WK5 Material Culture: Identity

Who am I? This question undoubtedly lurks in the back of everyone’s mind, and at some point in their life it completely engulfs their very core, putting them in a state of utter dismay and rendering them completely useless until it is appropriately answered. Personally, I don’t believe I’ve reached that point in my life yet, but I also dare not doubt that it will happen eventually. However, I am fairly certain that, when it comes to it, no broad term about the generation i was born into will help me in the slightest with figuring myself out. What I can do so far is recognize some of my personality traits and always strive to be an even better version of myself. As of now, I can say with utmost confidence that I am an honest and kind person, always trying to be just and fair to the people and nature around me, and that I’m, most of all, a laid-back guy.

In the article How Generations Get Nicknames, Samantha Raphelson diverts our attention to the reasons of placing name tags on generations of people in America, and the crude results that may incur, ultimately diminishing generational values. Every 20 or so years, there arises a need for afore mentioned naming, which usually doesn’t carry any real meaning – at least not to the people it refers to. However, floating different tags and eventually deciding on one does not necessarily mean that a correct solution has been made. Most generations tend to be renamed as time passes so the marketing appeal can place a stronger grip on them. GI generation, given their name because of the members that participated in World War II, was also named the swing generation for their general music tastes. Baby boomers, named because of a major spike in the birth rate, is situated in between the GI generation and the Generation X (previously named baby busters for the decrease in birth rate).The major issue with naming back-to-back generations is that similar names don’t stick. The same case can be seen in more recent generations.  Millennials, for example, were first named Generation Y as a contrast to the previous Generation X, but the later term seemed to apply better – at least in the minds of marketers. Experts are coming up with even more names for the newest generation. All in all, even though we are made to believe, through all sorts of media, that belonging to a specific generation defines us, that does not and should not matter to us. The only things that do define each and every individual are our own choices and their outcomes.