Our Skruggles and Successes: From the Silent Generation to Generation Z
I’ve been wanting to write this article for a while, but it’s so big. I feared leaving important parts out, so much so that I’m just now getting around to writing it. Because my word ain’t the last say so though and because this space is (and will always be) a conversation, please add to what I left out when it comes to what your generation (or another) succeeded at and struggled with.
The Silent Generation
I prefer to call ’em WW2 babies since they were born right in the mix of the war, but I’ll use the more recognizable term.
Their highs: They did way more schooling than their parents and grandparents did. A lot of ’em graduated high school and a few of ’em graduated college too. They also were amongst the first to leave the South during the Great Migration, heading up North and out West. And they were the movers and shakers of the Civil Rights Movement. They also got access to better jobs. They did an excellent job of keeping the family together and in touch. They felt more united, more we’re-in-this-togetha as a people than generations after ’em.
Their lows: Everyone who didn’t want the Civil Rights Act to be passed was probably a problem for them. Many of ’em either desegregated schools or were parents of children who did. That was tough. They were were already grown when the Birmingham Church Bombings happened, when MLK and Malcolm X were assassinated, and when we went to war with Vietnam. On top of all that, they were born and raised in the midst of the Great Depression, which resulted in a lot of ’em being hoarders and penny-pinchers. They’d rather let the food go bad in the fridge rather than throw it away. It’s a big reason why, too, they insist on feeding you.
The Baby Boomers
Their highs: They birthed hip-hop! I don’t know if it really get any more major than that. On top of that, a whole bunch lotta Black millionaires came outta this generation.
Their lows: Just as they were getting good and grown, the crack epidemic hit (along with the War on Drugs). Between addiction and incarceration, many of ’em weren’t present to raise their children. The AIDS epidemic also hit ’em. Credit card debt became a real issue in their days too.
Generation X
Their highs: A lot of them started moving to suburbs. More Black women than ever started joining the military. Self-expression among Black folk was at an all-time high. Freaknik is probably the best example of that. More of ’em attended college, getting jobs involving technology, began moving to the suburbs, and had more family vacations than most. Many of ’em also started moving back South.
Their lows: They were still dealing with the same lows of the Baby Boomers, along with the introduction of addiction to prescribed meds. New mass incarceration traps like the Three Strikes Law also hit ’em. Divorce rates skyrocketed too. The “what’s in it for me” attitude took off with them, and “keeping up with the Joneses” elevated to an all-time high (right along with debt).
Millennials
Their highs: We mastered the internet thang and introduced social media to the world. Even as children, we’d begun learning how to code (shoutout to Myspace). More than any generation prior, we had access to a lot of material stuff. We’re less loyal to brands (we like what we like, regardless who made it, whereas our grandparents might’ve stuck with Buicks). I don’t know whether to count this as a high or low, but we also go to church significantly less. Many of us also ain’t interested in the traditional American Dream. And we’re traveling internationally like it ain’t nobody’s business.
Their lows: Many of us were raised in single-parent households, usually without a father present. College debt eating our ass up! If we thought keeping up with the Joneses was a problem for our parents, it’s really an issue for us. We’re also super impatient. And we grew up on trash ass food. That’s not to say that we didn’t have good home-cooking, but by the time our mamas spit us out, there was already a fast-food restaurant on every corner. I think we might’ve experimented with more different kindsa drugs than any Black generation before us. And the glorification of the gangsta lifestyle in our music and movies started too many of us out on the wrong foot.
Generation Z
Their highs: They don’t really know life without cell phones and social media. They’ve been co-existing with it damn near their whole lives. So they’re really good at it. And they’re getting rich much faster than any generation before them—without a rap or sports career. They come off as fearless to a fault. And they are adamant about only investing their time and energy into things that either highly interest them or immediately benefit them. They really threw the American Dream out the window. They’re incredibly intuitive and expressive. Fortunately, they have more access to mental healthcare at a much younger age than generations before ’em.
Their lows: They’re three times more impatient than Millennials are. Being prepared by a certain date ain’t a motivation for them. (I’m only putting that as a low, because their parents, generally speaking, ain’t happy ’bout that.) They’re becoming addicted to drugs much younger than every generation before them. They also have the pressure of always being “on” because of social media. Many of their parents are also addicted to social media, so they aren’t as mentally present as they might be physically. They eat more fast-food and high fructose corn syrup more consistently than anybody else and at a much younger age.
It’s impossible for me to have caught it all, so please comment below what I missed.
Much love to our new and recurring monthly patrons:
Jessi, June Johnson, Yolanda Acree, Cala, D. Amari Jackson, Yvonne Carter, Black Art in America, Nakia Morgan, Yeseree’ Robinson, Akeem Scott, Add your name here
Your monthly contributions give us the resources to pay black writers and artists, and get more creative and consistent in the content we deliver. We put a lot of time, love, and money into researching, writing, and sharing. Click here to learn more.