It’s funny how the conventional wisdom is that “Race Does Not Exist,” yet there is far better evidence that generations are Just Social Constructs.
We’re told that genetic variation only differs clinally (although the Atlantic Ocean would beg to differ), but that’s much more true about generational change. Really, though, the only definite date in generational history is 1946 when births went up over 20%. But when the Baby Boom ended is arbitrary. The usual date is given as 1964, but that seems to have something to do with the JFK assassination and the Beatles rather than with any sharp change in birth rate, which dropped steadily throughout the 1960s.
Subsequent generations are even more arbitrary. It’s mostly marketing consultant puffery.
Moreover, it’s by no means clear that the experience of members of the 1946-1964 Baby Boom is similar when it comes to the effects of birth rates. Clearly, the law of Supply and Demand worked in favor of early Boomers (e.g., three guys born in 1946 have been President) and against late Boomers.
Likewise, there are bigger differences on average between two individuals within one generation than between the averages for two generations.
And yet … people find thinking in generational terms useful, and they aren’t wholly deluded.
