Everybody knows there’s a huge difference between recent generations, but it took the skillful eye of cartoonist John Atkinson to sum them up perfectly. Atkinson, who illustrates the cartoon “Wrong Hands”, recently published a standalone cartoon entitled “Anatomy of Generations”, and we dare readers of all ages not to laugh when they read it!
How do different generations think about the timeline of their lives? What really defines those years? “Anatomy of Generations” seeks to answer that question.
The cartoon is divided into three sections, highlighting the most prominent recent
generations, the so-called boomers, generation x, and millenials.
The Boomers’ View of the World
For Baby Boomers, the cartoon explains, every year before 1960 qualifies as “Not the 60s.” Everything after 1969 is labeled “Not like it was in the 60s”. Anyone with an ex-hippie parent, relative, or friend knows how true this is. Sure, the Sixties represented an important shift in politics and culture as we know it, but a lot of cool stuff has come out since then, too!
For Generation X, Atkinson says that every year before 1990 was reserved for whining about the Baby Boomers. However, for a brief period (between 1991-1995), the cartoon says “Wore Plaid”. After 1995, the cartoon says that Generation X focused on “whining about millenials”. Although this is pretty harsh, one of the hallmarks of Generation X was their supposed cynical view on the world. Their “plaid years” represented the so-called grunge years.
For those few years, Generation X felt like they were finally in control of the culture, much like how the boomers were in the 60s. This cartoon shows that most generations share a common trait of thinking their own heyday was “the best”.
The Millenial timeline is much simpler. Every year before 2007 is labeled as “No iPhone”. Every year after that is labeled “New iPhone”.
It’s a little harsh, but true. Millenials certainly have the tendency to mark progress with technology. This sets them apart from generations that were more focused on things like music and fashion.
What “Anatomy of Generations” Says About Us
Although it’s just a simple cartoon, “Anatomy of Generations” says a lot about the differences that define today’s generation gaps. The Boomers are convinced that the 60s were the best time to be alive, Generation X thinks it was a 4 year period in the 1990s. Meanwhile, the Millenial forgot what the question was because they were playing Temple Run on their iPhone.
We hope this cartoon made you smile, and maybe even made you stop and think that maybe you’re being a little harsh on your grandparents, your parents, or even your kids. Despite our differences, we still have more in common than you’d think; realistically, a lot of Generation Xers and Boomers probably read this on a new iPhone.
Feel free to comment below or share with a friend who could use a smile!