Time magazine first used the term "Silent Generation" in a November 5, 1951, article titled "The Younger Generation", although the term appears to precede the publication:
[6]
The most startling fact about the younger generation is its silence. With some rare exceptions, youth is nowhere near the rostrum. By comparison with the Flaming Youth of their fathers & mothers, today's younger generation is a still, small flame. It does not issue manifestoes, make speeches or carry posters. It has been called the "Silent Generation."
The
Time article used birth dates of 1923 to 1933 for the generation, but the term somehow migrated to the later years currently in use.
[7] A reason later proposed for this perceived silence is that as young adults during the
McCarthy Era, many members of the Silent Generation felt it was unwise to speak out.
[8]
The term "Silent Generation" is also used to describe a similar age group in the UK but has been at times described as a reference to strict childhood discipline which taught children to be "seen but not heard."
[9][10] In Canada, it has been used with the same meaning as in the United States.
[11] The cohort is also known as the "Traditionalist Generation".
[12]
