# How can I tell the generation closest to me if I'm not from US & its alike?



## Maura (Dec 2, 2011)

The question is as in the title.


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## TheSpinningDoctor (Nov 30, 2013)

You're Generation Y for sure, after seeing that you're 23 on your profile.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

Maura said:


> The question is as in the title.



What made you think that generations are only for people from the U.S.?


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

You mean culture differences within a generation in different cultures\countries other than the US?


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## Madman (Aug 7, 2012)

@_Maura_ a generation is often defined as the socio-historical environment people of a similar age has been exposed to. If you want to know, write about things that were popular during your childhood.


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## Maura (Dec 2, 2011)

I just am not sure whether this generation thing can still apply to the people growing up in the other parts of the world, the parts that create different sets of circumstances for a childhood.
@TheSpinningDoctor - it's not always that easy: some of the description of generation Y doesn't apply to my generation in my country ^^.
@PowerShell - yes, something like that. The question is, is the culture difference too high for the generalisation about a generation to still apply, or not? ^^
@tanstaafl28 - the fact that the norms set there, even a name like "Baby Boomers" - are the American norms. Not necessarily the same things were happening in the other parts of the world .
@Madman - OK, I'll try to describe ^^.

What was popular? Hm... I was playing with other kids from my neighbourhood a lot. We shared our gaming equipment (like balls and stuff, we even had a kite once ^^), whenever we had them. When we didn't, there was enough stuff around to make up some things, using our imagination. We had that thing were the carpets were supposed to be beaten clean - that large piece of metal was the place to meet each other (only in winter it was in the blocks, due to the cold - in winter we shared a board games, building blocks, mock phones, thumb-long car models, dolls, toys like that ^^). We also were doing amateur gymnastics on that metal instalment, as well as on the trees. Someone put a carousel and a swing nearby, but we were letting the younger kids (younger than five) play on those whenever they were there, for it was safer for them & we didn't really need that stuff - after all, we could as well go play there in the late evening, as we had a longer curfews. (Besides, we all had our turn when we were the younger ones ^^). But mostly we didn't, as there was a cartoon every evening on TV ^^. Only few of the cartoons were without voice, by that time. All of them were in colour.
Nearly everyone had colour TV & most people had stationary phones. The computers were used mostly for work, though some adults were already chatting on IRC. I learnt to use a notebook-mouse, though - as my Mom worked in a notebook-selling company & she was allowed to bring her stuff home - she let me to use MS Paint sometimes. But the PCs quickly entered the households when I was a young teen. So I'm still natural in the use of keyboard. The mobile phones were also mostly the work-related devices at the time of my early childhood. I was maybe over 13 when I was lent an old mobile phone for a Scouting Camp - I remember getting scolded for not turning it on for a week, for I was supposed to send a text message home every few days & I just forgot about that.
When it comes to the sweets, there was that powder that one was supposed to put into some water to have a sweet drink, but we were all eating it straight from the packet. The bubble gum was also quite a hit ^^. As well as the crisps, the weird lolly-pops (the popsicle ones, or ones that coloured kids' tongues).

Oh, and there was the public playground we found with the other kids, when we were walking back from school, once ^^ (we were 8 when we tried that way back ^^). When I was 8, the grading system was changed, so we no longer received actual numeric grades (or passing/non-passing grades) until we were about 10 years old.

Besides, I was born on the very beginning of the demographic shortage. Oh, and in the first generation to have a whole life without the Moscow's Eye lurking from behind, but with the Uncle Sam instead ;P.
The other thing is, our generation HAD to have our education prolonged (to Masters at least), as there were very few job positions available at the time we turned adult - the previous generation took them all. Therefore, most people of our generation are stuck doing the hired-for-only-one-assignment jobs for different companies.

I'm not sure if it fits any of the described generations XD. What do you think?


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

I guess it depends where you're from and how much technology was there. Also, the more the internet flattened the world, the more in common we all had with each other. I'm sure in older generations there was a bit more of a contrast since there was some isolation between places. Now, I'd say the differences are disappearing a bit.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

@Maura

You are correct that the U.S. culture titled the generations, for the latter half the 20th Century, the U.S. set the bar for most of the nations in the West. Now, most of my fellow citizens may not want to admit it, but I believe we are now like the British Empire at the end of the 19th Century, we are in a decline. It is time for some other nation to rise to prominence. Probably China. 

Be that as it may, it is hard for Americans to look at the rest of the world and realize they do not have the same situation we do. Our poorest are rich compared to most of the rest of the world, and most of my people are ignorant of it. I was 19 the first time I visited Europe. It was an eye-opening experience. Personally, I've enjoyed Europe more than my own country. I've been back 7 more times since then.


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## All (Jan 13, 2014)

There are bound to be differences so I wouldn't take the definitions at face value. Some important events or pop culture things weren't so big in my country, so people who are around my age but were from the US or other countries remember them better. Is there any difference in the cultural and political background between your and your parents? What about between you and people younger than you? There probably are. I don't know how exposed you were to international stuff, but some things that are commonly known as pop culture "hits" among my generation were big worldwide and are part of my memories, so that makes sense as well.


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## Maura (Dec 2, 2011)

@All - international, like Looney Tunes and Smurfs, and stuff like that?
As to cultural differences, unlike my parents, I had commercials around when I was growing up, hehe ^^. Oh, and I never expected to spend my life in one job (unlike the previous generation), but even at my age I've already had a wider variety than I've ever imagined XD. The young ones are "weird" in believing that happiness is what they deserve to get and not what they need to make. They are also connected to the social sites (like FB) from relatively young ages.
Actually, in between I've discovered that they have a region-specific name for my generation - "the Lost Generation," due to the jobs issue.


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