From an old article written by ".....Generation Xers were brought up on television, Atari 2600s and personal computers. They are the generation that was raised in the 1970s and 1980s, and saw this country undergo a selfish phase that they do not want to repeat.... "characters as underemployed, overeducated, intensely private and unpredictable....." "Generation X grew up in the 'me generation' of the 1980s, and now they are able to see that it is not all it is cracked up to be," ...."This stereotypical definition leads society to believe that Generation X is made up of cynical, hopeless, frustrated and unmotivated slackers who wear grunge clothing, listen to alternative music and still live at home because they cannot get real jobs. It is a label that has stuck, stereotypes and all....."
Television, the Atari's and PC are single-human pursuits. Generation X was an incredibly small generation, with little connection to others across the same group. Without companions, they substituted group playtime for solitary, therefore private, pursuits. We read a lot, also. Is over education a bad thing for society? Gen X had the last decent American school system to learn within. Before ambulance chasing and political correctness destroyed it anyway. .I suppose to anybody educated after us, we do seem to be over educated. Not my fault your schooling lacked something. We got out just in time to write books like "Idiocracy" for you to learn from. But nobody 'does' books anymore do they? That is kind of hopeless. For you. Whoops, I'm being cynical. So here's some more stereotyping for you.
I recall the 1970's as a terribly egocentric and hedonistic time. I hated polyester and bellbottoms. The word "Groovy" still rankles me. Mutton chop sideburns, psychedelic black light art, open chest silk shirts, platform heels and drug culture references are still anathema to me. I vowed to stay clear of anything similar in my life. That Aquarian-Age, collective liberal conscious, tree-hugging hippy crap, would never darken my life again. The whole generation I witnessed to the backdrop of Vietnam and Civil Rights riots on the 6 O clock news (with Walter Krondkite-"That's the way it was") made me hate a world in chaos. I -we- the X Generation, wasn't going there again.
For once, man, consider the old and proven idea -which may bring you down- that there's no free lunch. Always, an eventual price gets paid for everything. The same applies to a generation. Like AIDS, Corporate Bankruptcy and Global Warming.
cynical is a tool to measure truth against, not my preferred method of living. I can see BS easily, and I despise hopelessness. Of course it is frustrating to change people's thinking. We aren't starting race riots, dropping acid, creating new STD's or spitting on soldiers. We're working for American taxes, and hopefully spread ideas where the money is getting foolishly spent. Making us just as dangerously rebellious as any of our forbears.
alternative music -as opposed to acid rock, protest songs, rock and roll or metal. Personally, I like Jazz. So what? live at home ? Most of us never had a Leave-It-To-Beaver home, anyway. Somebody burned a bra and created Mr. Mom-from the male parents they didn't alienate altogether. Perhaps a male didn't feel very male when he was coerced into being 'sensitive?'.
unmotivated ? Is how you feel when there's only two of you to affect change, and never how I seek employment. A job is not my personal measure of success -its yours. Working fast food seems below some, because to a true egocentric hedonist, anyone who 'serves' another must be a harem slave. I do work part time. Often it feels like punishment in this society. I am employed, yet still made to feel unworthy for having a taxpaying job. Could be jealousy- I have more free time to live, without a 9 to 5 suit trapping my motion 40 hours a week. Food, clothing and shelter is not supposed to be a profit making race. It is an unalienable right. Dig where I'm coming from, man? It isn't our fault such jobs are designated 'underemployed'. A name made by people who want to take more of the tax money we earn with our personal sweat. Guess they'll just have to live with less-like most of us do already. I'd like to know who decides what a real job is supposed to be. Any employment is a job, when employees are sacrificing their personal time to create profit for somebody, while paying out taxes for everybody. My wife and I are paying them, too. Underemployment is still employment. We're not getting a tax paid free ride under mom's roof - We have our own leaky roof that we're still paying for. (Thank God). At least my Gen X wife and I can cope with less, and are still together after 24 years. We also have 3 kids who know their dad and still live with him! Yet we are called the slackers? Sez you.
Living on less stopped the depression of the 30's, which was caused by the excesses of living in the 20's. All that over education shows us certain parallels occurring today. It motivates us to intensely private plan for some unpredictable, but hopeful, future with our family. Or is that a reflection of frustrated cynicism?
It's, like, enough to blow my groovy mind, dude.
Generation X. Just like any cynical American generation before it-only different.
