Generation has become one of the key vectors along which social movements organize and identify themselves, according to a report published by Jacobin. This trend spans multiple continents, manifested in groups like Madagascar’s Gen Z Mada, Morocco’s Gen Z 212, and Germany’s Gen Z regelt.
Why Are Protests Organizing Around Generational Banners?
Movements across the globe have adopted explicit generational rallying cries to voice economic and political grievances. In Myanmar, protesters during the 2021 civil disobedience movement chanted, “You messed with the wrong generation!” Meanwhile, in France, the slogan “Génération 6–7 refait Mai 68” has spread widely online, connecting contemporary youth protests to historical student strikes.
Where Did Generational Thinking Originate?
Generational categories like baby boomers, Generation X, millennials, and Generation Z are largely the product of US business consultants, pollsters, and think tanks rather than Marxist or sociological theory. Since the 1960s, marketing corporations have built an industry around studying the attitudes of these cohorts. The theoretical framework behind much of this thinking traces back to William Strauss and Neil Howe, two former congressional staffers who argued in books like 1991’s Generations and 1997’s The Fourth Turning that human history progresses in 80-to-100-year cycles broken down into four distinct seasons.
How Do Political Elites Use Generational Theories?
Esoteric generational theories have found receptive audiences among prominent political figures. Steve Bannon has described The Fourth Turning as central to his worldview, using its concepts to produce his 2010 documentary Generation Zero and keeping an annotated copy on his shelf while serving as a top aide to Donald Trump. Al Gore, a Harvard classmate of Strauss, sent a copy of Generations to every member of Congress and was reportedly chosen as Bill Clinton’s 1992 running mate partly due to generational strategy.
What Do Critics Say About the Generational Framework?
Left-wing critics argue that focusing on generational splits obscures the underlying capitalist relations driving modern crises. Commenting on recent uprisings, Vincent Bevins argued that claiming an uprising is led by Generation Z amounts to little more than noting it happens in the present era, calling the framework a symptom of intellectual poverty. Similarly, Adolph Reed Jr. warns that the generational frame is a product of pollsters and consultants selling an alternative to organizing durable constituencies around concrete political programs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What specific groups use generational branding in their activism?
Active movements utilizing these terms include Madagascar’s Gen Z Mada, Morocco’s Gen Z 212, and Germany’s Gen Z regelt, alongside protesters in Myanmar and France.
Who authored the 1997 book The Fourth Turning?
William Strauss and Neil Howe authored the book, which outlines an 80-to-100-year cyclical view of human history divided into four generational turnings.
What is the core criticism of the generational framework by leftist thinkers?
Critics argue the framework distracts from fundamental capitalist class dynamics and serves as a substitute for building organized political constituencies around specific issues and programs.
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