall into the bigot trap where the real bigots are those who discriminate against the bigots. I think if you looked at the actual actions and reasons behind it you would get a much better picture. And I say this as a 47 year old Gen X.
WW2 was protested through America first policies and isolationism
More garbage ageist generalizations about trends. Also, tell us more about the "silents".
Current mental health crisis is also attributable to our unhealthy food and water ; processed, genetically modified, sugar etc etc etc.
The current mental health crisis is more along the lines of exotic drug usage and gambling. I don't really see unhealthy food and water being a factor into your equation. Can you make a video explaining your POV?
They all had parents that did not care about our nation's democracy and the shallow buying with corruption that is how they were raised - not to speak of politics and religion unlike successful democracies as Western European.
Now Alpha Generation!!