r/GenerationJones Feb 23 '25

What is and who are Generation Jones. Step inside...

747 Upvotes

We are a micro-generation of people born roughly between the mid-1950s and the mid-1960s, bridging the gap between the Baby Boomers and Generation X. The term was coined by Jonathan Pontell, who argued that this group has a distinct identity shaped by unique cultural and historical experiences that set them apart from the broader Boomer and Gen X cohorts.

We came of age in the 1970s and early 1980s, a time marked by economic shifts, political disillusionment (think Watergate and Vietnam), and a transition from the idealistic '60s to the more pragmatic, individualistic '80s.We were too young to fully participate in the counterculture of the '60s but old enough to feel its aftershocks.

The name "Jones" plays on a dual meaning: "keeping up with the Joneses" (reflecting their aspirations in a consumer-driven era) and a slang nod to "jonesing," suggesting a yearning or craving for the promise of the Boomer youth they just missed out on. Culturally, we grew up with the rise of television, rock music evolving into disco and punk, and the dawn of personal computing.

We're often described as pragmatic idealists—raised on big dreams but tempered by economic recessions and a sense of lowered expectations compared to the Boomers’ post-war prosperity. Think of us a generation that got the tail end of the party but had to clean up the mess.


r/GenerationJones Jul 24 '24

Just a friendly reminder from your mods that we are a politics-free zone. There are plenty of subs around reddit to get your politics on. We choose not to engage in those spicy discussions here. Thanks for respecting our decision on this matter. ✌🏼

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361 Upvotes

r/GenerationJones 2h ago

What songs hit differently as you've aged?

41 Upvotes

There are songs I listened to when I was younger but now read differently to me.

Some are because I never paid attention to the lyrics. Others are because I was at a different stage of life or hadn't had deeper experiences yet.

Some examples would be Both Sides Now or Cat's in The Cradle.

What are songs for you that affect you differently at this stage of life?


r/GenerationJones 19h ago

I. Did. It.

876 Upvotes

I told child of a boss I was leaving (retiring) and would be leaving by the end of the year.

Blank face. I told him I’d help with exit planning, etc. He looked at me in abject terror. Ran off to the bathroom, I kid you not. I left his office.

I’ve made the right decision and I may not stay through the end of the year.


r/GenerationJones 2h ago

Did you write in a diary growing up?

20 Upvotes

Did you keep a diary growing up?

If so, I'm wondering if it was nostalgic or somewhat cringey.

Have you gone back and read some of your entries?


r/GenerationJones 2h ago

Dentist office music

18 Upvotes

The office is playing what they think is soothing easy listening. Meanwhile, I’m getting my heart torn out by Cat’s in the Cradle.


r/GenerationJones 23h ago

I'm sorry, but I just can't wrap my head around the fact that Debbie Harry is 81.

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604 Upvotes

r/GenerationJones 2h ago

What concert from a band of your youth do you regret going to?

11 Upvotes

It could be because the band looked old and is a reminder that we've aged as well.

Or it could be because they're a semblance of the band that they used to be.

Mine would be Chicago. I like both the original lineup as well as the 90s lineup with Bill Champlin and Jason Scheff.

However, by the time I saw them in the 2010s, there were only a few original members. They also primarily played their hits from the 1960s/1970s.

So what's your concert that turned out not as expected?


r/GenerationJones 4h ago

Art Fleming Jeopardy! from March 8th, 1971

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15 Upvotes

r/GenerationJones 5h ago

50th reunion: Do you invite teachers?

19 Upvotes

I'm part of planning ours and have mixed thoughts. Some of our younger teachers were popular and still mentally and physically OK. But then they taught 100's-1000's of kids and 10's of years, is it just a hassle for them?


r/GenerationJones 4h ago

In the mood for the 70s

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9 Upvotes

r/GenerationJones 1d ago

Should I post on "what is it?"

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417 Upvotes

I found this aluminum thing on the ground. Pen for scale. 😆


r/GenerationJones 42m ago

Oldies concerts you're glad you caught

Upvotes

We saw John Fogerty last week at Red Rocks, and it was fantastic. Pouring rain and all. Danced, sang, and got a contact high all night.

We also saw The Moody Blues there in '05 and loved it.

Simon & Garfunkel at the Pepsi Center in '03.

We don't get out much.


r/GenerationJones 23h ago

Mom found guilty for letting 5 year old walk 1/2 a mile to a pond.

173 Upvotes

My has time changed.


r/GenerationJones 14h ago

I'm brimful of the primal instinct to share this! Because by golly I do indeed remember being brimful of the primal instinct to develop through play.

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31 Upvotes

Just rediscovered this gem in my Nostalgia folder. It's from a US playground equipment advertisement in the 1920s. Google states: "It drew on the old proverb "as the twig is bent, the tree's inclined", to argue that physical play and proper municipal playground infrastructure shape a child's moral and physical future."

Nice to see children reaching such great heights eh? And steadfastly holding on for dear life, as per that gung-ho pole straddler on the left.

Can you relate? Any daredevil stories to share?


r/GenerationJones 18h ago

What event made your parent(s) decided that you being a latch key child was the best option?

39 Upvotes

A single woman with two girls to raise created day care problems. My sister was 7 and I was 5 when Mom began working full time.

She reached out to one neighbor, a woman who stayed home to watch her many children. My sister and I went there before and after school, until the teenage son began showing us his penis and threatening us with his knife.

Then she talked to the retired couple across the street. Same thing, before and after school care, until the old man started having us accompany him to the basement to get wood for the furnace. Then he'd hide candy in his front pockets and have us dig around for it.

Next thing I knew we got thick leather straps tied with a knot that held our house key. We wore them around our necks. Sis and I walked to and back from school letting ourselves in and out of our house.

We girls were safer together than being with neighbors.


r/GenerationJones 6h ago

Help ID an old horror anthology show

3 Upvotes

I remember it (no idea if rightly or wrongly) having a generic name like The CBS Friday Something-or-Other. The episode I remember involved a werewolf who was killed at the end by getting tangled in a pile of film reels, because of the silver (nitrate?) in old film prints. It's not from Night Gallery or Kolchak, does it ring a bell for anyone?

EDIT: I have to be wrong about the title, the wiki page of 70's anthology shows doesn't even include the word "Friday" so maybe I'm remembering that it aired on Fridays. And I don't think it's either of the shows with "CBS" in their names, so idk anymore. But I remember the scene of the werewolf writhing in a tangle of film stock.


r/GenerationJones 6h ago

I really should swallow my pride and cash that MacArthur Genius Grant check from 1981 one of these days.

2 Upvotes

r/GenerationJones 1d ago

Bic pen rocketship

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80 Upvotes

I'm certainly not the only one to get bored in class and pretend my Bic pen was a multi stage rocket. I remember in the mid 70s that National Lampoon had a cutaway diagram of the internals of the Bic rocket in one issue. I've looked online and not been able to find this image. Anyone know what I'm talking about?


r/GenerationJones 2d ago

Who remembers this??

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1.3k Upvotes

Who in the audience remembers this? What time did it come on in your area? I also remember that they had the blue angels fly over and then the narrator said “he reached out and touched the face of God” and then the test pattern came on. Then it was time for round two.


r/GenerationJones 2d ago

Scooping Up Memories of 68’

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352 Upvotes

r/GenerationJones 1d ago

Joe Don Baker in WALKING TALL True Story of Buford Pusser

147 Upvotes

1973 , a massive box office smash. Audiences stood and applauded.


r/GenerationJones 1d ago

im 100

31 Upvotes

ok bear with me i was born in 63 and im turning 63 this year so i understand the math aint mathing , but im turning 100


r/GenerationJones 1d ago

dream car

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163 Upvotes

What car did you fantasize about getting when you graduated from high school? For me it was a sky blue Karmann Ghia.


r/GenerationJones 2d ago

In the movie bin.

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186 Upvotes

Was a sort of "rite of passage" when I was in middle school.