Who Are We?

"Welcome to the socio-literary parlor game of 'Name That Generation,'" writes William Safire of the New York Times in a recent piece that detailed the frustrating and recurring exercise of giving an entire generation a single identity. 

Off the top of my head, these are just some of the names the 95 million young people of America have been dubbed:

Generation Y – due to the fact that we follow Generation X

Generation We - dubbed by billionare Eric Greenberg in a new book

Generation "O" (for Obama) – presumably because the mania has no end

9/11 or Freedom Generation - as a result of the generation-shaping events in 2001

DoSomething Generation - which is leading with 78 votes on the organization's Website

Generation Net (for Internet) - complements to the technology that shaped us 

Generation S (for service) - because Usher wanted in on this game too

Millennial Generation - resulting from the new Millennium we are growing up in

 

The list goes on, whether reflective of the times in which live, the events that have shaped us, the new technology that surrounds us, the rather egoistic ambitions of those who want to be the next Tom Brokaw (who is credited with naming the “Greatest Generation” with his book), or even the alphabet we use.

I have a feeling I am not the only one suffering from this never-ending identity crisis. But maybe it is not a bad thing. Perhaps it is characteristic of the time in which we live when deliberations on these topics are extended by the very nature of their being open to so many voices that have little to no barrier to entry in the debate. No longer can a single book, a single billionaire, or a single artist come along and give an identity to tens of millions of people, though they may try. 

It seems time will be the only solution to this consequence of inclusivity. Everyone has their preference - mine is Millennial Generation - and that's understandable. What is problematic is something being stuck to our generation and not adopted within itself. Maybe we should put all of our technology to good use and settle this once and for all.