Jonesin

Have you been "jonesin" all these years without even knowing it? Born between the years of 1955 and 1964, but never fully relating to the characteristics and interests of your older baby boomer friends and siblings? Yearning for something and not quite finding fulfillment, be it socially, economically, politically or even spiritually? Take heart---Generation Jones has now arrived!

Regardless of how we label this age group, its sheer size - and some standout members - make Generation Jones incredibly important in the US, the UK and throughout the world. Their major influence has already been felt in most western elections, in turn affecting the next course of world politics:
  • Barack Obama (born 1961) elected President of the United States in 2008 (most of his subsequent picks for cabinet and staff positions are Jonesers as well)
  • David Cameron (born 1966) elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 2010
  • Angela Merkel (born 1954) became Chancellor of Germany in 2005
  • Tony Abbott (born 1957) elected Prime Minister of Australia in 2013
  • Over half the leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union are members of Generation Jones

Jonesin is characterized - among other things - as being open to change, and also being "persuadable" if reasonable arguments can be made. Hence those in the US found Obama's presidential campaign messages in 2008 and again in 2012 appealing.

While the leadership of western governments has already shifted from older baby boomers to Generation Jones, their political agendas have only begun to emerge. Efforts to address global climate change, the world economy, nuclear arms reduction, and closer to home in the US - health care, Wall Street regulations and immigration reform - will soon draw a much clearer picture. Programs such as these may bring changes to our lives never before thought possible!

Are You Jonesin?

Have you ever wondered just where you fit in the demographic scheme of things? You never shared the "we can change the world" optimism of your older siblings (core boomers), but you also didn't buy into the gloom and cynical outlook that often categorizes Generation X?

You just might be jonesin if:
  • You remember black & white TV, but Saturday morning cartoons in color were the very best.
  • You can name all four sweathogs on "Welcome Back Kotter" (Barbarino, Horshack, Epstein and Boom-Boom).
  • You watched TV without cable or a remote control.
  • Your parents frowned upon your watching MTV.
  • You remember your high school dances ending when they played "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin.
  • You owned a mood ring, a pet rock and an album by the Partidge Family.
  • You played the first video game ever produced - Pong.
  • You remember Live Aid rather than Woodstock.
  • You remember paisley shirts, leg warmers and leisure suits.
  • You thought Watergate was a TV show your parents watched each night.
  • You have no memory of such landmark events as the the Kennedy assassination, the moon landing or Kent State.
  • You learned how to produce an image of Snoopy on a computer punch card.
  • You remember the AMC Pacer.

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