Move Over Boomers -- Gen-X And Gen-Y in the Coming Decades <p>

self | 01/24/2004 | MeadsJN

[qam1]

If Gen X-ers are supposed to be the salvation of America, how come we had 8 years of Bill Clinton?

Read my lips, No new taxes and Bob Dole.

But notice when Gen-X got into significant numbers after 40 years we elected a Republican congress

If Gen Y-ers are the solution to us selfish baby boomers, why is Howard Dean such a prominent presidential candidate for the Dems?

Ok many of the Deaniacs are young and Stupid, But still College Kids support Bush in numbers higher than the General public.

However, if you want to take the credit for it, thanks for the dot-com bust that put so many people out of work and caused the collapse of so many businesses. Good work!! Is THIS the legacy that you Gen X-ers want to have? You're not off to a very good start.

Yes it is a good legacy, Even with the so called Dot.com bust. Early on many/the majority of the early Auto, Airplane, Radio, etc. companies went bust and put many people out of work. Does that mean those whole industries were failures? Of course not, Just like the internet is doing today Autos, Airplanes, Radios, etc changed our live for the better.

 Tell ya what. Print out a copy of the post I am replying to and put it in a safe place. A VERY safe place. 30 years from now, when the next generation is blaming you for everything that is wrong with the America that THEY inherited from YOU, re-read what you wrote. If you have an ounce of honor in you, you will feel very embarrassed. But, I doubt it. Your post reflects a lot of anger; much like Howard Dean.

I am sure future generations will be pissed at us for not stopping/waiting so long to do something about you.

[DustyMoment]

Yeah, whatever. Enjoy your anger.

When you grow up; when you can address the issues instead of changing the subject and you want to have an honest and frank discussion, let me know. Right now, you just want to vent.

Enjoy your hero, Howard Dean.

[meadsjn]

You want music to tap dance to or do you just want to keep dancing to your own tune?

If you'd like, I can email you (tonight) a very large and multi-page spreadsheet of year-by-year census data that I collected from the census link in the article, or you can gather and organize the same census data yourself.

Since you so strongly disagree with my reading of the numbers, I recommend that you perform your own collection and analysis.

[NotQuiteCricket]

I wonder sometimes if someone did distroy the education establishment in the US. Have you ever read Future Shock? Some of the things about education reform in that book seem to have been implemented in schools.
I'm going to go explore the millinery qualities of aluminum foil now.

[meadsjn]

I haven't read Future Shock, but I have seen excerpts from articles and books that strongly suggested the decline in our educational system was by design.

There is no question that our public education has been perverted to further the causes of socialism. About 2.5 million children are currently being homeschooled with good to excellent results.

[Lael]

In 2012, the Gen-X and Gen-Y population will have a combined total of 120,704,207 eligible voters, and will be unlikely to share power with the older generations that shredded the economy and the culture, and sacrificed the sovereignty of the US for political points and campaign cash.

Well put!!!

BTW, I read the book when it first came out, along with "The Judas Economy", predicting the Offshore Outsourcing Boom.

Well, I packed it away in Feb. of 2002.

Spouse and I are unpacking many things, and I retrieved the book only yesterday, and am rereading it

WOW!!!

Thanks for the Insightful Post, and PLEASE keep it coming!!!

[Lael]

Many younger Boomers are in the same boat and have been fighting the same battles for twenty or more years.

Even though the anger will brand everyone, I am a Boomer who has fought Outsourcing ANYTHING.

From the Kennedy Round, I knew "Free Trade" was a scam, probably intended to "Bribe" the so-called Free World to acquesce in American leadership in the Cold War.

I always knew that what "goes around comes around."

Thanks again for the Article!!

One caveat...if Bush loses, but the Pubbies tetain the Congress [both houses], it might bring change sooner.

Yes, I know about Court Appointments, but basic, fundamental Judicial Reform must happen in any case. The 11th Amendment was passed to reverse a Supreme Court decision...next time we will have to alter the process altogether!!!

[meadsjn]

Thanks for the kind words.

I don't see much hope for the Judiciary without a supermajority and a conservative president.

I only heard of TFT a couple months ago. It occurred to me that TFT could be to the study of History, what the Calculus was to Math.

[meadsjn]

The numbers look more encouraging than I originally figured.

Although the Baby Boomer generation technically extends through 1964 using census population counts, Howe & Strauss determined that Boomers born from 1961 through 1964 are more likely to identify themselves with the post-boomer generation. Silents born from 1943 through 1945 are more likely to identify themselves with the Baby Boomers than the non-Boomer Silents. The following adjustments shift the voting probabilities to align with the generational self-identification.

In 2000, the Boomers and older Silents had a combined total of 109,045,630 eligible voters.

In 2000, the Gen-X and Gen-Y population had a combined total of 89,741,842 eligible voters.

In 2004, the Gen-X and Gen-Y population will have a combined total of 105,834,510 eligible voters.

In 2008, the Gen-X and Gen-Y population will have a combined total of 122,310,351 eligible voters. This will be the first national election where the post-Boomer voters are a majority of the eligible voting population,

In 2012, the Gen-X and Gen-Y population will have a combined total of 138,894,753 eligible voters.

[Fraulein]

the Boomers have already secured their place as the Worst Generation in the history of the USA

So true.

[mindspy]

I resent being grouped in with the boomers. I don't think being born in 1962 should qualify one to boomerhood. Life has been difficult for us conservatives born in the assend of the boomer boom. They had already eliminated any sense of the structure of the society they had been so fortunate to grow up in. It has been like wading through s--t your entire life trying to keep you head up so your not drowned by the waste left in your path by the anointed ones.

[meadsjn]

I resent being grouped in with the boomers. I don't think being born in 1962 should qualify one to boomerhood. Life has been difficult for us conservatives born in the assend of the boomer boom.

You are definitely not alone.

The point I have tried to get across is that the liberal Boomers, most of whom are from the upper ages of the range, have been more active in politics, more unified as a "mob", and more able to influence the direction of politics and culture, than the conservatives of the Boomer age group.

It is possible that the liberals were never a real majority, and that they were just more vocal and active. Either way, Boomer conservatives have been much less active in politics than their liberal counterparts.

In the business world, liberal Boomers have infused their fluff theories and programs to the detriment of the workers, the companies, and the economic stability of the entire country. Liberals dominate management in practically every major corporation in the country, and control the hiring and firing of their betters. Engineers, scientists, business and technology majors have been displaced in great numbers by morons with degrees in sociology, education, psychology, history, literature, and other sorts of fluff.

We can steam about this until we croak, or we can stay busy helping inform younger voters how important it is to remove the socialist Democrats and neo-con RINOs from office. The RINOs are simply liberals with stock holdings.

[meadsjn]

{ping}

[Mr Cobol]

here.

[Sequoyah101]

I came upon this thread by reference. How do you feel about it now?

You stuck your neck out and were wrong on many points. Such is the fate of a would be prophet.

I do not share your manifold positive views on Gen X. I also do not share your blanket condemnation of the Boomers though much of it is correct and it certainly appears that the loons have been in the majority. However, while those who have law degrees and MBA were finding themselves and protesting those of us who made engineers and such other lowly professions have been railing against liberalism, export of jobs, funny money trading, regulation, bureaucracy, and all other manner of foolishness for a long long time now.

We are also not finding the virtues of great judgement, work ethic, initiative, competence and integrity in the Gen X and Y gang. So far, in my experience, they mostly whine and moan and get their feelings hurt...

They also apparently really gooved on obablaloon’s hope and change.

I also did not care for the Bush solution thought I am glad he and not this clown fought the war on terror. At least he loved the US. As for clinging to an old way and greed... they are guilty as charged. Immigration, cheap labor and outsourcing have ruined this nation but so have unions and entitlements. The constant give aways without fiscal responsibilty will end even if someone tries to hold on to them.

[meadsjn]

The table below is just to provide us a common frame of reference for the moment. Please forgive the roughness, but I can't seem to find my notes and spreadsheets from eight years and three computers ago.

Generations	Age in 2008 oldest	Age in 2008 youngest	Age in 2012 oldest	Age in 2012 youngest	Years born	to	Came of age (20)	to	Enter Middle Age (40)	to	Became Elder (60)	to	Die-off (80)	to
Hero (WW-II)	103	83	107	87	1905	1925	1925	1945	1945	1965	1965	1985	1985	2005
Silent (post Hero)	83	63	87	67	1925	1945	1945	1965	1965	1985	1985	2005	2005	2025
Boomer	63	43	67	47	1945	1965	1965	1985	1985	2005	2005	2025	2025	2045
Gen-x (Survivor)	43	23	47	27	1965	1985	1985	2005	2005	2025	2025	2045	2045	2065
Gen-y (Mellennial)	23	3	27	7	1985	2005	2005	2025	2025	2045	2045	2065	2065	2085
Gen-z	3	-17	7	-13	2005	2025	2025	2045	2045	2065	2065	2085	2085	2105

I came upon this thread by reference. How do you feel about it now?

I'm still optimistic that the Gen-Xers and Gen-Yers will move in a more conservative direction, and that they will do so as a more unified majority than either the Boomers or Silents.
I was disappointed in the results of 2008, but I do not believe that 2008 vote reflected a permanant mindset of our younger voters. I do believe that the 2010 mid -term election reflected a trend of a massive awakening among younger voters, and I believe that trend will intensify this year and beyond, until this Crisis Era ends (about 2025, for this cycle of history).

You stuck your neck out and were wrong on many points. Such is the fate of a would be prophet.

I predicted some generational trends, with an optimistic view that our current younger generations would help reverse the USA's slide into marxism.

Some points to consider:

Currently (in 2012) the Gen-Xers are ages 27 to 47, and the Gen-Yers are ages 7 to 27.

In 2008 the Gen-Xers were ages 23 to 43, and the Gen-Yers were ages 3 to 23.

In 2008 most of the Gen-Xers were already in the work force or suffering long-term unemployment. Practically all of the Gen-Xers were eligible to vote in 2008. Very few of these, far less than 10%, are liberal. Even in the city, I'd say that less than 20% of Gen-Xers are liberal.

In 2008 only one fourth of the Gen-Yers were in the voting age range, or in the working age range. Three fourths of this group were in diapers through grade 12. Of these who did vote in 2008, only a very small, but vocal, minority are still sold on the commie message (i.e. the OWS crowd).

I see younger people of both those generations in two vastly different worlds. I work in a large city, and live many, many miles away in a rural and small-town area. The samples I see of both the Gen-X and Gen-Y age groups differ greatly between the two locales, but there are still common trends worth noting.

The Gen-Xers in both places are trying to survive, as is their label. They work when they can, mostly without benefits.

These Gen-Xers who are in the military are already seasoned veterans in the upper ranks of enlisted and officers, more seasoned than any previous group of veterans in the history of the USA. Some of the oldest of these have served since Gulf War I, Somalia, Bosnia, through GW-II, and Afghanistan, and various little no-name conflicts in between. Our veterans have never served the back-to-back tours to the degree as has been done through GWB and Obama.

The entire pro-military segment of our population is more battle-hardened and support-hardened than we have seen since WW-II, and this hardening has happened before the Crisis War of this cycle. In 1941, we had to recover from more than a decade of isolationism.

Many of the TEA Party candidates we saw in 2010, and their supporter are largely Gen-X people. Many of the RINO and Democrat candidates they replaced were Boomer or Silent generation people.

The oldest Gen-Yers began entering the military around 2002-2003, during the height of the Iraq build-up and offensive.

One important point to make here: One young person serving in the military will impact strongly and positively on 10, 20, or maybe many more of their peers, as well as their families and neighbors.

I also do not share your blanket condemnation of the Boomers though much of it is correct and it certainly appears that the loons have been in the majority.

I am a Boomer, born in 1956, and served in the military from 1975 to 1979. Observing the trend of generational behavior is NOT a condemnation of all the individuals of that generation. It is a condemnation of the prevailing mindset of that generation. Conservative Boomers, the veterans and other decent people of the Vienam era and after, did NOT shape the prevailing mindset of the 1970s through the 1990's. That prevailing mindset was shaped by the older liberal Boomers, the liberal college students of the 1960s and 1970s, and those who became professors of the 1980s and 1990s, and those who "took over" management positions in the 1980s and 1990s, those who heavily infested the bureaucracies that have now become the monsters we never imagined.

For the 2012 primary elections, voter turnout was at record lows everywhere that Romney won. That was his plan, and it is working. Younger voters are always less likely to participate in primaries, and this year was an extreme case, mostly because Romney (to most sentient beings) is essentially the flip side of the Obama coin. However, I do expect these younger voters to vote overwhelmingly against Obama, whoever the Republican nominee is.

The entire generation of Gen-Xers are in their family years, and still trying to Survive.

The oldest Gen-Yers are in college, or leaving college, or in the first few years of their work lives, and their future prospects under marxism is looking very, very bleak.

I expect that the Republican candidate in November will get more than 80% of the Gen-X vote (40 million eligible; 20 million likely voters; thus 16 million (R) vs. 4 million (D)), for ages 27 to 47.

I also expect that the Republican candidate in November will get more than 60% of the Gen-Y vote (although less than half of the Gen-Yers are old enough to vote, or 9/20, or about 18 million, and likely voters being only half of those, or about 9 million; thus 5.4 million (R), and 3.6 million (D)), for ages 18 to 27.

If conditions through this summer and fall turn out like Obama's people, the OWS, the unions, etc., have promised, it could get messy before November. If such is the case, both groups of these younger voters will turn out in greater proportions than the usual 50%, and those turning out will be overwhelmingly on the side of national survival.

[meadsjn]

One more note: The Gen-Y (Mellennial) generation is our next Hero generation, like the people who grew up in the Great Depression and came of age during WW-II, matured during Korea, the Space Race, and early Cold War.

Some of these young Hero people might be among the tattooed, bones-in-the-nose savages you can see at the local mall, or the hoodlums making the nightly negative news ... these are NOT the majority; they simply happen to be the most visible, due to their misdeeds.

However, ... the most influential of this age-group can be found in the Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venture Crews, martial arts classes, and the military, as well as at the Speech and Debate tournaments, American Legion Boys State/Girls State, and the AL Oratory contests, homeschool groups of various sorts, churches scattered across the hinterlands, etc.

For the first time in 60 years or so, interest in spectator sports and the jock worship scene among kids and young adults is diminished. They tend more to cooperate than to compete; they teach each other and they learn from each other; they work together more naturally and effectively than any groups since WW-II. And when the time comes, they do and will fight together more naturally and effectively, whether in actual combat or in the political arena.