Generation X in a nutshell.

ItCameFromOuterSpace

LadyGreenEyes
reply to post by BlastedCaddy

 

I would be happy if someone simply defined what all these "generations" are, and who is and isn't part of them. What about those of us in between someplace? From what I understand, I don't fit in any of the categories.

I don't either. I'm at the ass end of Generation X and the beginning of Millenials. From what I have read Millenials are between the ages of 18 and 34.)

I think my little in between generation is just waiting for the world to end.

When the categories first came out, they really didn't fit a lot of people. I don't fit the Gen X type at all. Think I agree with you.

daskakik
reply to post by LadyGreenEyes

 

It seems to have started around world events.
Lost Generation: Young adults during WWI
G.I. Generation: Young adults during WWII
Silent Generation: Too young to have fought in WWII but lived through the depression
Baby Boomers: Born during a spike in the birth rate that had been declining since the turn of the century and continued to decline after the mid 60's
Generation X: Born after that boom
Generation Y (Millenials): Guess they just had to set a date to around 20 years after the first Gen Xers to continue the tradition.

Seems somewhat arbitrary, to some extent.

LadyGreenEyes
Seems somewhat arbitrary, to some extent.

It's the stereotyping of whole populations. Actually, it's stupid from the get go but still, here we are discussing like it really means something. Worst still, there are people getting their panties all bunched up in a knot over it.

I think a more in depth knowledge of the concept of these generational groupings would be useful if one wants to analyze or judge it.
William Strauss and Neil Howe did some of the first in depth exposures of the theory- I recommend often "The Fourth Turning- An American Prophecy" by them. It is one of my favorite books of all time.

What they describe is common characteristics of these demographics- that is, not a an absolute- it describes certain movements in the majority of that age group, that come about as part of the events and cultural movements happening at the time of their childhood.

The theory acknowledges that there can certainly be minorities within the groups that do not identify with these things.... but that a larger number in that age group will.


Also, each generation described has it's strengths and weaknesses, and their part to play in the grand scheme of the evolution of our nation. Like though the Boomers are described as highly nacissistic, hypocritical, with a sense of entitlement- that also was part of how they were able to turn over some cultural limitations and break up things that needed to be broken down.

And the X'ers, though they are prone to substance abuse, risk taking, isolationism- they are also the best equipped to get us through the crises we have been facing and will face in the near future. The past generations of this type (for this is a repeated cycle of four types) were rough and ready survivors- Pirates.... George Washington!

The theory describes the Y generation as the architects of the next form of our civilisation to come- with imagination, they shall come up with the new structures. The next will be the actual builders. This generation has a visual imagination and sense of social interdependancy that will make that possible.

Nobody is bad guy / good guy in this theory and it is not as stupid or arbitrary as it sounds at first. And it illustrates how these differences make us important to each other as a whole.

I personally, feel like I fit into the typical X gen concept so well, it made me cry when I read it the first time. I could be a poster child for the X . My mother and father were the absolute characterizations of the Boomers, and my half brother, born much later, is a typical Millenial.

I admit that I found some solice in seeing this described so perfectly- there was some sort of comfort in seeing that I am not (was not) alone, I am part of something.... some group. But not one I would have to actually live with (I am much too independant to handle that) but a group I can think in my head- I am part of a tribe. We share certain views in common. We understand what we have been through.

That alone sort of lessens the sense of being a burden on the world, as if maybe, maybe, I and people like me actually have a place here.

That won't change much in the way I live- it is just an inner comfort. I still will be up on my hidden mountain stone fortresse, with no debts to anyone, my survivalist stash, guns, my garden and animals and natural water source..... I bother no one and no one bothers me. I didn't lose anything in the various bubbles and crashes (though my cousins all did- three abandoned their homes), but I have made apartments out of part of our buildings that will house friends and relatives if they need it- even the Boomer parents that took off when I was a small child and didn't come back until they felt there was something to gain from telling people they have a daughter in France.

I don't hold grudges- I have learned to take care of myself and grudges hurt your health.

So I personally relate to the message - We're in for a hard time, I got it. I am prepared. I don't especially want to spend time focusing on whose fault it is- that is a waste of energy in times of emergency.

daskakik

LadyGreenEyes
Seems somewhat arbitrary, to some extent.

It's the stereotyping of whole populations. Actually, it's stupid from the get go but still, here we are discussing like it really means something. Worst still, there are people getting their panties all bunched up in a knot over it.

edit on 20-9-2013 by daskakik because: (no reason given)

Valid points! It's mostly irritating t me because whole groups are assumed to be the same. I suspect that is more about the wish to shove people into molds than anything real.

As a baby boomer, I found myself understanding and agreeing with the author. My sons grew up feeling entitled, largely due to my wife and I maybe giving them too much too easily. We simply wanted them to be happy, and have a better life than we did. At the same time, we (well me mostly) didn't provide life lessons value at the time. Now, they are both in college, and I'm still paying the bills. Again, hoping they have a better life than me when they get out.

In the 60's hippies were ignorant tools of the corporate-owned media. The only counterculture that existed then and now is the perceived one we are allowed to have. None of us can really change the world on our own, there needs to be some support, either in the background or even in faux-public.

All the protesting, blogging, ranting, attempts to expose Oz, don't mean a thing to anyone. All I have come up with after 55 years of life on this lucky planet is: we are all on our own. Doesn't matter if you lived through World Wars, survived catastrophes, and fall neatly into an age-group category, the only person that can do anything for anyone is you. The government doesn't owe anyone anything, and whatever god you choose has no plan. It's all up to us, what we do with our time, given where we are born into whatever circumstance. Some are lucky, many are not.

My parents escaped communist Yugoslavia in the late 50s, risking their lives in a journey to an immigration camp in Italy, seeking political asylum (my dad was no revolutionary, he was told what to say). They made it to the US via boat trip through the Red Cross, and lived with my mother's uncle in NJ until my dad got a job as a busboy and my mom cleaned apartments in NY City Hells Kitchen. They didn't speak English at the time, never took welfare, and worked their asses off to provide me and my sister with a roof over our heads. I didn't appreciate that until I was an adult.

That's the readers digest version anyway. Sorry for the tangential rant.

reply to post by Bluesma


I agree with you and the Strauss, Howe study. Although broad in its conclusions it did hit the mark in general. Placing any blame generationally serves nobody. X'ers were a creation of the boomers. We would never have had computers if it wasn't for some great thinking boomers. Generation Y wouldn't have social media if it wasn't for us X'ers. Were all in this together and at the end of the day we are all responsible for those that come after us.

How to identify if your generation X. Feel free to add to my list.

If you were the remote control when you were a kid.
You know what the vic 20 and commodore 64 are.
DOS
New romantic, rockabilly, mode,
VCR / Beta
RadarRange
Being afraid of AIDS
Being afraid of nuclear world war
Reagan
Recession after recession
Raves
Reading real literature - I've asked countless people if they've read " The Great Gatsby " not one person has said yes yet. The new movie is a bust by the way. Fitzgerald must be spinning in his grave.
Telephone booths
First snowboards
Pagers
3.25 minimum wage - Canada
Segregated schools
Bomb drills at school
Smoking
Building forts
Sweet girls

reply to post by WhiteAlice

Gen X being proud because they rode a freaking big wheel, I'm going to scream.

reply to post by OLD HIPPY DUDE



I had to laugh old dude.

Well, my children, I gave birth to two generation X children, and two generation Y children.

MY oldest is 45 and youngest is 25.

I just live a simple life, and I like trees.
Never owned a home, never had much money,don't have any stocks or bonds,slipped through the cracks I guess, but it has been interesting.

Life has been a struggle lived off the land, lived without electricity or running water, no car, no phone used to haul in water to wash the clothes, adversity will make you or break you.

Prepare yourselves, learn to live off the grid, live a simple life, and don't take any wooden nickles.

That is my advice.

If I was young I would head into the mountains and live off the land, be prepared, get out of the cities, be a survivalist.

reply to post by galadofwarthethird

Every generation blames the one before it, and every generation goes on a crusade to do better, and every generation eventually becomes that which they used to fight against.

I never blamed my parents generation, sometimes circumstances beyond our control force us into situation that we have to tackle.

My parents never bailed me out, and I never expected them to.

LadyGreenEyes
reply to post by BlastedCaddy

 

I would be happy if someone simply defined what all these "generations" are, and who is and isn't part of them. What about those of us in between someplace? From what I understand, I don't fit in any of the categories.

Here is the scary part, what come after Z?

en.wikipedia.org...

answer, no one.

reply to post by ZiggyMojo

Well the Baby Boomers have had it the easiest, that's for damn sure.

I don't know Ziggy, I guess some may have but I came from what once was a mining town, and my father was a blacksmith, I didn't see that we had it so great.

Are you talking about as children or as adults?

In my town it is the Xers that have all the nice homes on the west end.

I think the Ys are going to have it really difficult if things don't change.

What is wrong with entitlement? We do not live in a 3rd world country yet. We have been raised to believe in the promises of science and democracy. We are taught that we have the highest standard of living and the most freedoms of any country/generation before. We should be entitled. I don't mean in a socialist entitlement sense either. I mean it in the sense that trillions of dollars are spent on foreign wars, drug wars, economic wars, resource wars. Our technologies and innovations have changed the world but instead of the "world of tomorrow" films of the 50s/60s we have ended up with something closer to blade runner.

We should be entitled to :

Jobs
Housing
Medicine
Education

Why the hell do we pay taxes and support a government that does not facilitate these things? There is nothing wrong with wanting a high standard of living especially with the scientific miracles unleashed every year. Instead we are in a pissing contest over who had the roughest road to travel when we should be asking why the heck those roads aren't paved with gold and being traversed by high tech high speed monorails by now.

stormdancer777
reply to post by ZiggyMojo

 

Well the Baby Boomers have had it the easiest, that's for damn sure.

I don't know Ziggy, I guess some may have but I came from what once was a mining town, and my father was a blacksmith, I didn't see that we had it so great.

Are you talking about as children or as adults?

In my town it is the Xers that have all the nice homes on the west end.

I think the Ys are going to have it really difficult if things don't change.

There will always be people who have had it harder. The Post WWII era was one of the most powerful and wealthy eras for the US. Becoming an "adult", starting a family, finding a home, etc.. May not have been "easier" but more available, or more routine. Having a life/work identity was more pronounced and the economy was extremely healthy (at least from a consumer perspective). The generation on AVERAGE, was much better off from the get go in terms of quality of life. That's not to say you didn't have to work hard, or that you were guaranteed a free meal.. But the world was more forgiving from a financial perspective.

Economic strife has burdened generation X, but it is proving to be an even bigger obstacle for Gen Y. High unemployment rates, cities going bankrupt, housing markets all but collapsed and the USD depreciating exponentially.... Growing federal debt, growing personal debts. Cost of living increase while pay doesn't rise proportionally. Fortunately I've done well for myself at 25 going on 26.. But the future is very bleak and uncertain (as it is for anyone).. The "light" at the end of the tunnel is just a lot dimmer for the younger generations. The hole is VERY deep now.

I think economics create one of the largest divides among "generations" as well as major or world events. The timing of economic upswings and large world events have a large impact on the way each generation enters adulthood, or how each generation is raised.

The advent of the internet is a good example. Generation Y grew up in the age of Google.. Where anything could be found at the click of the button. Studies have shown that generation Y are less apt to memorize minute data because it isn't necessity, but are very adaptable because of this trait. (ie. Gen Y is technology dependent).. Gen Y began examining the world and getting a sense for reality as "Terrorism" made its major entrance, ie. 9/11. Gen Y have come to age at the time of the Petrodollar, and also a lot of government resistance and distrust. Gen Y's entire adult lives to this point have been in an economic downturn, just as many Gen Yers are graduating, entering the work force or TRYING to leave home.

As people, generations are the same. People will be people. Philosophically every generation is a bit different. There are MAJOR differences between the Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y in work environments. Boomers have held similar career outlooks as eastern cultures.. You find a good job and stay there a large portion of your life. Gen X is more transient and Gen Y are known to jump from job to job very frequently. The vast majority of Gen Y view jobs as a vessel to get from point A to point B and then find the next best suited vessel to get from point B to point C... Whereas Boomers look at jobs more like vessels that will take them from A-Z (the whole journey). These are minor nuances, but some characteristics of the generations that differ.

Gen X tends to view OTJ feedback as criticism or a "bad" thing.. Gen Y crave feedback, even if they're doing something wrong. They view feedback as communication rather that criticism. Again these are all "on average" scenarios. These things are all shaped by the way we've been raised, and the environmental challenges we're faced with via economy and world events.

The key is to recognize that no generation is to BLAME, or that no generation is better than another. The key is to recognize that we are going to have different stresses on our lives and there is a generational linkage. There are those who fall in between generations too, or don't associate the same. We must learn to accept the differences and utilize the strengths of each generation if we plan to continue sailing this boat.

reply to post by ZiggyMojo

Awesome post ziggy since i am on my phone for now i only want to say i love you yers,
You remind me a lot of my son in that responce, very gentle highly intelligent souls.

Gen X'er here. All generations have their shortcomings, successes, and failures. I think casting blame on one generation or the other is pointless and counter-productive. One thing is for sure. Boomers had great times during their building years - 30's and 40's. Yes, one recession. But, it was nothing compared to this. Boomers could find good paying, secure jobs with little to no education. That single income could afford to buy a comfortable home - albeit at somewhat higher rates than today. Most importantly, that single income could leave mom at home - in most cases - to raise kids. This is sadly not an acheivable reality for many X'ers. I don't think Boomers "did more" or "worked harder" either. Most of my working class parent's friends had little education, worked 40 hour weeks at "regular" jobs, owned their homes, took vacations, had time to spend with their kids, had resonable savings, AND are living on pensions now. Not many X'ers are living this dream. I say...luck of the draw.

Bicent76
Being a Generation X, member, I assure you I am sick of it, and once position reveals itself for me to make a difference for my generation in a positive and proactive way, I will be there.. This world is more scewed up then ever, Hell I would take the 90's over this horse crap anyday.. Do any fellow generation X, brothers and sisters realize how screwed up it is right now? It is tons, and tons worse then ever.. Our 30's are worse then our parents, and grandparents by so many angles, and our retirement, talk about a trainwreck, how much older do we have to get until we realized we are screwed?

Yea let me sit alone and drink my beer.....

Getting screwed is our purpose I suppose...

Yet let me tell you, if the position reveals itself, I will do all I can to try and stop our demise, better be paying attention...

edit on 18-9-2013 by Bicent76 because: (no reason given)

Yes, I agree. The 90's in the UK, USA and Canada were a dream compared to what it's like now.

In the UK, any 20 year old could afford to live and work in any part of the country, and once you were with a company, you'd get a private company pension and a career until you retired. Now, everyone is priced out of places like London due to the "housing shortage"

The cause of high employment in the UK and USA was because our political masters were forced to give away jobs to the other countries by OPEC (Lima Declaration of 1975) in exchange for stable oil prices and immigration. Once manufacturing was gone, that only left "service industries" like retail, hairdressers and charity gift shops. Even retail is going away due to online shopping and smartphone apps. The only high-street stores left are mobile phone shops.

Pensions have good, there's a "housing crisis", gas, food, and energy bills are through the roof, yet salaries remain the same.

reply to post by mikegrouchy


That's an interesting theory. I don't know if would always apply though. For example, I'm a Gen X-er but my parents are both Boomers. Very interesting read though.

reply to post by BlastedCaddy

Spot on stuff...
The X is for marking our current spot without knowing where this spot really is.

b

I'm supposed to be sad for a Generation that got a degree in 1995 that taught the same stuff I learned in 4th grade (general computer skills) and now demands you be paid three times more than a generation Yer

I am also supposed to be sad that all of you borrowed money against your first homes and bought lifted trucks that got 8 MPG

reply to post by Bornin66


Those are the "nicer" memories.... and many of those are shared in common with the other generations though (forts, smoking...).

-When I think the distinguishing aspects of my childhood, I see flashes of the ever present Bong and vibrator on the livingroom coffee table.
-I had a very long run down here that I deleted because I suspect some people will claim TMI- many today are more sensitive about these subjects. Just a lot of sex and drugs and violence: abuse and neglect.

What strikes my memory is not just the craziness of my particular environment, but the way the media at the time was painting children in general as being evil and undesireable. The Exorcist, The Omen, Rosemary's Baby, The Turn of the Screw, Carrie... Stephen was writing "Firestarter", and womens right to abort and free themselves from the burden of motherhood was being blasted loudly. It all seemed to lead to the message that the chaos around me was MY fault. Not anything I did- but because I exist. Because I was born. There is nothing I can do.... I cannot be a "good girl" and make it better. There is simply no hope.

I even had an aunt that is schizophrenic, that used to write me letters explaining to me that I will always pay for the sins of my mother, and Satan has his hand ever on my shoulder as his spawn.

I am really thankful that todays kids didn't have that concept laid upon them. Kids will tend to blame themselves under the age of ten for problems, but if the environment re-enforces that message as well, there is just no growing out of it.
But in some ways, I think, the difficulties in finding jobs and all that, that they will face now, they may feel more intensely than I did. Simply because of the contrast. I was used to struggle and disappointment, I take it in stride. Thats not the case for them- so I feel more sympathy for them than for me!