Defining this generation

happyman81

How would you define this generation? For example, in the past there was Punk, Rockers, the house scene, Grunge, etc, etc.

Every generation seemed to have a style or movement that defined them. But when I look at young 'uns today, all I can think of is androgyneity. As in, the boys look like girls, and vice versa. Can't think of anything else that is noteworthy.

Is this the most bland effort yet, or am I getting old and cranky?

Born to Die

Apathetic

MrStuffins

The Internet Generation

/thread

Shryke

Apple/Smartphone generation? The meme generation? The skinny jean wearing generation... I don't know. I think you're getting old and cranky.

44leto

Generation Idle.

RiseToTheTop

That's not an easy question to answer bruv, innit?

weemcd

The first generation that has grown up on a staple diet entirely of reality tv

chilling thought

Dr Expired

Lost

RichieC

A cat with bread around its head.

amacachi

Faith Hilling.

humberklog

The Like/Unlike generation.

DeVore

Exempting the "baby boom" after the war, there seems to be roughly the same proportion of births in society relative to population.

So what is a "generation" at all?


"punk" was a movement as much as a music type. I knew 50 year old ravers out with glowsticks (since "techno" was a music genre/revelation it wasn't indicative of age).

When does one generation stop and another start?

elefant

The post-modern uniformity generation.

A0

Boardsies

Bad Panda

The 'someone else will do it' generation.

The King of Moo

The unlabel-able generation.

There's nothing really that defines young people these days: ie there's no cultural movement that's prominent (eg. punks, hippies, mods/rockers).

I can't really blame kids and teenagers entirely for that though: I think it's partly due to the fact that they're bombarded with so many different entertainment forms and practicioners that there's nothing in particular that comes to the fore and defines them.

Maybe "generation beige" would be apt though, as the result of this bombardment is that the blandest stuff gets to be the highest-profile.

Tesco Massacre

Generation Kim Kardashian's fat arse

Doc Ruby

happyman81 wrote: »

How would you define this generation? For example, in the past there was Punk, Rockers, the house scene, Grunge, etc, etc.

Every generation seemed to have a style or movement that defined them. But when I look at young 'uns today, all I can think of is androgyneity. As in, the boys look like girls, and vice versa. Can't think of anything else that is noteworthy.

Is this the most bland effort yet, or am I getting old and cranky?

A generation is thirty years, not the guys in the class beneath you.

44leto

Generation nannystate.

AnonoBoy

Generation Meh.

GarIT

The #SWAG generation.

44leto

Its deffinately one of the toughest generations to be in for a long while, they went from having it all as the Celtic cubs to having F/all and very few prospects on the horizon.

conor.hogan.2

How are you defining this generation?

People who were born in the 2000s?

Cunning Stunt

The duckface generation

Blisterman

It's a bit of a pop culture myth that every young person in the 60's was a mod or rocker, and every young person in the 70's was a punk.

In each case, it was a very small minority.

The King of Moo

Blisterman wrote: »

It's a bit of a pop culture myth that every young person in the 60's was a mod or rocker, and every young person in the 70's was a punk.

In each case, it was a very small minority.

That's true; looking at the popular music of each decade shows that it's always the generic pop that sells most.

I think such groups did have a cultural presence greater than their numbers would suggest though.

Nowadays there isn't even a noticeable minority, except maybe emos :eek:.

wonderfulname

Not everyone was a punk/mod/grunger in their day, there have always been a crap load of bland people out there. Similarly there have always been multiple subcultures: punks and metalheads, mods and new romantics, grungers and the next incarnation of punks. I'd say this generation will be remembered primarily for indie/electro, or possibly hip hop as it seems to be the only genre that is, at any recognisable level, more than a fashion statement, especially now that British and Irish scenes are seriously gathering momentum. Having said that it will probably wind up "the Facebook generation" or something equally stupid.

As an aside this is certainly not the first generation to be somewhat androgynous, in fact when I look at old episodes of top of the pops I'm inclined to think we aren't very androgynous at all, not truly anyway, the majority of people my age seem even more ridged in their presentation than my parents generation would have been.

biko

The disenfranchised generation.

The King of Moo

wonderfulname wrote: »

Not everyone was a punk/mod/grunger in their day, there have always been a crap load of bland people out there. Similarly there have always been multiple subcultures: punks and metalheads, mods and new romantics, grungers and the next incarnation of punks. I'd say this generation will be remembered primarily for indie/electro, or possibly hip hop as it seems to be the only genre that is, at any recognisable level, more than a fashion statement, especially now that British and Irish scenes are seriously gathering momentum. Having said that it will probably wind up "the Facebook generation" or something equally stupid.

As an aside this is certainly not the first generation to be somewhat androgynous, in fact when I look at old episodes of top of the pops I'm inclined to think we aren't very androgynous at all, not truly anyway, the majority of people my age seem even more ridged in their presentation than my parents generation would have been.

I think androgyny's always been around in some form or another as a fashion statement, even going back to the 17th and 18th century.
It's probably because people's conceptions of gender roles, and masculinity in particular, tend to be fairly strict and not acknowledge the fluidity of people's gender identities, so people rebel against that by acting and dressing more androgynously.

Yakult

Bananas in Pajamas

wonderfulname

conor.hogan.2 wrote: »

How are you defining this generation?

People who were born in the 2000s?

I would assume 90's, if we were talking about the under 12's it would be Jedward and Bieber, not exactly the cultural forces of the day...

happyman81

Doc Ruby wrote: »

A generation is thirty years, not the guys in the class beneath you.

I'm a thirty one year old risk analyst. Which class would that be, the working classes?

wasislos

she sells electric ego. hehe

NIMAN

The Man Child Generation.

Grown men fiddling with phones, playing computer games for hours, obsessed with the features of the new iPhone/iPad/iPod (in fact anything made by Apple).

Naomi00

happyman81 wrote: »

I'm a thirty one year old risk analyst. Which class would that be, the working classes?

Hahaha wtf.

I'm pretty sure they meant the class in school beneath you, since they were talking about time :pac:

Icepick

better

languagenerd

I'm 20, am I one of the "generation" you're talking about?

Mine was called "The Pokemon Kids" for a bit (being that Pokemon was super-popular when I was aged 8-10, ask almost any 18-22 year old and they'll tell you about it), then we were the Bebo Generation... Now I think we might be the Facebook Generation. Who knows?

I'm just sorry I missed punk...

The King of Moo wrote: »

Nowadays there isn't even a noticeable minority, except maybe emos :eek:.

You just have to know where to look There are quite a few rock-bars and clubs around Dublin that do rather well. And emo isn't anywhere near as popular as it was around 2005. They morphed into scene kids (which was essentially the same thing but louder and in multi-colour - oh how I hated them...) and half of them are hipsters now. I'm not a huge fan of labels though, people (especially teenagers) start feeling like they have to fit the description to a T...

Indubitable

I see in Fight Club the strongest and smartest men who have ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see it squandered. Goddammit, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables, slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shít we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man; no purpose or place. We have no Great War, no Great Depression. Our Great War is a spiritual war. Our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised by television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires and movie gods and rock stars. But we won't; and we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off.

-Tyler Durden

Sums it up pretty well.

rorrissey

Doc Ruby

Indubitable wrote: »

Sums it up pretty well.

"No goddamn life left for men anymore. Not here. This country, all that's left for men is money and pussy."

The Ice Harvest

Yeah.

Run_to_da_hills

generation of vipers.

Casillas

MyFacers

gilmour

Generation WTF

dsmythy

Lost generation.

conor.hogan.2

wonderfulname wrote: »

I would assume 90's, if we were talking about the under 12's it would be Jedward and Bieber, not exactly the cultural forces of the day...

Unfortunately they are selling a lot and hold a lot of sway - they are representing Ireland in the Eurovision and Bieber is getting props and coaching for some of the biggest artists in hip-hop and pop.

Both crap, I agree, but influential.

If it is the 90's then that is a big time difference. you have 22-13 year olds and in terms of music, tv and technology saturation there is a huge difference between those age groups even more so than previous generations.

(besides the internet/technology points every point in this thread is equally if not more true about past generations)

SEANoftheDEAD

I think mollycodled is the best term...

The past generations worked so hard to achieve the high standard of living, that todays youth dosnt really have to break there backs to get ahead.

Id love to see a survey result of people under 30, garantee ye most have been on 2 or 3 of the worlds continents. Own either a iPhone, iPad or something of equal value. **** all will have familys of there own as they will still be living with the folks...

Ugh...

conor.hogan.2

utopianruins wrote: »

I think mollycodled is the best term...

The past generations worked so hard to achieve the high standard of living, that todays youth dosnt really have to break there backs to get ahead.

Id love to see a survey result of people under 30, garantee ye most have been on 2 or 3 of the worlds continents. Own either a iPhone, iPad or something of equal value. **** all will have familys of there own as they will still be living with the folks...

Ugh...

Same with every generation. You have been further than your parents and your parents parents.

You had more technology than them.

I don't know what to make of your end "point" it seems very nonsensical.

dsmythy

So what's up with mainstream RnB and hip hop becoming synthesised dance music?

SEANoftheDEAD

conor.hogan.2 wrote: »

Same with every generation. You have been further than your parents and your parents parents.

You had more technology than them.

I don't know what to make of your end "point" it seems very nonsensical.

You're problely right, I'm just trying to decribe what I see from family and friends today and compare it to tales from the aul pair...

For example, a mate of mine, is 26, lives at home, claims the dole, dosnt pay anything to his ma, bascially plays xbox all day, spends his dole on weed, goes out once or twice every weekend...

That is a lifestyle that many a person that age in this country currently has and its something that would never be tolerated in past generations.

So thats where im getting mollycodled from...

Red21

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szCD7nGDDf4

Dob74

the faggy most have a tat generation