Meet 'Gen Jones': Group was 2004's real swing vote

Denver Post ^ | 12/5/04 | Jonathan Pontell and J. Brad Coker

[qam1]

See

http://www.generationjones.com/

[weegee]

Shorter than that now as they target to "tween" between "childhood" and "teenager" and now that "childhood" bracket has been further subdivided as a demographic they advertise to.

Figure a "generation" now is 3-4 years.

[Pylot]

I think it is ridiculous to associate boomers with their cultural values.

Boomers are simply people born between 46 and 64 when birth rates went to unprecedented levels. Period.

If you look at the birth rates they distinctively explode in 46 and continue on through 64.

To assign personality traits or voting habits means nothing. A boomer is a boomer if born between 46 and 64.

[larryjohnson]

Never heard the term(except keeping up with) applied to my two kids ('62 and '65). Soon Kerry and Zogby will use this excuse.

[USMA83]

Pretty amazing. My point is that, being born in 1961, I never remotely
identified or agreed with the "boomers". My family was conservative
and had utter distain for the whole group. By the time we hit high school
(late 70s) the hippy thing was long gone, Vietnam was over and Carter was
looking like a fool. I cast my first vote as a cadet at West Point for Ronaldus
Maximus. We were never "vexed" about much of anything. Just living life,
trying to do the right thing and succeed.

[olde north church]

I've always called it the "Gen Fiber", pushing the $hit of those Boomers before me and clearing the way for the X-ers.
I really think it's those of us between 1958 and 1965 (I'm of '61) who were turned off by all the whining, pissing and moaning of the boomers. They act as if they were the first generation of humans who experienced everything. If I see another woman rubbing her pregnant belly as if she holds all of mankind within her, I'm going to puke. Wait until "Boomer Eve" hits menopause.
The Gen X isn't bad, they are the backlash against all the hippiedom ideas put into practice. Gen Y, I won't pretend to know that about them.
But yeah, we'll all pay for the boomers.

[Uncledave]

Here's a Jones from Gen. Jones:

[katana]

Born in late '53, I guess I qualify. People in our age group reached college well after the 60's "revolution" and the grad assistants and younger professors castigated us for being so "apathetic". We probably are more conservative than the "cadre" who are now in their late fifties to early sixties and are therefore one of history's antidotes to people like Al Gore and John Kerry.

[writmeister]

I am glad that they are no longer lumping us in with the boomer culture. As someone born in 1964, I feel no affinity to those born in the late 1940s through the 1950s.

The first president I voted for was Ronald Reagan. John F. Kennedy was dead before I was born.

Vietnam was not a war I protested, but a war my father fought in.

I have no strong memories of Watergate, but came of age in the Carter malaise.

Woodstock is either Snoopy's friend or a movie.

In sum, all the boomer touchstones mean little to me.

[Question_Assumptions]

I always put the "Tweeners" between the Boomers and the Xers. Basically people born in the mid-1960s. I can live with the name "Tweener". I can't stand "Generation Jones". Ugh.

[stainlessbanner]

herewegoagain

[thulldud]

I was born the same year as Rush: 1951. About as Boomer as you can get. Never had any use for the peace/love/Woodstock crowd -- I was a techno-geek. Guys like me wanted to work in the space program, which is as far from "dropping out" as can be imagined.

The Woodstock crowd is disproportionately represented in the mediacracy, and they skew everyone's perception of culture accordingly. But this, too, shall pass.

Can't wait. My kids are Xers, and all as conservative as you could wish. Let's bring it on!

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Is this a Maureen Dowd thread, or did I miss something?

[rwa265]

I would, too. Particularly the Boomer voters separately from seniors and younger voters.

[24Karet]

please add me to the Xer Ping List :)

24Karet

[Conspiracy Guy]

Well this explains a lot. I am now a leading edge Gen Joneser. Born Jan 15, 1954. I thought it was interesting that the newly redefined boomers and Gen Xers in Ohio had to be out voted by us Jonesers to win for Bush.

As a senior member of the Jonesers I must say, "Job Well Done" to my fellow Jonesers.

[Conspiracy Guy]

We done got us a new label. Ping

[Laura Earl]

I'm jonesin'

[stainlessbanner]

You defined a generation

[Betis70]

Too bad she is a Gen-Xer (September 25, 1969). Nice photo though.