Boomers, millennials, GenX,Y,Z...LAST? The part of the Robert Reich Film Last Class that struck my wife.

[NNadir]

Yesterday, my wife and I went to see the film covering the "retirement" of Robert Reich from teaching at UC Berkeley.

The Last Class

Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich has been in the public eye for many things including his social media presence, best-selling books, and his public service, but he considered teaching his true calling in life. Deeply inspirational, THE LAST CLASS showcases an incredible educator quite literally giving his wealth of knowledge to over 1,000 students as he fills the largest lecture hall on UC Berkeley's campus for his final class.

The film covered lectures in the class, interspersed with Reich musing about the world in which he, a "Boomer," grew to be an old man.

We were very moved by the film and recommend it highly.

Over dinner later in the evening we were talking about the film, and my wife told me that the part which struck her most was that where he asked some young people what the latest generation would call themselves in what I regard as that oft evoked but meaningless sequence "Greatest, boomers, millennials, Gen X, Y, Z. He said he was disturbed to hear from one or more of these young people that they thought they should be called "The Last Generation."

He implored in one of the lectures against allowing pessimism and fear to degenerate into cynicism.

I'm a boomer; that's increasingly hard for me, as I'm ashamed of the world we're leaving that rising generation who fears they will not rise at all.

I recommend the film highly.

[Fiendish Thingy]

1. Too late- we already have Gen Alpha

My granddaughter’s generation.

BTW, Gen Y is the same as Millennials.

[NNadir]

2. I'm generally unimpressed with these labels. In any case, the point...

...of the post had nothing to do with these ersatz definitions. It was about a sense of hopelessness among the young people about whom Robert Reich cares so deeply.

[Fiendish Thingy]

3. Yes, I understood the point, just wanted to clarify the terms

Although my millennial kids feel plenty of despair and anguish about the era they are living through, they also have close circles of loving, mostly progressive friends and refuse to give into apathy or cynicism, and both have joined protests in their cities.

[NNadir]

4. I certainly succumbed to the definitions in the OP by...

...defining myself as a "boomer."

This said, the definitions, in my view, are a media and cultural creation that are not particularly useful.

My sons, 4 years apart, are according to the definitions I had to look up, since I really don't follow them, are in different generations. Yet culturally and in terms of life situations despite very different career paths, there is little difference between them.

My wife, who is almost 11 years younger than I am - she was mature for her age and I less mature for mine - were initially in very differing cultures in our tastes and outlooks, when we met although she, by the definition was a borderline "boomer" and I a central "boomer." (Obviously we grew culturally together, each of learning from and supporting the other.)

It's all unhelpful.

In the film, Robert Reich a short, physically old man, struck me as having a sense of the freshness of youth, deep in experience, but possessed of a young and expanding ethical and intellectual mind.

He was very much unlike what a generic "boomer" might be, at least to my mind. One senses him growing even as he retires.

[Fiendish Thingy]

5. Well, the boomers label makes sense to me

The Baby Boom was a measurable, significant increase in the birthrate from 1946-1964, peaking in 1957.

While there may be quibbles over the exact range of years for each generation, there are distinct generations, the offspring of previous generations.

While there are shifting trends of birth rates and average childbearing age, there are still identifiable age groups/generations that I find useful.

[NNadir]

6. You're certainly well within your rights and Reich certainly agrees with you. Perhaps though...

...as a bald, fat, old, white man I'm overly sensitive to demographic labels.

I certainly don't want to be defined by my label as my demographic is highly represented among the Maggats.

It's shorthand I guess, and useful in some sense - certainly to Reich - but I'd be careful to invest too much in elevating the general over the specific. Like anyone, I sometimes do that, and when I do, I often deserve getting my hand slapped.

Whatever the case, it's a great film.

Thanks for your comments.