What Generation Are You?

I saw the following chart in the Washington Post. I tore it out of the Washington Post. Sniff…sniff…this was when we still had the Washington Post delivered.

I love reading the paper, but I was overwhelmed by 7 newspapers per week. I try to read the headlines online, but it isn’t the same as sitting down with a mug of joe and reading the paper from cover to cover. I know…who has the time to read a newspaper these days, right? But, I did. I would take a morning and read 3 or 4 newspapers from cover to cover. Somehow I never managed to find the time during the day to read each day’s paper, but once or twice a week I would read a couple of papers at a time. But, I started to feel as though I was drowning in papers on the days that I did not read the paper, so I canceled it. I miss it. My husband missed the Sports section. My teen misses the Sunday circular with the Washington Post Magazine and the flyers for all the stores in the area.

Anyway, here’s an excerpt from the chart about who falls in to what generation:

Traditionalists

Born: 1922-1945

Life-Shaping Events: WWII, Depression, FDR era

Traits: conservative, disciplined, respect authority

Baby Boomers

Born: 1946-1964

Life-Shaping Events: Man on the Moon, Vietnam War, free love

Traits: idealistic, “Break the rules,” politically correct

Generation X

Born: 1965-1980

Life-Shaping Events: Women working, Gulf War, MTV

Traits: pragmatic, self-sufficient, skeptical

Generation Y

Born: 1981-2001

Life-Shaping Events: 9/11, reality TV, Internet boom/bust

Traits: Authentically confident, well-educated, tolerant and diverse

Source: Annie Loehr’s Generational Cheat Sheet, July 9, 2009, Washington Post.

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