Millennials versus Gen Z
This is not a rant against Gen Z. Instead, it is a distinction for those who refer to anyone under the age of 35 as a "millennial". We are not the Tide Pod eaters nor are we the annoying Spring Breakers the news keeps reporting on.
There's a story going around about Spring Breakers in Florida who aren't practicing social distancing or social isolation because they are young and healthy and aren't particularly worried about getting the Coronavirus. By doing so, they are putting more vulnerable people at risk; family members, friends or others they may come in contact with.
I keep seeing stories that refer to these college kids as "Millenials". In fact, a CNN article about this quoted a "top official" on the task force:
"Now, why do I think the millennials are the key," Deborah Birx, as top official on the task force, asked Monday. "Because they're the ones that are out and about, and they're the most likely to be in social gatherings, and they're the most likely to be the least symptomatic."
With that, I think some clarity is needed... Pewresearch.org defines Millennials as the generation born between 1981 and 1996. Making the oldest Millenials turning 39 years old this year, and the youngest 24. Generation Z is defined as the generation born between 1997 and 2012; the college generation, the Spring Breakers, the Tide Pod eating generation. Again, this is not a rant against that generation, more of a reminder that not every young person is a millennial.
Here are the current generations defined a little more clearly: