MSNBC.. Biden and Sanders are the Silent Generation (last of)

[Peacetrain]

2000–: New Silent Generation or Generation Z.
1980 to 2000: Millennials or Generation Y.
1965 to 1979: Thirteeners or Generation X.
1946 to 1964: Baby Boomers.
1925 to 1945: the Silent Generation.
1900 to 1924: the G.I. Generation.

Some person was saying that Sanders and Biden were the last of their Generation the Boomers..


Generation X is not in its 60's

[Turin_C3PO]

1. Interesting.

This will be Generation Z’s first election so it will be interesting to see if they’re as liberal and Democratic as the Millenials are. My dream is for both generations to turn out in force in November to boot Trump out. Historically, young people don’t vote but that could change with the right campaign outreach.

[virgogal]

2. Your point?

[Hortensis]

3. Yup, but can't expect nonvoters and assorted others

to know what they don't want to. This is a current excuse going around among those who are already what they would condemn if they knew enough to identify it.

[tritsofme]

4. I believe Biden would be our only president from that generation.

Boomers took over from the “greatest generation” in 1992 and haven’t returned the keys yet. This is obviously the last chance for the “silents”

[Deb]

5. Whatever happened to individualism?

These labels all seem like a lazy way to false stereotype.

[Act_of_Reparation]

6. It isn't real.

It's never been real. People clamber for the approval of their peers. They establish social norms and values. Not all stereotypes are "false".

[beachbumbob]

7. we have been far from silent, review how many of us vote compared to any other group

[MaineBlueBear]

8. These year-bands are not too far off

The definitive source on american generations is Generations: A history of Americas Future by William Straus and Neil Howe. They place the Silent gen as those between 1921 and 1943. Too young to go to war and largely inheriting the social norms of the GI gen. Biden or Sanders would be the first of that generation to be president. They are late cohorts of that generation. The last potential member was Jack Kemp.

They also list the thirteenth generation (before Howe coined the term Gen-X; he also coined McJobs) as starting in 1960. This was based off test scores, societal engagement, lowering the age to be considered an adult for criminal prosecution, latch-key kids, &c. Yes, first wave gen x turns 60 this year. Even if it is revised to 1964 they will be eligible for social security by the end of the decade. Notable members include: Obama and Rob Zombie.