The human race is fascinating in its tendency to organize. This tendency may be why our culture is so advanced compared to other species. It has led to helpful ideas, like controlled fire, agriculture, nations, the scientific method, electricity, the internet, and so much more. However, discrimination can occur through our tendency to put things, and more specifically people, into boxes. We have to be careful, but it can still be useful to organize people into groups, because groups can teach us about ourselves in a way studying individuals can't.
When we name generations like Millennials, we are referring to social generations, the classification of people by their birthdate. In this video, we are going to talk about generations in the United States only. We often assign social generations shared traits and experiences. But when making these claims, we have to generalize, whether other generations like it or not, since we are talking about tens of millions of people.
The gods of generational theory are William Strauss and Neil Howe. They wrote the book on generations. Or books. They have written too many books to note, but if I were to mention one, it would be Millennials Rising. That's because it was the book that coined the very term Millennial. They are a big deal.
Strauss-Howe generational theory centers around turnings. Turnings are periods of history that usually come after a large event. Turnings are periods of twenty years, in an eighty year cycle called a Saeculum, which is similar to the length of a human life. The Turnings are like seasons, but instead of each being 3 months, they are about twenty years.
The cycle turns by humanity's want to improve on the past in very predictable ways. In the words of Strauss and Howe in their book The Fourth Turning, the cycle “turns history into prophecy” (Strauss, Howe 21).
The First Turning is a High. A High is a high point of a society, when people are satisfied and institutionalism is powerful. The Second Turning is an Awakening, when people start to fight against the machine and individualism gains traction. Large intellectual movements take place usually during Awakenings. The Third Turning is an Unraveling, when large institutions aren't trusted and focus turns to enjoyment. The Fourth Turning is a Crisis, when people start to identify themselves with a larger group and institutions begin to rebuild. Large disasters and major wars usually happen during this period, and society is given an ultimatum for what kind of world they want to have. We are currently in a Crisis.
If you look throughout history, you can see these patterns everywhere. However, a skeptic to this theory might point out how you can see patterns anywhere if you look hard enough. What makes this theory different? The specific predictions, shocking accuracy, and vast real world applications make this cycle important. Each individual Turning impacts each group who lives through it differently, forming what we call generations.
Strauss-Howe generational theory assigns each generation an Archetype, which is produced by the Turning in which they were born in. There are four archetypes: Prophets, Nomads, Heroes, and Artists.
Prophets are born in a High, so they never experience any Crisis until their elder years. As young adults, they play a large part in causing the Awakening. They become leaders in their midlife who focus on morals and principles above all. As elders, they guide the younger generations through a Crisis. Today's Prophet generation is the Baby Boomers.
Nomads are underprotected and overexposed as children born during an Awakening. These generations are usually isolated and alienated as young-adults, forcing them to become self-reliant. In their middle age, they become practical, independent, and sensible leaders through a Crisis. The elders that emerge are tough and resilient. Today's Nomad generation is Generation X.
Heroes are born and grow up very protected during an Unraveling. As young adults, they are optimists who work together to go through a Crisis and grow into overconfident adults. They become politically powerful as elders, and are attacked during a new Awakening. Today's Hero generation is the Millennials.
Artists grow up during a Crisis, so they are very over-protected by their parent generation: Nomads, who were under-protected in their childhood. In a High, they become young adults who are in favor in many institutions and conform to many societal norms. Artists enter mid-life in an Awakening, being very process-focused, which can often lead to being indecisive. As elders in an Unraveling, Artists are understanding and reflective. Today's Artist generations are the Silent Generation and Generation Z.
Prophet and Hero generations are known as Dominant generations, while Nomad and Artist generations are known as Recessive generations. Dominant generations are characterized by independently defining an era with their own ideas and movements, by changing whether institutions should be encouraged or broken down. Recessive generations are characterized by dependently defining an era, basically staying along for the ride.
A couple years ago, you would probably hear only about three main generations: Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials.
First are the Baby Boomers, born from 1946 to 1964, currently aged 54 to 73 as of 2019. Baby Boomers are the only generation recognized by the United States government as an official classification, because of the large spike in children born in that period. Baby Boomers are Prophets born during a High, in the post World War 2 era (There is actually a slim minority of Baby Boomers born in the Awakening, after JFK's assassination.), and they became young adults in the most recent Awakening: the Consciousness Revolution. Pew Research Center estimates there are 73 million Baby Boomers alive in 2019.
Decades ago, Baby Boomers were considered liberal, but today, Baby Boomers are notorious for being more conservative. However, the younger Baby Boomers are consistently more liberal than their older counterparts. This is partly because America as a whole has become more liberal and partly because Boomers have become more conservative as they age. Baby Boomers are the biggest voting block in America, and most politicians are Boomers.
They are heavily involved in institutions like work and their personal goals, sometimes being described as self-immersed and even narcissistic. They put themselves first and disregarded previous notions of duties they needed to fulfill in a way that other generations before them didn't do.
Boomers were instrumental in the Civil Rights Movement and Second Wave of Feminism as young adults. As Prophets, they became leaders to change their communities as part of the previous Awakening. Drugs began to be widespread with Baby Boomers, along the birth control pill, which was approved by the FDA in the 1960s.
After Baby Boomers came Generation X, born from 1965 to 1981, aged 37 to 54 as of 2019. Generation X makes up less of the population than Millennials or Baby Boomers, but still has a great cultural influence. Individuals in Generation X are Nomads born in an Awakening, and reached young adulthood during an Unraveling: the Culture War of the 1990s. Pew Research Center estimates there are 66 million Gen Xers alive in 2019.
Many children in Generation X were underprotected by their parents, so as parents themselves they compensate, and sometimes overcompensate, for that fact. As young adults, they were characterized as slackers and apathetic, but today, they often describe themselves as incredibly happy and satisfied with their lives. They prioritized self-dependence, so it's only natural that their success is so great.
Generation X is sometimes known as the MTV Generation and are known for the punk rock, grunge, and hip hop movements in the eighties and nineties. Gen Xers are independent, embracing entrepreneurship. They are known for leading Third Wave Feminism and bringing wives into the workplace. However, Generation X is difficult to put into a box, which is the very reason they were given a variable for their name.
Millennials were born from 1982 to 1996, making them aged 22 to 37 as of 2019. Millennials are by far the most infamous generation because everyone else loves to complain about them. Millennials are supposed to be the archetype of Heroes born during an Unraveling and coming of age during the most recent Crisis: the post-9/11 era. Pew Research Center estimates there are 73 million Millennials alive in 2019.
Millennials are known for being very liberal, and the recent election of Donald Trump could be pushing Millennials even further to the left. Their support of progressive politicians like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren defines current American politics.
Millennials were notably sheltered as children, which likely harmed them in the long run when being exposed to the Crisis as young-adults. As the Crisis concludes, we will truly see what Millennials will become.
But we all knew this, right? We knew that Baby Boomers were responsible for the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam protests, Gen X-ers are family-focused, and Millennials are stereotypically whiners, but really are about to make a lot of change. But what if all of this is wrong?
Generation Z is supposed to be an Artist generation, a recessive generation, over-parented as kids, walking into young adulthood encouraging strong institutions. Born from 1997 to 2012, they are aged from 6 to 22 as of 2019 and number at least 65 million (Statistica). Generation Z is, as an Artist generation, supposed to mirror the Silent Generation, born from 1928 to 1945.
Generation Z is the most diverse generation in the United States, with 48% of their population being non-white as of 2018. Generation Z will also likely be the most openly-LGBTQ generation, with an exact number being difficult to find, but social changes allow openly identifying as different sexualities and gender identities to be more socially acceptable.
It's no secret that Generation Z is a truly digital generation, growing up only in a time with the internet, and almost never watching cable television for their entertainment. The prevalence of meme culture is a uniquely Gen Z phenomena that will be remembered for years to come. This is one of this generation's defining characteristics.
This generation's music varies wildly, with changes coming from the rise of social media. Platforms like YouTube and Spotify allow them to access decades of music at their fingertips. The increase of rap has been a notable one, with artists like Lil Pump, XXXTentacion, and Post Malone rising in popularity.
As time continues, we are also seeing more musicians being picked primarily by Generation Z. Modern day celebrities are often from the internet, reflect what the generation wants as a whole, and are part of the cohort themselves. Artists like Billie Eilish, Troye Sivan, and Khalid are all examples of this. Even YouTube personalities like RiceGum, Jake Paul, and PewDiePie have seen mainstream success from their music as a result of Generation Z and the internet.
A huge trend that everyone has been noticing is a move from bubble-gum pop to more serious, sad, and real songs. You would have a hard time trying to find a party song in 2019. This is a mark of a major trend that is actually extremely concerning. Generation Z is the most depressed and anxious generation in recent memory.
Only 45% of the generation reported excellent or very good mental health according to the APA. Suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10 and 34, according to the CDC, with rates only going up. Over 30 percent of individuals 13 to 18 report suffering from some sort of anxiety. Depression overall for individuals 12-17 stands around 12%, with depression among 16 year olds peaking at 17%.
Why is this happening to Generation Z more than other generations? Quite simply, growing up in a Crisis as a child or teenager is more harmful to a person's mental state than experiencing it as an adult. Luckily, 37% of Generation Z reported receiving help from a mental health official according to the same APA report.
How about politics? Are individuals in Generation Z more liberal or conservative than Millennials? Well, this might be a bit more complicated than you might think.
Over time, the United States has increasingly got more liberal, and many people take this for granted. This has only really happened over the last century or so, beginning with the abolition of slavery and the colored and women's rights to vote. Since then, we have seen unprecedented liberal movements striving for equality. Most of us can agree that all people should be equal, and that's a good thing, but where this liberal march should stop to make that happen is a question that might need to be answered sooner rather than later.
No one really knows if Generation Z will be a liberal or conservative generation. So how can we find signs of what's to come? We know that Generation Z will definitely be more liberal than the Silent Generation and the Baby Boomers, but where will Generation Z be in relation to Millennials?
The diversity of our generation in the United States could result in Generation Z having more access to different world views, making them as a whole more liberal. However, with the rise of the internet, younger people have the option to keep themselves in political bubbles, which are more comfortable to live in, so Generation Z could end up being the most polarized generation yet.
One of the biggest factors to consider is the rise of conservatism online. Personalities like The Raging Millennial, Paul Joseph Watson, Dave Rubin, Sargon of Akkad, and of course, Ben Shapiro; all contribute to a new conservative movement. But most of these personalities are reactionary, creating a unique anti-Feminist and anti-SJW movement. These personalities have a huge impact, possibly making Generation Z a conservative generation.
One thing that the internet has definitely done for Generation Z is making them more open towards other political beliefs, less “whiny”, and making them more knowledgeable. This is something almost everyone agrees on. For some people, it also seemed clear cut that Gen Z was going to be a conservative generation. That is, until Parkland.
The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, seemed like just another shooting. I remember groaning at the news, annoyed at yet another tragedy that I had become accustomed to. But the students affected by the shooting created a movement out of it that had never been seen before. On March 14, 2018, millions of students walked out of their schools for 17 minutes in protest. And on March 24, 2018, over two million individuals showed up to one of the largest protests in American history: March For Our Lives. The movement, led by high schoolers, highlighted liberal gun reform and united teenagers around a common goal.
And unlike some would claim, it led to real change, not only with local and state laws, but federally, when President Trump announced he would ban bump stocks. The power of the National Rifle Association, the largest gun lobbying group in the United States, has diminished greatly, with reports of decreasing revenues beginning years earlier, but the movement seemingly being the final nail in the coffin for this centuries old organization being a dominant political force. The NRA spent less than half on the 2018 congressional race than it did on either the 2014 or 2016 elections.
This movement extended from a single protest to a campaign to get young people to vote. And it worked. 31% of individuals aged 18 to 29 voted in the 2018 midterms, according to CIRCLE, which doesn't seem like a lot, but keep in mind that that number is in a midterm, elections that historically bring low turnout. That number is with young voters, who historically don't vote. And it is 50% greater than 2014. It was the highest turnout among that age group in all of CIRCLE's analyses since the 1990s. And 67% of 18 to 29 year old voters voted for Democratic candidates, an overwhelmingly large percent.
Why is this relevant? Well, if you haven't noticed already, the leaders of March For Our Lives are members of Generation Z. The generation is meant to be conservative, but obviously this change is much smaller than previously thought, or perhaps even nonexistent. 18 to 29 year olds aren't completely within Generation Z, but half are.
Another big hit to the idea of a conservative youth comes in a recent study by Pew Research Center, which measured Generation Z and other generations on many political criteria. And every single time, Gen Z was almost exactly the same as Millennials or continuing a liberal trend. This means Generation Z might be the most liberal generation ever.
But what we know currently might not matter in ten to fifteen years. It's important to remember that Gen Z is still a battleground generation.
But messy political labels might be missing the real take away from March For Our Lives. We don't know about if Generation Z will be liberal or conservative in the future, but we do know that they are forming leaders right now. Like said before, Artist Generations such as Generation Z are recessive, dependent on dominant generations such as Millennials to make social change. But the biggest revelation that we might gather is that Generation Z might make more change than Millennials on their own, breaking their generational archetype.
The more you look into what Generation Z and Millennials are doing, the more you find that Millennials are missing their mark. Give me one major legal change brought about primarily by Millennials. Exactly.
We are in a situation where Millennials have screwed up so badly that the next generation has to compensate for their inaction. Generation Z's oldest are barely in college, and yet they have helped orchestrate a large movement to vote that rescued the Democratic Party. Remember, the Democratic party was in trouble because Millennials simply wouldn't vote in elections, allowing the Republicans to take control of all three branches of government.
Let's be honest here, Millennials aren't completely at fault for making any change, even though we all want them to be. Firstly, they still have responsibility for the revitalization of the Democratic Party, and also for its turn even more to the left. But also, Baby Boomers are hanging on for dear life in political positions, so adults in Gen X can't take the helm. Young voices in the Democratic and Republican Parties alike can't influence government. Partly because people live longer, and also because of the current Crisis, we are witnessing a shift in power from midlife to elder.
But Generation Z, seeing this inaction, is beginning to change politics in different ways. In a more pragmatic, realistic way, teenagers are changing the world already, arguably more than Millennials. Millennials might have changed the social outlook on many issues like LGBTQ rights and income inequality, but Generation Z are the ones that will push for real, political changes. Don't get me wrong, Generation Z is not a Hero generation. But Millennials might not be either.
The current Crisis isn't ending. It started in 2001, after the 9/11 attacks, and it has continued to the present day. And this might mean that the worst is still ahead of us. The climax of each Crisis is usually either in the middle or towards the end. In the previous Crisis, the climax was 1944, only 2 years before the end of the Turning in 1946. And it doesn't seem like we saw everything this Crisis has to offer yet. How can the cultural impact of the War on Terror even compare to the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, or World War II? We can speculate about what the defining moment of the Crisis will be, ranging from a World War III or Second Civil War, to a second Recession, to maybe even a domestic political crisis. But I'm not going to even get into that topic.
Although it is possible that we aren't in a Crisis at all. People on both sides of the political aisle have a very anti-establishment and anti-institutional outlook right now. And this breaking of the cycle wouldn't be unpresented either, Strauss and Howe acknowledge that the Civil War, which was a five year Crisis, was a fault in their theory, and claimed that it came too early. Perhaps 9/11 is another example of an event coming too early and permanently changing culture.
The Iraq War was insanely popular at its origin, with 80% support of Bush's handling of it in April 2003. But as the public learned more about it, support waned. By the time President Obama removed forces from Iraq in 2011, it was ironically one of the most bipartisan decisions he made, with 78% of all Americans supporting the decision. We had the public consensus of a Crisis, but we lost it. But this doesn't necessarily mean we aren't in a Crisis, just that it isn't over yet.
In order for a Crisis to move to a High, society needs to meet essential criteria of a Crisis. These are laid out in The Fourth Turning by William Strauss and Neil Howe. They say a Crisis “requires a solid public consensus, aggressive institutions, and personal sacrifice”. Some specifics they note include “Public order tightens, private risk taking abates, and crime and substance abuse decline. Families strengthen, gender distinctions widen, and child rearing reaches a smothering degree of protection and structure.” (Strauss, Howe 104). Does this sound like today? This is somewhat subjective, and not all these things have to be true for a Crisis. Although it's a cliche, the biggest challenge we face today is that we are too divided.
Do we want to meet these criteria? Definitely not all of them. I don't think many people would be in favor of widening gender distinctions, on paper anyway. But if the older generations alive today don't achieve some of these sentiments, specifically unity, and move us into a High, Generation Z will. And this is where present day could truly differ from history.
Baby Boomers often get credit for the Civil Rights Movement, in fact even I noted their action in this video multiple times. But it's important to remember that Martin Luther King Jr., one of the leaders of this movement, was a member of the Silent Generation, the same Archetype as Generation Z. And Martin Luther King Jr, of all things, was not silent. So how can we name Generation Z in a way that shows their true colors?
First, we have to establish birth dates for when the generation starts and ends. Neil Howe places the Homeland Generation, his name for the generation after Millennials, beginning to be born in 2005. He said in a Forbes FAQ that the beginning date should be from 2000 to 2006 according to the cycle, and so he placed it at 2005 because kids born in 2005 would have little recollection of Obama's election and the Great Recession. This is also where he places the beginning of the Crisis.
However, many others, including myself, disagree with this and believe that the Crisis began in 2001, with the 9/11 attacks. These attacks had a much greater cultural significance, since they put America into an emergency mode with high security and uncertainty, which still hasn't left the population. Plus, those born in 2004 were born in a very different culture from those born in 1982. For these reasons, I placed the starting years for Generation Z at 1997, consistent with Pew Research Center, and four years before the 9/11 attacks.
The ending years, however, are a bit more complicated. There is no consensus on the end dates of this generation, since they are still so young. If generations are based on Turnings, we have to ask: what cultural event will mark the beginning of the High and the end of the Crisis? I don't think this has come yet, and probably won't come for years. The ends of Crises were generally the ends of wars, and we already had our major wars: The War on Terror. Since we aren't in a war right now, that either means we will enter a larger one, or that we will experience an event whose effects are tantamount to one. Either way, there is usually a sharp change from a Crisis to a High, and we haven't gotten there yet.
So what do we do for now? Some place the ending years at 2010, 2012, and 2015, but there aren't great justifications for these years. I personally think it's too early to say. That's why I didn't define it in this video.
I have been calling the generation after Millennials Generation Z because of a new “standard” to naming generations after Generation X. Generation X was a name given because people didn't know what to call them, they were independent and unpredictable. The Millennial Generation was once called Generation Y because they were after Generation X. Once a name stuck, Generation Y was never really heard again. This has to happen for Generation Z, because the letter Z isn't a great representation, it's just a lazy placeholder. Sure, Generation Z might be a mirror of Generation X in the fact that they were both recessive generations, with Gen X parenting Gen Z, but Generation Z is unique and deserves their own identity.
What name could possibly accurately represent this diverse and confusing generation? It seems like a question without an answer. Any name that takes itself seriously needs to have three characteristics. First, it should be reflective and accurate of the actual people in the generation. Second, it should be respectful towards not only the people in the generation, but towards others, like Millennials. If we are going to adopt a name for the rest of history to describe tens of millions of people, let's be kind. And finally, it should be catchy and memorable, something that is easily said and repeated. So what are the contenders? What should the Generation after Millennials be called?
First, William Strauss and Neil Howe ran a poll in 2006 to try and answer this question, with the winner, overwhelmingly, being The Homeland Generation. The Homeland Generation, with members called Homelanders, was chosen because the 9/11 attacks had a dramatic impact on every child growing up afterwards, who had little knowledge of any time before. However, Neil Howe has said he doesn't love the name.
Another name given is The Pluralist Generation by the marketing agency Frank N. Magid Associates, since they are supposed to have no ethnic majority by 2040, becoming the first Pluralistic generation. This fact, they say, defines the generation.
iGeneration or iGen is a name claimed by a couple people, most notably Dr. Jean Twenge. But I hate it. We have so much more to offer to the world than owning iPhones that this name seems insulting.
But what is even more insulting is the name Post-Millennial Generation. This is the most uncreative, lazy, and insulting name to both Millennials and Generation Z. It's just objectively a bad name.
A 2018 New York Times survey asked people to suggest names for Generation Z. Some suggested Meme Lords or the Meme Generation. This could actually make sense, because memes are a uniting cultural element. But the favorite in the New York Times poll was the Delta Generation, where Delta indicates change or uncertainty in mathematics and science, which is like the change and uncertainty in the Crisis that shaped the age group. The 22 year old who suggested it, Kelsy Hillesheim, said, “Delta also implies members of this generation will be agents of change, not just people reacting to it”. She also mentioned we could call members Deltans.
So what's it going to be? The Homeland Generation? The Delta Generation? The Meme Lords? Well, I decided to conduct a survey to see what names are actually popular for the soon to be named Generation Z.
UNWRITTEN
What do we take away from all this? First, The Delta Generation arguably deserves much more recognition, and when Deltans hit, they are going to hit hard. Second, Deltans are currently the most depressed generation in recent memory, so prioritizing mental health and trying to fix the root causes of these issues are going to be important over the following years. Third, the Delta Generation is a political battleground, with large liberal and conservative movements occurring within the generation. And finally, if we are going to name and classify this generation, we might want to do that soon.
And to answer the essential question: “Why does the Delta Generation matter?”, if you don't know yet, you'll definitely know soon.