Without the risk of generalising whole generations, it is has been noted that Millennials and Gen Z generation overall have a noted pessimistic outlook in terms of opportunities for their future when it comes to financial stability, climate change, and social mobility. With that, cultural critics have noted that Millennials and Gen Z generation have a noted four sense of humor that is often macabre and Absurdist. On Reddit, numerous high traffic subreddits such /r/2meirl4meirl serve as an excellent example of how surrealistly morbid Millennial humor can be.
Which had me thinking. Was the generation, known commonly as the Greatest Generation (those who are up experiencing both World Wars, the Global economic hardhsip, Spanish Flu, etc), did they have a noted or observable collective sense of humor that reflected their potential lack of future prospects in response to the global events that they experienced, or are Millennials and Gen Zers a noted anomaly?
This is by no means a complete answer, but you might be interested in this comment I wrote where I talk a little bit about the "Greatest Generation" and how general opinions of them and of themselves changed over time. Specifically I would highlight the quote from Robert Leckie about his generation being very sardonic and lacking in idealism (compared to the World War I generation), and his reference to Bill Maudlin's "Willie and Joe" comic series.