Coffee Time Blog 02 | Generation Jones: Caught Between Worlds

Good morning! It’s 6:30 AM on Monday, October 13th, and it’s coffee time.

Back in 1999, a cultural commentator named Jonathan Pontell coined the term “Generation Jones.” This refers to people born between 1954 and 1964, individuals like my wife and me, who sit right on the cusp of the Baby Boomer and Generation X eras.

Normally, I don’t really pay much attention to these generational labels. I don’t even know what they call them, and I’m certainly not going to research it at 6:30 in the morning (though I did look up who came up with the term). Personally, I don’t give much credit to any of it. I believe each generation is defined day-to-day, hour-to-hour. Just because someone was born in 1948 doesn’t mean they’re a Baby Boomer, and you can’t stereotype them into a certain way. We all have things in common, and we all have differences – mentally, biologically, and emotionally. Some of us seem smarter than others, some find it easier to… well, to do things.

However, when I came across “Generation Jones,” I thought, “Okay, now I’ve found a fit.” It seems like people don’t like Baby Boomers, and Generation X gets made fun of. One generation constantly tries to outdo the other, and everyone is saying one generation isn’t this or isn’t that. I just don’t understand it. In my mind, it’s all pretty much just marketing stereotypes: this age group likes this, this age group buys that.

But here’s the thing: even though I usually don’t care about the whole generation thing, deep down, when I found this, I felt better. I don’t want to be a Baby Boomer because I’ve heard what people say about them (which is often just repeating what someone else said). And while I kind of like being Gen X because we were cool, and we used to fall off our bikes and our moms used Mercurochrome and alcohol on our scrapes, I’m going to embrace being Generation Jones. Yeah, that makes me feel better…even though I don’t care. Do I really care?  Too funny.

So, it’s Monday the 13th, which I think is a lot worse than Friday the 13th. They say “seize the day,” but Mondays are just Fridays undone – playing catch-up, waiting to do things you couldn’t over the weekend. I’m not even sure what I’m saying anymore!

Have a great Monday. Be good to yourself, be good to others, and we’ll see you next time for coffee.

Love,

Mark