If you were born between 1960-1964 do you consider yourself a boomer or generation Xer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was born in mid 1964. I do not feel apart of either generation. JFK was shot before I was born. I don't remember Viet Nam. I have a vague memory of the moon shot, ("watch THIS, you will remember it the rest of your life!!!!!" is what I remember). I was just becoming aware when Nixon was nearly impeached - mid-ES. Carter's election is the first one I remember. I remember John Anderson.

I remember when John Lennon was shot mainly because it was the first banner headline I had ever seen in the newspaper and that shocked me. I really wasn't aware of the Beatles until that point. Same for Elvis's death.

I remember when Reagan was shot, I know who shot JR, I remember the Iranian hostages coming home - these were when I was in HS.

I remember Challenger in college, same for Thriller - I was never really a Michael Jackson fan. Madonna was huge. Purple Rain came out in college. U2 was on my radar then. Live Aid.....

I remember Lockerbie- two students from my HS were on the plane. I remember Tiananmen square- a mom from church was in a hotel just off the square. I remember the hijacked plane that went to Beirut- a neighbor was on that plane. (I don't remember the chronology of those events).

I remember when the wall came down and Perestroika- I was living in DC and working. I did not know of Kurt Cobain until after his death.

I was born in 1964 and have all these memories too, but I consider myself Gen X.

I’m probably 4-5 months older than you and it sounds more like you were sheltered from the news and pop culture more than an age thing. I remember hearing about the Vietnam War on the TV every night. There was a ticker at the bottom of the screen w/ number of soldiers killed. I remember the moon landing. I impersonated Nixon at 4th grade sleepovers. I was in math class when Elvis died and was very aware of who he was. Poor Lisa Marie!

Etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1955 is pretty much the last year for the Boomers. If the draft ended before you (or your male peers if you are female) were eligible for it, then you are not a boomer. The draft, and thinking about it, is probably the defining experience of the Boomers.

The war in Vietnam was a huge concern for young people of that time. Many were very worried about the possibility of having to go there. If the draft did not directly affect you or your age peers, you are not a boomer.

I was born in '66 and I remember watching news footage about Vietnam on t.v.. My husband was born a couple of years earlier and his dad is a Vietnam Vet. The draft may have ended in '55 but if you think that people weren't still concerned about it in the 60's/70's you would be wrong. There was always that looming possibility that it could be brought back at any time.

Still I consider myself to be a Gen Xer while I consider my older siblings born nearly a decade earlier than I was to be Boomers.

The draft did not end in 1955, it ended in 1972. People born in 1955 were 17 in 1972, so just missed being eligible for the draft. It was a big concern for them, though, since they did not know in advance that the draft would end when it did. People born later in the 50s and early 60sdid not have to worry as much about the draft since it had ended while they were younger teens or tweens.

It is difficult to have these conversations when people think that the draft ended in 1955 and thus do not understand the effect the draft had on a particular age cohort.

The main point is that people born 1961-65 did not give a shit about the draft or the Vietnam War, so they were not Boomers.

This isn't true at all. I was born in '61 and my older brother, born in 1954, was drafted in 1971 or 72. He applied and was granted conscientious objector status and it was a prolonged and painful process that had a big impact on our whole family.

[Anonymous]

I was born in 1960 and the most interesting part of this thread is finding so many other early '60s people on DCUM!

I feel like I certainly missed the 1960s counterculture, Vietnam protests, folk music part of the older boomer experience, but I wasn't so far removed from it so it's foreign. In fact in high school in the late 1970s I hated disco and listened to a lot of groups/singers the older cohort liked, from the Stones to Simon and Garfunkel to Joni Mitchell.

I feel like I'm the Brady Bunch generation, identifying with shows and trends from the early '70s more than anything else.

Of course, a generation by definition has to constitute more than 8-10 years, although I think most will identify most with cultural icons from when they were ages 10-20 or so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was born in 1960 and the most interesting part of this thread is finding so many other early '60s people on DCUM!

I feel like I certainly missed the 1960s counterculture, Vietnam protests, folk music part of the older boomer experience, but I wasn't so far removed from it so it's foreign. In fact in high school in the late 1970s I hated disco and listened to a lot of groups/singers the older cohort liked, from the Stones to Simon and Garfunkel to Joni Mitchell.

I feel like I'm the Brady Bunch generation, identifying with shows and trends from the early '70s more than anything else.

Of course, a generation by definition has to constitute more than 8-10 years, although I think most will identify most with cultural icons from when they were ages 10-20 or so.

1961 but exactly!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was born in mid 1964. I do not feel apart of either generation. JFK was shot before I was born. I don't remember Viet Nam. I have a vague memory of the moon shot, ("watch THIS, you will remember it the rest of your life!!!!!" is what I remember). I was just becoming aware when Nixon was nearly impeached - mid-ES. Carter's election is the first one I remember. I remember John Anderson.

I remember when John Lennon was shot mainly because it was the first banner headline I had ever seen in the newspaper and that shocked me. I really wasn't aware of the Beatles until that point. Same for Elvis's death.

I remember when Reagan was shot, I know who shot JR, I remember the Iranian hostages coming home - these were when I was in HS.

I remember Challenger in college, same for Thriller - I was never really a Michael Jackson fan. Madonna was huge. Purple Rain came out in college. U2 was on my radar then. Live Aid.....

I remember Lockerbie- two students from my HS were on the plane. I remember Tiananmen square- a mom from church was in a hotel just off the square. I remember the hijacked plane that went to Beirut- a neighbor was on that plane. (I don't remember the chronology of those events).

I remember when the wall came down and Perestroika- I was living in DC and working. I did not know of Kurt Cobain until after his death.

I was born in 1964 and have all these memories too, but I consider myself Gen X.

I’m probably 4-5 months older than you and it sounds more like you were sheltered from the news and pop culture more than an age thing. I remember hearing about the Vietnam War on the TV every night. There was a ticker at the bottom of the screen w/ number of soldiers killed. I remember the moon landing. I impersonated Nixon at 4th grade sleepovers. I was in math class when Elvis died and was very aware of who he was. Poor Lisa Marie!

Nope. I remember seeing Vietnam on TV. Also saw the Yom Kippur war on TV, and my mom told me to stay away from the local synagogue, LMAO, like the Arabs were going to attack it next. I watched the moon landing on TV. I remember being in school when they announced Nixon's resignation. I remember SNL mocking Jerry Ford's clumsiness. I'm still Gen X.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you could also consider pre-AIDS, post-AIDS.
I was born in 72, and have never had the concept of casual fun sex. Sex could kill you, from the moment I was aware of it as a personal thing.
My DH was born in 66, and he remembers how sex was fine and great, and then suddenly it could kill you.

We're both Xers, but that's a big difference in how teenagers relate and mature.

Good point. I was born in the 60s.

When I hit my teenage years, every form of VD could be cured. Sex without consequences, yay!
Then suddenly there was a form of VD that could not be cured (herpes was a big deal when it first emerged!) but it didn't kill you.
A little later, there was a form of VD that could not be cured and it killed you.
And now... there are lots of types of VD that cannot be cured.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you could also consider pre-AIDS, post-AIDS.
I was born in 72, and have never had the concept of casual fun sex. Sex could kill you, from the moment I was aware of it as a personal thing.
My DH was born in 66, and he remembers how sex was fine and great, and then suddenly it could kill you.

We're both Xers, but that's a big difference in how teenagers relate and mature.

Good point. I was born in the 60s.

When I hit my teenage years, every form of VD could be cured. Sex without consequences, yay!
Then suddenly there was a form of VD that could not be cured (herpes was a big deal when it first emerged!) but it didn't kill you.
A little later, there was a form of VD that could not be cured and it killed you.
And now... there are lots of types of VD that cannot be cured.

Herpes first emerged in the 70’s? And what forms of VD have emerged since HIV?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was born in mid 1964. I do not feel apart of either generation. JFK was shot before I was born. I don't remember Viet Nam. I have a vague memory of the moon shot, ("watch THIS, you will remember it the rest of your life!!!!!" is what I remember). I was just becoming aware when Nixon was nearly impeached - mid-ES. Carter's election is the first one I remember. I remember John Anderson.

I remember when John Lennon was shot mainly because it was the first banner headline I had ever seen in the newspaper and that shocked me. I really wasn't aware of the Beatles until that point. Same for Elvis's death.

I remember when Reagan was shot, I know who shot JR, I remember the Iranian hostages coming home - these were when I was in HS.

I remember Challenger in college, same for Thriller - I was never really a Michael Jackson fan. Madonna was huge. Purple Rain came out in college. U2 was on my radar then. Live Aid.....

I remember Lockerbie- two students from my HS were on the plane. I remember Tiananmen square- a mom from church was in a hotel just off the square. I remember the hijacked plane that went to Beirut- a neighbor was on that plane. (I don't remember the chronology of those events).

I remember when the wall came down and Perestroika- I was living in DC and working. I did not know of Kurt Cobain until after his death.

I was born in 1964 and have all these memories too, but I consider myself Gen X.

I remember when John Lennon was shot mainly because it was the first banner headline I had ever seen in the newspaper and that shocked me. I really wasn't aware of the Beatles until that point. Same for Elvis's death.

You weren't aware of the Beatles until 1980! This has to be a cultural thing--I was born in DC in 1960 and I certainly knew who the Beatles were by the time I was 6--I had a Beatles lunchbox. Could the 4 years have made that much of a difference?

Born in the Summer of 1960 in Washington DC and I remember everything else you mentioned but also:

1. Romper Room and the Magic Mirror

2. Only Good Humor Ice Cream trucks driven by men in white uniforms

3. Silly Putty

4. PF-Flyer's sneakers

5. Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in

6. Lunar Landing

7. Leisure suits

8. frosted nail polish and lipstick

9. MLK shooting

10. RFK Shooting

11. George Wallace Shooting

12. Reagan

13. The Apocalypse

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I was born in 1964 and have all these memories too, but I consider myself Gen X.

I remember when John Lennon was shot mainly because it was the first banner headline I had ever seen in the newspaper and that shocked me. I really wasn't aware of the Beatles until that point. Same for Elvis's death.

You weren't aware of the Beatles until 1980! This has to be a cultural thing--I was born in DC in 1960 and I certainly knew who the Beatles were by the time I was 6--I had a Beatles lunchbox. Could the 4 years have made that much of a difference?

Born in the Summer of 1960 in Washington DC and I remember everything else you mentioned but also:

1. Romper Room and the Magic Mirror

2. Only Good Humor Ice Cream trucks driven by men in white uniforms

3. Silly Putty

4. PF-Flyer's sneakers

5. Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in

6. Lunar Landing

7. Leisure suits

8. frosted nail polish and lipstick

9. MLK shooting

10. RFK Shooting

11. George Wallace Shooting

12. Reagan

13. The Apocalypse

Forgot to add I feel more like a Baby Boomer blend as I've gotten older-even though I learned to program early on with Fortran and DOS on my IBM desktop in 1980. I first texted with a Motorola Star Tac in the early 2000s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was born in mid 1964. I do not feel apart of either generation. JFK was shot before I was born. I don't remember Viet Nam. I have a vague memory of the moon shot, ("watch THIS, you will remember it the rest of your life!!!!!" is what I remember). I was just becoming aware when Nixon was nearly impeached - mid-ES. Carter's election is the first one I remember. I remember John Anderson.

I remember when John Lennon was shot mainly because it was the first banner headline I had ever seen in the newspaper and that shocked me. I really wasn't aware of the Beatles until that point. Same for Elvis's death.

I remember when Reagan was shot, I know who shot JR, I remember the Iranian hostages coming home - these were when I was in HS.

I remember Challenger in college, same for Thriller - I was never really a Michael Jackson fan. Madonna was huge. Purple Rain came out in college. U2 was on my radar then. Live Aid.....

I remember Lockerbie- two students from my HS were on the plane. I remember Tiananmen square- a mom from church was in a hotel just off the square. I remember the hijacked plane that went to Beirut- a neighbor was on that plane. (I don't remember the chronology of those events).

I remember when the wall came down and Perestroika- I was living in DC and working. I did not know of Kurt Cobain until after his death.

I was born in 1964 and have all these memories too, but I consider myself Gen X.

I’m probably 4-5 months older than you and it sounds more like you were sheltered from the news and pop culture more than an age thing. I remember hearing about the Vietnam War on the TV every night. There was a ticker at the bottom of the screen w/ number of soldiers killed. I remember the moon landing. I impersonated Nixon at 4th grade sleepovers. I was in math class when Elvis died and was very aware of who he was. Poor Lisa Marie!

Nope. I remember seeing Vietnam on TV. Also saw the Yom Kippur war on TV, and my mom told me to stay away from the local synagogue, LMAO, like the Arabs were going to attack it next. I watched the moon landing on TV. I remember being in school when they announced Nixon's resignation. I remember SNL mocking Jerry Ford's clumsiness. I'm still Gen X.

What state did you live in where school started the first week of August in 1974? Didn’t most schools back then start in September or the last week of August at the earliest?

[Anonymous]

I'm the 1960 poster earlier on this page. Oddly, my second memory (after my sister being born the month before) is Kennedy's assassination when I was 3. I mainly recall my grandmother calling to tell my mom the news.

So that's supposed to be the mark of a boomer, remembering that day. I remember Lennon being shot when I was in college, thinking that it truly was the end ofthe 1960s/'70s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you could also consider pre-AIDS, post-AIDS.
I was born in 72, and have never had the concept of casual fun sex. Sex could kill you, from the moment I was aware of it as a personal thing.
My DH was born in 66, and he remembers how sex was fine and great, and then suddenly it could kill you.

We're both Xers, but that's a big difference in how teenagers relate and mature.

Good point. I was born in the 60s.

When I hit my teenage years, every form of VD could be cured. Sex without consequences, yay!
Then suddenly there was a form of VD that could not be cured (herpes was a big deal when it first emerged!) but it didn't kill you.
A little later, there was a form of VD that could not be cured and it killed you.
And now... there are lots of types of VD that cannot be cured.

'63 here. What a horrible day that was hen C. Everett Koop announced that AIDS could be spread by heterosexual sex. Before that, if the girl was on the pill, no worries. After that, worries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you could also consider pre-AIDS, post-AIDS.
I was born in 72, and have never had the concept of casual fun sex. Sex could kill you, from the moment I was aware of it as a personal thing.
My DH was born in 66, and he remembers how sex was fine and great, and then suddenly it could kill you.

We're both Xers, but that's a big difference in how teenagers relate and mature.

Good point. I was born in the 60s.

When I hit my teenage years, every form of VD could be cured. Sex without consequences, yay!
Then suddenly there was a form of VD that could not be cured (herpes was a big deal when it first emerged!) but it didn't kill you.
A little later, there was a form of VD that could not be cured and it killed you.
And now... there are lots of types of VD that cannot be cured.

'63 here. What a horrible day that was hen C. Everett Koop announced that AIDS could be spread by heterosexual sex. Before that, if the girl was on the pill, no worries. After that, worries.

Boomer here: we thought everyone was so old fashioned about sex and it was a new day of sexual freedom. Then our gay and questioning/ experimenting friends started dying. Shocking and we started wondering if our parents were right about limiting sex.

[Anonymous]

I think there is a big difference between older boomers (66+) and the youngest boomers (55 or so). People older than 66 had the pst war boom in every way. The only worry was the draft. But the younger you are the less you benefited all the way down to millennials.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The main point is that people born 1961-65 did not give a shit about the draft or the Vietnam War, so they were not Boomers.

This isn't true at all. I was born in '61 and my older brother, born in 1954, was drafted in 1971 or 72. He applied and was granted conscientious objector status and it was a prolonged and painful process that had a big impact on our whole family.

(shrug) I was a kid in the 1960s. I had friends with older siblings. Nobody ever talked about the draft or the war.