You’re right. We 1960s babies were very different from the late 1940s to mid-1950s babies. They had the draft and the Vietnam War. The ‘hippies’ protested, and they talked and sang about their ‘generation.’
We have nothing in common with them. We came of age in the 1980s when Reagan was president. It was peacetime. We didn’t have protests or talk about ‘our generation.’
At first, news writers dubbed us “Generation X.” Then, someone decided “Gen-X” doesn’t start until 1965. Then, someone else decided to call us “Generation Jones.”
I think they all got it wrong. I’d say 1960-1974 babies are a unique demographic: When we were growing up, more parents started divorcing, and more mothers started working outside the home. We had less supervision but more TV. We were teens and young adults when Reagan was president. We weren’t offended by a joke. Our retirement age was raised to 67. And many more reasons...
Excellent post! Saving it... :)
My mom went back to school to be an R.N when I was 4, then she divorced my dad when I was 11. Definitely less supervision!
And yes we didn’t take offense to jokes or pranks. It was just called life. If we complained, you were viewed as a “baby” or the P word. New music in the late 70s and early 80s was new wave and punk and music to a degree paints the generation better than other indicators.