Starting Out With Generations

Why does it make sense that Maverick should be more of a troublemaker?

To explain that, here's a look at the generational model previously mentioned, from the book Generations or its follow-up The Fourth Turning. It looks at historical events as a repeating cycle involving four different generational types. Each generation consists of individuals born over a period of about 20 years, who as a result share a common historical perspective:

Prophet - Children during a post-war period of conformity and stability. They later oppose those existing organizations, taking disciplined moral stands, while being resistant to alternative points of view.  The Boom generation (born 1943-1960) is the current Prophet archetype.

Nomad - Raised during a period of spiritual tumult and social upheaval fomented by the previous Prophet generation.   Seeing the results of moral certainty at a young age, they become known for being pragmatic and cynical. They can also get a reputation for being "bad," one that starts soon after their first members are born. Generation X (born 1961-1981) is the current Nomad type.

Hero - Born during a tumultuous but exciting period as old social structures are torn down, allowing individualism to shine forth. They become paragons of teamwork, taking on major enemies like slavery and Nazis, then building up new organizations in the aftermath.  Current Hero generations include the GI Generation (born 1901-1925) that were young adults during WWII, along with Millennials, (born 1982-2005).

Artist - Going through childhood during major crisis periods like the American Revolution and World War II, Artist generations value compromise and fairness.  The Silent generation (born 1926-1942), along with the generation currently in childhood (born since 2005) are Artist archetypes.

This blog will investigate the extent to which these generational types affect the kind of stories that are written, and which ones succeed in connecting with their audience. Not only is any creative person a product of their generation, each member of the expected audience will be as well. There are biases, expectations, and perceptions of their world that make different stories personally resonant - or baffling.

Which brings us back to Tom Cruise (born 1962), who is part of Generation X - a Nomad generation - the "bad" ones. That's one reason why being more of a jerk works as a character trait in Top Gun, just as it worked in Edge of Tomorrow. (And Rain Man, and Taps, and...)