Generation Jones: My, My Generation
I recently came across the term “Generation Jones” to describe people born in the United States between the years 1954 and 1965, the subgroup of people sandwiched between the Baby Boomers and Generation X. Although the term was coined many years ago by cultural critic Jonathan Pontell, I had not heard it before.
As someone born in the early 1960s, the description of Jonesers resonated with me—I’ve often felt not old enough to be a boomer and too old to be a Gen Xer. I seemed to occupy a liminal space: too young for the British Invasion and too old for grunge; too young for “The Graduate” and too old for “The Breakfast Club.”
Younger boomers coming of age in the 1960s wanted to fuel change—the civil rights struggle, Vietnam. We Jonesers seemed most worried about finding a good job after graduating college.
Generation Jones refers to the idea of “keeping up with the Joneses” and “jonesing,” meaning intensely desiring something. Pontell believes members of this cohort had an optimistic outlook on life as children in the 1960s but then experienced a different reality as they entered the workforce during the Reagan years when the U.S. experienced high levels of unemployment.
Jonesers are thought of as realistic and pragmatic, a result of coming of age during the aftermath of Vietnam, Watergate, the oil crisis of the 70s and Iran-Contra. They have adopted some of the idealism of boomers but with the practical bent of Gen X.
Of course, these generational characterizations are oversimplifications. But they can be a handy way of seeing one’s place in history, fixing oneself amid cultural and historical events. They can also help forge connections to others in your cohort.
Years ago, after learning that Barack Obama was born the same year I was, I felt an especially warm connection to him, sometimes imagining the two of us talking about significant events of our young adulthood: MTV, AIDS, the rise of PCs, Live Aid, the Challenger disaster, Chernobyl, Tiananmen Square. As I get older, I think a lot about using shared cultural experiences as a way of forging new friendships.
I hope we will see another Generation Joneser in the White House—Kamala Harris, born Oct. 20, 1964.