Comments for The Gen X Files

Comment on Directions for Generation X by A.LOS79

A.LOS79 — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:27:17 +0000

If this is X enough I always said to myself Never give up on the American Dream. Always have faith in it. Is that a Xer script line?

Comment on It’s 1933 All Over Again by A.LOS79

A.LOS79 — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:21:04 +0000

G.I.'s admired Roosevelt their whole lives? I wonder how Obama would fare with Millennials ultimately?

Comment on It’s 1933 All Over Again by A.Los79

A.Los79 — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:19:01 +0000

Interesting: Thats a clear picture. The 2012 election is critical for that matter. It will tell wheather or not we'll enter the next stage. Were dictators like Hitler come out in he world. The middle 2010's will be the regeneracy like the mid 1930's. Strauss and Howe predicted way back that a National Service program will occur for Millennials like the CCC corps for G.I.'s. As a 1979 cohort I'm a late-wave Xer but I also understand the Millennials traits really good making me a cusper. I wonder how cuspers will play in the crisis. Especially Xer/Millennial Cusps?

Comment on Does Generation Jones Exist? by Bill D.

Bill D. — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:11:32 +0000

Del, you hit the nail on the head. Generation Jonesers came of age when the economy was looking worse and worse and the future did not look bright. This may sound very strange now, but I remember being told as a late teenager/early adult by my parents and other adults that my age group would be the first generation in American history that would not do better than its parents economically. Yes, that was hyperbole in retrospect but it seemed plausible to a lot of people at the time. America was widely regarded as being in decline. We didn’t have good jobs just waiting for us, though by the mid 80s the economy did better and eventually we did fine overall.

At the same time, we were too young to help invent the counterculture or the anti-war movement, and too young to participate until they were either obsolete or passe. We were spectators to the idealism, culture, passions, and conflicts of the 1960s. As such, we didn’t feel that we were going to change or save the world, or that we were “special”.

The supposed Boomer attributes just don’t resonate and the widely proclaimed ‘defining Boomer experiences’ (Kennedy assassination, Vietnam, Woodstock, counterculture) are not ones that we actually had. This mismatch is not a simple matter of being ‘slightly more conservative’; it’s really a pretty fundamental difference in life experiences and self-perception during the formative years and while coming of age.

Comment on Directions for Generation X by Shiraz

Shiraz — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:53:42 +0000

One problem I can see with this as an Xer (born late 1969). Is that our generation is very very unused to having power or influence. This is reflected in our culture (Tarantino, South Park, etc.) which takes the view that its OK to be outrageous because no one is paying attention or taking us seriously.

I know it was a bit of a culture shock for me when I started teaching college intro courses and had to deal with being the center of attention and having people actually listen to me.

Comment on Latest Numbers for Generation X by dsohigian

dsohigian — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:33:05 +0000

@Stinson – Millennials will be bigger than us, but our generation is bigger than the Boomers, just more spread out (and less culturally influential). Immigration, the number of years of our generation (20) and population increases probably all contribute to this effect. I wonder if Millennials will be the first American generation to be smaller than the one before it. Also note that these are current numbers, so age is also a factor.

Comment on Latest Numbers for Generation X by Stinson Anderson

Stinson Anderson — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:44:03 +0000

But I thought we GenX'ers were the minority. This has us at the highest with 88.5 mil. Did a bunch of Boomers kick the bucket?

Comment on The Dumbest Generation – Part 1 by Tara

Tara — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 01:28:32 +0000

i have watched the comments Mark made about my generation saying we dont read and when we do its Harry Potter. He is correct with fact a lot of my generation was reading this but not all. When i was surrounded by my generation in class and they were all reading Harry Potter i was sitting there writing my own novel. I read the classics, 'Jane Eyre, Dracula, Little Women, Pride + Prejudice etc) 19th century goodness, and im a published poet. I dont just read the books i WRITE too. I despise the fact he has placed us in a box that he calls the dumbest. I think ignorence is a sign of idiosy, and he sure is full of that. I like how he calls us the dumbest generation then he states there is a cohort that is getting smarter. lol wtf. I am also a follower of Neil Howe and William Strauss's work. I like how they show we all have a place, we all have our strengths and weaknesses and show what we can contribute to society in a POSITIVE tone rather than negatively and unfairly comparing us to previous generations who are so different to us.

Comment on The Dumbest Generation – Part 1 by Tara

Tara — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 01:16:17 +0000

yes i am a Millennial born 1984 and i read ur post and i say good on u!

Comment on 10 Best Generation X Movies Ever by Jeff Spicoli

Jeff Spicoli — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 01:08:14 +0000

Horrible, generic, lazy list.