Generational Archetypes: the Nomad

There are personal reasons, as well as current-event distractions, which have delayed my writing of this post. But here it is, finally.

Generational theory, as it complements Biblical prophecy, led me to believe that the "4th turning" or crisis (winter) phase of the generational cycle was upon us in 2020, not in 2008 (as Strauss and Howe proposed). First the Wuhan coronavirus, and now the communist/terrorist revolution taking shape on our streets, has convinced me that this is so. It is tempting to simply jump ahead in this series and get to that...but I'm going to try laying out the whole picture methodically as planned.

With the other archetypes profiled here and at the old Wordpress site, I have rejected Strauss and Howe's labels, and replaced them with my own (civic/hero=Barn Raiser; adaptive/artist=Custodian; idealist/prophet=Prodigal). For this archetype, however, I will retain their label. Strauss and Howe initially designated this archetype as "reactive," but later called it "the nomad." In my next post, I might explain why I'm using their term.

In the generational "family" of four types, the Nomad is the middle child, or stepchild. They are born during an "awakening" period to Custodian or Prodigal parents. They are the least valued and least protected children of the cycle. They come of age during an "unraveling" period. Their reputation from childhood to adulthood is as the bad seed, and a lot of them live up to that reputation. They tend to be pragmatist, if not survivalist, and are the most fiercely individualistic of all generations. They grow old impoverished, alone, and as neglected as they were in childhood.

Nomad generations are born during a spiritual awakening, a time of social ideals and spiritual agendas when youth-fired attacks break out against the established institutional order. Nomads grow up as underprotected children during this awakening, come of age as alienated young adults in a post-awakening world, mellow into pragmatic midlife leaders during a historical crisis, and age into tough post-crisis elders. By virtue of this location in history, such generations tend to be remembered for their rising-adult years of hell-raising and for their midlife years of hands-on, get-it-done leadership. Their principle endowments are often in the domain of liberty, survival, and honor. Their best-known historical leaders include Nathaniel Bacon, William Stoughton, George Washington, John Adams, Ulysses Grant, Grover Cleveland, Harry Truman, and Dwight Eisenhower. These have been cunning, hard-to-fool realists—taciturn warriors who prefer to meet problems and adversaries one-on-one. - Lifecourse Associates

When I think of Biblical figures who exemplify this archetype, I usually settle on King Saul. We don't know much about his upbringing, but Saul seems plagued by insecurities and self-doubt, despite being a head taller than all the other men in Israel. He also tried to avoid the limelight--at least at first. Upon Saul's first act of disobedience, God rejected him. (Contrast that with the patriarchs, Aaron, David, Jonah, and many others.) After that ultimate rejection, Saul's mind grew increasingly depraved--yet he didn't succumb to the common sin that all the other evil kings of Israel and Judah indulged in: idolatry. And though he didn't seek self-glorification either, his pride was so wounded by the praise heaped on David that he turned into a homicidal maniac. He finally suffered a humiliating, ignominious death.

I think of most of Israel's tribal ancestors as Prodigals except Benjamin (Barn-Raiser), and Joseph (Nomad). The affection of his father for Joseph doesn't fit, but how he was kicked around for much of his life does. His older brothers despised him; conspired against him; and literally sold him into slavery. Joseph worked hard in the house of Potiphar, but was thrown in prison for demonstrating integrity. While in prison he helped others, but was promptly forgotten when a prisoner he had helped gained his freedom, who could have put in a good word for Joseph. Joseph's tireless hard work finally paid off, and he was in a position to exact revenge against the Prodigals who stole the best years of his life from him, but he let them off the hook.

The doughboys drafted to fight in WWI, subjected to horrific carnage and poison gas, who came home to make the 1920s roar, were part of "the Lost Generation." Those Nomads (unappreciated as children, then fed to the meat grinder of a pointless European war) scratched and clawed for prosperity during the Stock Market boom while throwing caution to the wind in their personal lives. They bore the brunt of the Great Depression; and also took the blame for it. In fact, the Lost took the blame for pretty much every bad development in society during their adult lives. Whereas the GI Generation were venerated and lavishly cared for (at public expense) right to the grave, the Lost got the short end of the stick at every phase of life.

Strauss and Howe made an interesting point about the 2nd World War, which highlights the contrast in how the Lost and GIs were valued. To resolve the second phase of the "secular crisis" (winter) of that cycle, America shipped all their optimistic, team-oriented, cherished GIs overseas to fight the Axis. But leading them into battle at the strategic level would be the cold, hard, pragmatic Lost generals and admirals. The most famous of those Lost commanders was George S. "Blood and Guts" Patton. The opening scene of Patton's eponymous film tribute is a compilation of many Patton quotes as he addresses his army of (unseen) GI troops. Stab the enemy with your bayonet, the brutal general tells his young, untested soldiers, then rip his guts out and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. Patton was regarded by the establishment like a dangerous beast, only to be released from his cage when the crisis was so acute as to require exceptional savagery. And despite his cowboy approach to warfare (which certainly ruffled feathers in the military establishment), what got him in the most trouble on the Home Front was when the old brute slapped a precious young GI in the face for alleged cowardice.

Fast forward to the 1960s and the first waves of the next Nomad Generation.

Silent and Boomer adults used the brand new birth control pill to avoid having children. A decade later, they legalized infanticide inside the womb, in case they were too lazy or careless to use that contraceptive, and conceived anyway. Children, cherished and appreciated before, during, and after the secular crisis, were now effectively disposable. The 13th Generation was little more than a burden and nuisance during the hedonistic orgy of the awakening. The changing attitude toward children was exemplified by the stream of popular "evil child" movies during the period, like Village of the Damned; Rosemary's Baby; the Omen; the Exorcist; It's Alive; etc. (plus Evil Child themes in TV shows like the Twilight Zone, Star Trek, etc.).Children with evil supernatural powers arrived to screw up the Hippie Utopia simply by being born.

As the survivors of the Pill and abortion epidemics grew into teens, adults assigned them a reputation as mindless, amoral savages, or "party animals" at best. In the teen exploitation movies (produced and directed by Boomers) of X's youth, the teenage protagonists were usually portrayed as sex-crazed slackers who practiced apathy as if it were a virtue. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many youngsters tried to emulate this model the Boomers built for them.

This demographic was originally called the 13th Generation (interesting for its sinister and "bad luck" connotations) or the Busters (for the "baby bust" that ended the postwar Baby Boom), but later dubbed "Generation X." The implication was that these people had no "identity," no "consciousness," and no purpose. They weren't "cool" or "groovy" like the socially conscious Boomers; but apathetic and nigh-anonymous. They were so devoid of worth and nondescript that they didn't even deserve a name--just an "X."

Even the oldest of the 13th/Xers were never conscious of a world not wracked by the uncertainty and self-doubt (often self-hatred) that permeated America after the Kennedy assassination.

Society was focused on adults when the Xers were children. Every institution catered to adults and strove to satisfy their immediate gratification. Xers who survived abortion were an inconvenient obstacle to their parents' self-discovery via sex, drugs, Eastern mysticism, careerism, and every other fad in their non-stop hedonist life cruise. Born during (and sometimes because of) "the Sexual Revolution," it was inevitable that few of the 13th would be nurtured in the stable nuclear families that previous generations enjoyed. Motherhood was viewed as a form of stifling oppression, so if Xers' parents actually remained together, the "woman of the house" liberated herself by pursuing her own career. Divorce went from rare to commonplace during the 13th's childhood. Either way, most of them came home from school and fended for themselves until a parent or step-parent arrived that afternoon or evening. Nights and weekends were often spent alone for children of divorce, whose swinging mothers went out to date and party. The 13th was largely the "latch-key" generation. They became extremely independent, if not alienated. Families had shrunk by this time, but some Xers had siblings who either relieved or compounded the alienation.

As the 13th entered adulthood, the robust industrial postwar economy enjoyed by the Boomers was nearly strangled, and the quality of life for young adults plummeted. Even during the economic recovery of the 1980s, the bulk of the largesse benefited the older generations while X faced dwindling opportunities and bleak prospects as hourly-wage flunkies in the new "service-oriented" economy. Meanwhile, college tuition skyrocketed. X also inherited a new sexually transmitted disease developed by the Boomers during their "free love" adventure, which attacked the body's immune system.



In the ugly, bleak new reality in America, many of the Xers harnessed their individualism and survivalism to become entrepreneurs, often in fields built around emerging technology. Others, who didn't have the technical foundation or social acumen to succeed in business, transitioned to lives of crime and drug addiction.

X was a highly competitive (and violent) generation from childhood to young adulthood. I never appreciated how uniquely so this was, until observing the Millennials interact socially, play sports, etc. The contrast is stark and stunning.



Alienated as children, X became cynical as adults. This is reflected in most of the pop culture crafted by the 13th. Movies made by X are raunchy, intentionally offensive, sardonic or nihilist. Music is dark, cold, hard, or mocking. Dancing was a communal exercise for the GIs and Silent; sexualized for the Boomers; but anti-social for Generation X. When the 13th went out to party (or "rave"), it wasn't unusual to see many of them, like Billy Idol, dancing with themselves. It also became common at concerts or raves for a "mosh pit" to form. In a mosh pit, young men turned dancing into a bloody full-contact sport. X ushered in the age of electronic music, wherein a band of other individuals with various instruments isn't even necessary--one person with a keyboard or computer can do everything.

As the 13th became adults, society's focus turned back to children. (No matter what stage of life they reached, it was never Xers' turn.) Society became protective of the young once again. The Evil Child movies lost popularity and were replaced by Good Child films. The market exploded with car seats, strollers, and papooses. 24-hour cable channels like Cartoon Network, Nickelodian, and Disney catered to children. Politicians poured tax dollars into public schools and arranged free lunches for the Millennials. Now students get free breakfast, too, all at taxpayer (mostly Xers) expense. Anti-bullying campaigns proliferate society, so Millenials and Homelanders won't have to go through the same crucible X did. Divorce is still commonplace, but parents now make an effort to nurture and validate their children. A lot of those parents, by-the-way, are 13th.

Violent and apathetic as kids, the 13th proved to be the hardest-working generation of all, despite their "slacker" reputation. They had/have to work much harder, for longer hours, to earn the same buying power as previous generations. And they've done so. If born female and/or of color, they are entitled to a helping hand from the system, and immunity from criticism by the macroculture. Otherwise, 13ers are out of luck. They have to look out for Number One, because nobody else will stick up for them. Nobody ever has. Life has been dog-eat-dog and every-man-for-himself. Survival is it's own reward. Acclaim and congratulations are always reserved for someone else (again: it's never X's turn. X doesn't get a turn). Who needs acclaim, anyway? Like the 13th cares, if others approve of who they are or what they've done.

X typically doesn't seek attention or recognition. Many Xers gave up looking for sympathy long ago, and wouldn't know what to do with it if they finally did get some. It would likely make them uncomfortable. Some of them don't feel sympathy for others easily, and come off as cold or heartless as a result. If you want to be dismissed and discredited, try lecturing the average white heterosexual male from Generation X about how "privileged" he is.

The cynicism, independence, and extreme individualism of X cause them to scoff at Christianity. It's very difficult for them to accept the notion of a perfect, loving, longsuffering Heavenly Father--often because of what their earthly fathers modeled to them. A nihilistic cynic hears about a selfless Jesus who willingly gave up His life to pay for our sins, and can't help assuming there's some sort of ulterior motive involved. It's too good to be true. It must be a scam designed to cheat people out of their money, or make their life suck even worse, somehow. Christianity is just another organized religion, after all. Their Boomer elders dabbled in various religions enough for Xers to know it's all just a silly waste of time, anyway. Besides, there's no such thing as "sin." The Boomers taught them: "If it feels good, do it;" and that philosophy took root. Xers typically bristle at any sort of judgement. To them, Christianity is just codified judgementalism. Why would they opt in? Making money and feeling good are what's most important in life--not trying to please some invisible Sky Pilot who watches in detachment an unfair world that utterly sucks. Life has been rigged against X from the very beginning. Where was this loving, all-powerful God when they were getting kicked around by parents, society, and the system?

There's a lot more to be said about the Nomads in general and Generation X in particular. I plan to say some of it in my next post; but after that, it's time to move on to the seasons/turnings.

UPDATE: Upon further reading, Strauss and Howe identified 2008 as an important shift in societal mood and the beginning of the Crisis, but predicted the climax of the Crisis would hit in...wait for it...2020.