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Generation Why?
I had to use Wikipedia to find out what generation I am in. Apparently, born in 1985, I fall into three generations:
The MTV Generation, The Boomerang Generation, and Generation Y. I spent a few minutes pretty satisfied that my
delusions of grandeur had been validated, and I was, in fact, equal to three people. I turned the heat down and
left my ego at a low simmer. I read up on these three generations, and felt a sense of betrayal. Whoever, had
labeled these generations, made almost no effort to characterize the spirit of our generation, instead listing
technological breakthroughs as the defining characteristic of a whole generation. I was pissed.
I gave it more thought and realized that defining my generation was no easy task. Generation X had grunge, crack,
angst, and nihilism to define a gritty youthful generation. I grew up in the atmosphere of Britney Spears and
Ritalin- two entities that I believe are at least partly responsible for curb-stomping the vitality out of my
generation.
I am oversimplifying intentionally. This is because there is simply too much going on today to have a handle
on what is important and what is not.
The world powers are shifting; there is the concept of the Global Village, nuclear proliferation- Wait!
These aren’t new concepts at all! These are the same problems Gen X’ers faced, and the same problem the baby
boomers faced. These are old problems. And we don’t want them. Why us? BUT… here’s where my generation
demonstrates an interesting self-awareness- the duality of Generation Why! We know that inheriting the
problems of the past is part of the human condition. We’re pissed off that we’re going to spend all
our resources elbow-deep in baby boomers’ diapers, watching the Carbon Dioxide levels rise and ozone
dissipate with baited breath, but we have accepted and ignored these problems with amazing skill!
We are a generation of duality and acceptance, not single-mindedness and resignation. We have accepted
that we were born into this time. We struggle with the postmodern dilemma and are quick to accept that
it’s almost impossible to be original. We accept that everything we think, say and do has been thought,
said and done. It would seem that we were doomed from birth to be an unsung generation, without
purpose or potential, and yet we have not lost our wonder. We may question the wisdom of the past,
but we don’t think we know any better. We question everything and are not afraid to hold the mirror
up to ourselves. We are thinkers and not revolutionaries. So… Why us? Why not? Someone had to be born.
Jonathan Stamp was born in Vancouver in 1985. He splits his time between Vancouver and Kingston,
Ontario as he is currently taking a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Queen’s University. His art and writing explores
gender relations, masculinity, youth culture and the human condition in the twenty-first century.
Besides his art and writing he enjoys playing guitar, snowboarding and acting in student films.
He has been published in Lake Effect V.2 and Ultraviolet Issue 10.1.
Email: Jonathan Stamp
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