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I attended a free
marketing seminar offered at Calhoun County Library by
Small
Business
Development
Center.
Unfortunately, I was the only person from
Calhoun
who attended.
One of the
issues outlined in the seminar was the different characteristics of
generations within our society.
People who grew up
during the depression (ages 86-95) experienced high levels of
unemployment, poverty, a lack of comforts, and financial uncertainty. As
a result, those of that generation value financial security, waste
almost nothing, and are disinclined to take risks.
Those who
grew up during World War II (ages 80-85) had different experiences. This
generation experienced men going to war, some not coming home, women
working in factories and a focus on defeating a common enemy. As a
result, that generation values patriotism, team players, and the
nobility of sacrifice for the common good.
The postwar
generation (ages 62-79) experienced sustained economic growth, the Cold
War, social tranquility and McCarthyism (an intense fear of communism).
As a result, that generation values conformity, is mostly conservative,
and has traditional family values.
The baby
boomers (ages 53-61) experienced political unrest, the Vietnam War, and
the assassinations of JFK,
Robert
Kennedy
and
Martin
Luther
King.
They saw the first man walk on the moon, antiwar protests, riots, civil
rights movement, women’s movement, environmental movement and social,
sexual and recreational experimentation. As a result, they are more
experimental, free spirited, and oriented to social causes. They value
individuals.
The second
generation of baby boomers (ages 43-52) had different experiences. They
were witness to Watergate, the oil embargo, raging inflation and
gasoline shortages. As a result, they are less optimistic, generally
cynical, and have a distrust of government.
Generation “Xers”
(ages 31-42) remember the Challenger explosions, Iran Contra,
Reaganomics, emergence of AIDS, fall of the Berlin Wall, and saw single
parent families become more common. They are prone to be more
independent, entrepreneurial and informal, and on a quest for emotional
security.
Generation Y
is the next rising group, still in may ways undefined. Generation Y is
said to have heightened fears and a greater acceptance to change. They
are technically savvy and have great concerns for environmental issues.
With the
list of generations broken down and explained in such a manner, it
becomes easier to see why so many of us don’t understand the other
generations. Each generation is put through different experiences that
teach us to value different things.
Even so, we
all must live together and work to find our way in the world. We all
must find a common ground where we can come together and use the
experiences of our lives to make sure future events affect the next
generation in a positive way.
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