Another Great Generation, Perhaps?

A new day. The words rolled fast and furiously out of the mouths of nervous politicians, pundits and news anchors rushing to make sense of the unthinkable, warning the nation’s youth of the turmoil in their future. Over and over, they said the nation would never feel safe, would never be quite the same. A new day was here.

While the psyche and mood of the nation has certainly been altered, what kind of new day is the nation facing? The ominous day of fear and restricted freedoms that some baby boomers are predicting? Or is this the dawn of newfound solidarity, patriotism and hope? How Americans cope with this unprecedented trauma and how they perceive their nation’s future will depend, in large part, on which generation they belong to, historians and scholars say.

“We are all marked by the years in which we live,” said William Strauss, co-author of “Millennials Rising” and three other books that analyze American history from a generational perspective. “Just as history shapes a generation, a generation shapes history. . . . What we are seeing is that younger people have a sense of solidarity way beyond anything we’ve ever seen, even in the 1930s and ‘40s.

“The trends of time show that the youngest Americans are very confident and more prepared for this than most people think.”

The civic-mindedness and resolve of the nation’s youngest Americans--Generations X and Y, loosely everyone under 40, who were raised in years of relative peace and prosperity--have never been tested quite like this. If they have experienced any war, it was the Persian Gulf, with its sharp efficiency and speedy operations. And the swift action of law enforcement in the wake of bombings in Oklahoma City in 1995 and the World Trade Center in 1993 also helped to keep the young assured. This time it is different, the pundits said. The message was that Tuesday’s attacks, awesome in scope and magnitude, have the potential to shatter our way of life.

But many of the nation’s most impressionable citizens are not buying it.

“Like everybody else, I was in disbelief when I turned on the television,” said Tracie Isbell, 19, a student at Mesa College in San Diego. “But we are still the most powerful nation. I think this is going to make us stronger in the end because everybody is coming together and everybody has a common goal for a change. If this has done anything to change my perception of my country, it’s for the better.”

Isbell’s vision is echoed across the nation in the voices of high school and college students, and in the reactions of Generation Xers, 20- to 40-year-olds, who traditionally are cynical and distrusting of government, but are practical and resolute in times of crisis, experts say.

“Adults are feeling a greater sense of despair over the fate of their children than the children themselves,” said J. Christopher Kovats-Bernat, an anthropology professor at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa. “The kids are already prepared to adapt.”

Exposure to war is only one fragment of the historical makeup that shapes a generation and motivates its people, said Ann Fishman, president of Generational Targeted Marketing in New Orleans.

“If you grew up during the Great Depression or the golden age of the stock market, or whether you grew up in the time of stay-at-home moms or had two working parents, you are shaped by that,” she said. “The historical experiences that happen to a generation at a young age stay with them for the rest of their lives. But that is precisely why Xers and Gen Ys are going to be just fine.”

Pearl Harbor, for example, produced fighters and survivors, men and women who were willing to sacrifice for the good of the nation and who can cope well with this week’s terrorism, Fishman said. As that generation departs, young adults historically adopt its characteristics to fill that societal void, Strauss said. That explains why Generation Y--also called the “Millennials”--is optimistic and more closely resembles society’s elders than the Xers who grew up immediately before them but lived very different childhoods.

“I don’t think this is something that is always going to make us feel scared or worried or fearful for our lives. Terrible things happen. But it’s what you do after that which defines your character. If we pull together, our country will be fine,” said Rene Bennett, 18, a political science major at Chapman University in Orange who sent out a mass e-mail asking her peers to set vengeance aside and think about ways to transform the world.

Across the nation, young Americans have been clinging to rituals for solace. Even those who express anger, and a desire for military action, are careful to balance it with expressions for peace. Turning to prayer, songs and poetry, thousands of students shared their grief and unity at religious services, vigils and in classes. More than 5,000 UCLA students attended a service to mourn the victims. In Pennsylvania, where one of the hijacked planes crashed, students from three colleges marched together in silent solidarity. At the University of Nebraska, students requested that red, white and blue balloons replace the traditional red balloons at football games.

“It’s tragic that this had to happen, but I think it will make [America] a better place in the end because instead of taking things for granted . . . people are going to appreciate what they have more now and not just expect to get whatever you want because you’re living in America,” said Joe Matthes, 20, a business major at the University of Nebraska.

Those surprised by the level of optimism in Generation Y should note that these youth have only known economic prosperity, which fosters a sense of security, and have been favored by public policy, which makes them feel supported, said Neil Howe, an economist and demographer who co-wrote four books with Strauss. They are also the ones who adjusted to policies of zero tolerance and heightened security in their schools in the wake of the Columbine High School shootings in April 1999, Strauss said.

They are America’s first global generation, making them less self-centered than Xers, Fishman said.

Although Xers may have learned their distrust of government from the baby boomers, they are the most self-determined and individualistic of all, Fishman said. Of the nation’s five generations, Generation X also is the most criticized and least supported, she added. “They are not as introspective as boomers, but they will not hesitate to tell you how they feel. And they will be the most quick to want to do what needs to be done. Xers need to get to the bottom line.”

“I don’t think we can let this go by,” Deborah Santiago, a 33-year-old vice president of Alliance for Student Achievement in Los Angeles, said of Tuesday’s attacks. “In the long run, I think our country will be OK, but we need to take care of this.”

The crisis for Xers will not be one of angst over going to war, but may occur in terms of defining its role in the nation. While boomers are the decision-makers in power and Generation Y will provide much of the fighting forces in case of war, Strauss said, the older Xers will continue to grope with the issues that have always plagued them: How they can contribute and fit in?

But the history books will show that Xers shined during this horrific episode, he said. “There looks to be a very fine X moment in this crisis. Most of the firefighters, rescue workers and police were probably Generation X. And the passengers who led the assault against the hijackers in Pennsylvania also were Generation X.

“These two elements are symbolic of what Generation X can provide to this country. It’s a much criticized generation, but one that has the ability to get things done and not just talk about it.”

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Times staff writers Susan Carpenter and Gina Piccalo contributed to this story.