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Started 11 months ago by News
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News
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HERE COME THE PLURALS!
by Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais
05/29/2012

Plurals will be different from Millenials. For one thing they will be the first generation in America that will be majority “minority”, as evidenced by the recent U.S. Census Bureau announcement that more babies born in America in the 12 months between July 2010 and July 2011, were non-white than white. The event occurred about eight years earlier than demographers had predicted it would just a few years ago. The 21st Century pluralistic American society that had often been talked about has arrived. But the question remains whether or not the country’s institutions, and its leadership, will be up to the challenge such a polyglot democracy presents.

READ MORE: http://www.newgeography.com/content/002867-here-come-plurals

Posted 11 months ago #
ChrisSunami
King-Lincoln District
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Ah, so the race to name the next generation has started. I don't see "Plurals" sticking --it more conjures up associations with multiple births than with a pluralistic society --but you never know. The article also mentions "iGeneration" which seems a lot more catchy, despite (or because of) being cutesy and commercial.

I believe the late generational theorist Bill Strauss --together with his writing partner Neil Howe --was the one to popularize "Millennials," which has become the standard for the generation born between 1980 and 2001, despite the fact that they weren't actually born in the new Millennium. It was Strauss's second attempt to name a generation, after his "13th Generation" failed to make any headway against "Generation X."

Posted 11 months ago #
bucki12
wp
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I still like 'Generation Y' instead of Millennials.

Posted 11 months ago #
local champion

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Are people born in 1980 millennials? I never understood which generation I am in.

Posted 11 months ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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ChrisSunami said:
I believe the late generational theorist Bill Strauss --together with his writing partner Neil Howe --was the one to popularize "Millennials," which has become the standard for the generation born between 1980 and 2001, despite the fact that they weren't actually born in the new Millennium.

I think Millennial works as a name for this group though, largely because what defines their formative years has taken place during the start of the new Millennium.

I think Gen Y sounds like a sequel to Gen X, and I don't think that's the case.

As far as these new kids go, Plurals works ok for me, not that it really matters. The "AO Generation" is one I've seen elsewhere ("Always Online") which is somewhat fitting, though I'd argue that mantra applies to anyone and everyone in group Gen X and younger at this point, and not just the new generation.

I do find the demographic makeup shift to be incredibly interesting though, and that could really become what defines this new generation over the next 20-30 years. We talk a lot around here about long-term planning and visioning, but largely as it relates to public spaces, and not to people themselves. If you look at something like the Dublin Bridge Street Corridor Plan, which is being called a 40-year plan (if not longer), then I think it's possible to see it differently when considering how much the demographic makeup will shift during those four decades. Will Dublin look a lot more multicultural, or will that community be slower to change to match the national numbers?

Posted 11 months ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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local champion said:
Are people born in 1980 millennials? I never understood which generation I am in.

I'm with you. Born in 1980. It's basically the borderline year between Gen X and Millennial.

I like to say that I identify with the better parts of each group, and not the bad parts of each group. ;)

Posted 11 months ago #
ricospaz

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I thought it was supposed to be 'Generation Why?'.... as in why should we do anything? :)

Posted 11 months ago #
rus

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ricospaz said:
I thought it was supposed to be 'Generation Why?'.... as in why should we do anything? :)

I've been using "snowflake generation" ;)

Posted 11 months ago #
FoodFort

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What about Generation Debtors?

Posted 11 months ago #
ChrisSunami
King-Lincoln District
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local champion said:
Are people born in 1980 millennials? I never understood which generation I am in.

Of course generations don't really have exact boundaries. My wife was born in summer of '80 and identifies as a Gen X. My sister was born a few months later and identifies as a Millennial.

The usual shorthand is
Gen X = slacker, grunge, individualist, iconoclast.
Millennial = clean cut, bright clean sense of style, group-oriented and maybe 4just a tiny bit shallow.

As far as the new generation, my question about all the tech based names is whether they'll continue to fit as this generation grows up. We know they were conceived into a very tech-oriented era, but for all we know they'll react against that and become a generation of neo-Amish.

What about Generation Debtors?

Or "Generation Creditors", since we arguably owe then, not the other way around.

I've actually heard people use "the Last Generation" but that seems a bit overly fatalistic to me.

rus said:
I've been using "snowflake generation" ;)

As in "each one is a special unique snowflake"? :D I've also heard them called the "Self Esteem" generation.

Posted 11 months ago #
dubdave00
Dublin
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local champion said:
Are people born in 1980 millennials? I never understood which generation I am in.

Depends on which research group / ad agency you ask. I've seen 1979 / 1980 the cutoff for "Generation Y" and 1981 / 1982 as the cutoff for the "Millenials". Howe and Strauss picked 81/82 as that was the year for the high school class of 2000.

I've seen agencies refer to births between 1980 & 1984 as Gen X/Y cuspers. They grew up with the maximum years of peace time (Before adulthood). They remember a time pre-internet but essentially grew up / came of age with internet as well. They grew up with Gen X culture but their attitudes shift closer to Gen Y.

Posted 11 months ago #
misskitty
Columbus
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I have referred to it as Generation WTF! I think it fits.

Posted 11 months ago #
rus

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misskitty said:
I have referred to it as Generation WTF! I think it fits.

I LOL'D.

Reminded me of this:
http://gawker.com/5902308/small-girl-big-mouth-a-girls-recap

Gen Y: ceaselessly dramatizing your own life while posing as someone who understands the fundamental emptiness and narcissism of that very self-dramatization.

Posted 11 months ago #
dubdave00
Dublin
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rus said:
Gen Y: ceaselessly dramatizing your own life while posing as someone who understands the fundamental emptiness and narcissism of that very self-dramatization.

I'm not sure living at the contradictory intersection between narcissism and self-awareness is exclusively Gen Y. I seem to recall Boomers criticizing Xers (more so in their teens than 20s) of similar things back in the 90s.

Part of me just thinks it's a life-stage thing that's more visible these days and amplified due to technology. I also think we're in more cynical times so we're more likely to accuse people of posturing instead of taking them at face value.

Posted 11 months ago #
rus

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dubdave00 said:
Part of me just thinks it's a life-stage thing that's more visible these days and amplified due to technology. I also think we're in more cynical times so we're more likely to accuse people of posturing instead of taking them at face value.

What's that? Sorry, I was photographing my dinner to upload to the facypages because it's UHMAHYZING.

Later. Gotta go poop. You'll see it on twitter.

Posted 11 months ago #
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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Uh... you guys do know this news story at the top is not about Generation Y, right?

Posted 11 months ago #
ricospaz

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Walker said:
Uh... you guys do know this news story at the top is not about Generation Y, right?

Ahh the 'Plurals' have no say yet. They'll all grow up thinking everyone should win and get prizes.

Posted 11 months ago #
joev
Merion Village
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Yes, it's best than this new generation grows up full of negativity and feeling that the world is actively conspiring against them. Kids these days.

Posted 11 months ago #
ricospaz

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joev said:
Yes, it's best than this new generation grows up full of negativity and feeling that the world is actively conspiring against them. Kids these days.

Oh you are one of those parents. that's fine.

Posted 11 months ago #
rus

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ricospaz said:
Ahh the 'Plurals' have no say yet. They'll all grow up thinking everyone should win and get prizes.

Without effort; if more needs done for them to succeed that's what mommy and daddy are for.

Posted 11 months ago #