Generations

According to U.S. Census projections, Polars will be the first generation with a non-White majority. As of 2020, they had a barely non-Hispanic White

Gen X’ers value work-life balance so much that they would rather not run for office or sit at the CEO’s desk—fewer

Growing up in an increasingly individualistic and cynical culture, Gen X’ers of every race were taught to question everything—to not take for granted that the government could be trusted, to believe that social rules were meant to be probed, challenged, and sometimes eliminated. Gen X’s questioning spirit also means the generations’ thought is not

Then there’s the influence of technology on trust in institutions. Social media and the internet in general put individualism on steroids: People can do their own research because there are more places to find information, correct or not.

Trust in others, in government, and in the press are three ingredients necessary for a functioning democracy.

The lack of trust increased at the same time that income inequality rose

Apparently, though, the pollsters were onto something. The number of high school seniors who agreed that most people can be trusted was cut in half from the Boomer late 1970s to the Gen X early 1990s (see Figure 4.24). This went beyond cynicism: Gen X’ers were saying they personally didn’t trust others, and that you have to be very careful when dea

Silents were ages 18 to 38 in 1963 and were thus the last generation to grow into adulthood under the old system and the first to experience full adulthood in the new one. With a foot in each world, Silents were at the forefront of the changes that created our modern vision of equality, especially around race, gender, and sexual orientation.

“Some men see things as they are, and say why,” Robert F. Kennedy (b. 1925) said. “I dream of things that never were, and say why not.”