"Why Gen-X "Got it" Before the Rest of You" - Kara Post-Kennedy

[Pluvious]

Reminiscing on that pivotal time after we lost JFK and MLK, and finally ended the Vietnam War...

We have been described as some kind of neglected middle child between boomers and the Millennials, but we are not your mother’s Jan Brady (or our own, frankly). We were the first generation to experience a high volume of moms working outside the home, divorced parents and friends coming safely out of the closet. We were the last generation to have a technology free childhood and to learn patience waiting for Saturday morning cartoons or a favorite song to come on the radio.

We were the first generation to write papers on computers and the last generation to use typewriters. We were the last generation to know a time when a missed call was a missed call and the first generation to play video games. We were the last generation who spent a largely unsupervised childhood on dangerous playground equipment.

We were the first generation to grow up with the diversity of Sesame Street, the lessons in community from Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood and the brilliant bonkers of Electric Company.

We GET IT.

Our unique positioning in history gave us a perspective that some of you are still struggling to understand — and this spans ALL generations, not just those older than us. Because some of you who are younger than we are just don’t get what it was like BEFORE we came along and some of you who are older than us refuse to process new information, So let me break this down for you — we did a LOT of heavy lifting so you all didn’t have to.

https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/life-moves-pretty-fast-why-gen-x-got-it-before-the-rest-of-you-c07cf6c52904

[WhiskeyGrinder]

1. Lol this essay has a weirdly boomer vibe.

[Caliman73]

4. Every generation, as they age, look back to their own upbringing, and compare to others...

will have a "boomer" vibe. It is just that the Boomers are the largest cohort in current American history/society so they have a large influence still.

What the author says is fairly accurate however.

Millennials and Gen Z when they begin to approach their 50's and 60's will say the same thing about their unique upbringing.

[Buckeyeblue]

10. It does. And what it's missing is the "leave me alone" attitude many of us had growing up...

And to a certain degree still have. My childhood taught me to be independent and to not fear doing things on my own. I would say the sad part of our generation is that we watched a number of friends battle drug addiction during a time when we weren't very good at treating it.

[Texaswitchy]

34. Exactly.

We were independent kids.

I was never home.

I didn't need my parents holding my hand.

Gen X generation think they are original for some reason.

I never drank or used drugs.

We had separate lives from Parents.

[YoshidaYui]

16. I K R

[themaguffin]

102. Um, ok.

[republianmushroom]

2. LIKE

[Hiawatha Pete]

3. K&R

[happybird]

5. I've always been curious how many of us are on DU

From what (I think) I can tell, quite a few?? I know Baby Boomers make up the biggest % of members

[intheflow]

9. Me!!

Technically considered a boomer, born into a solidly boomer family in 1964. Gen X is supposed to start in 1965. But let me tell you, my life experience has been Gen X all the way. My mom worked outside the home from the time I was three, whereas she had been a stay-at-home mom for my sisters (10 and 7 years older than me). As a young adult, I was a Microsoft trainer before the mouse was invented (I also used a typewriter for part of that job as certain things had to be on regular paper, and not on dot-matrix-edged printer paper). My understanding and engagement with politics is completely above my family of origin (who vote Democratic but don't pay much attention otherwise). My sisters were anti-Jim Crow, where I am firmly and antiracist. Etc.

[CottonBear]

26. You're like me & President Obama: we're Generation Jones!

[MontanaMama]

36. Met too. 1964 year of birth

but don't identify with boomers...I had a very progressive dad who designed diversity workshops for the USFS. As a middle class family, my dad talked to us kids all the time about our privilege. He was ahead of his time for sure. When I started college in 1982, I can vividly remember him talking to me about the information economy on the horizon and encouraged me to think about what that might mean for a career. Silly me, I majored in English. Looking back, my dad was on to something.

[Deep State Witch]

42. Same here

November, 1964. Coming up on 58 next Sunday.

[JHB]

43. Yep. Another post-boomer dragooned into that cohort by statisticians

[YoshidaYui]

18. I was born in 87

I don't know what category that throws me into.. frankly I Never got this generational group thing.... I have studied a lot of history and took courses in Asian culture at CAL Berkeley so I would understand how life was on the other side of the planet... I know they don't do this thing in Asia... we seem to enjoy putting people in little boxes here in America... sometimes you gotta crawl out of your box and explore the world.

[Wingus Dingus]

52. You are a millennial.

Squarely in the middle of it.

[YoshidaYui]

65. I was also born in the year of the Rabbit

I should have been a Dragon, something more to blame my parents on.

[llashram]

30. 1948 here

pre-baby boomer, dinosaur... I love this place though...dinosaur love and don't call me dino. I've voted Democrat since my first vote 1972

[Celerity]

71. You are a Boomer. American Baby Boomers were born 1946 to 1964.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_boomers

Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the demographic cohort following the Silent Generation and preceding Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964, during the post–World War II baby boom.

2020 Census Will Help Policymakers Prepare for the Incoming Wave of Aging Boomers

December 10, 2019

https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/12/by-2030-all-baby-boomers-will-be-age-65-or-older.html

snip

Born after World War II, from 1946 to 1964, the oldest boomers will turn 74 next year. When the last census was taken in 2010, the oldest had not even turned 65.

[treestar]

90. younger end of the Boomers

actually experienced the same things mentioned in the article - it was like I almost fit that generation or was barely older. Mentioning Watergate, the Challenger. I was in mid-teens for Watergate, mid twenties for Challenger.

That's why these are absurd. Nobody is absolutely a member of any particular generation.

[Celerity]

91. Well, it's hard to make the case that a person born in 1948 is not a Boomer That is a core birth

year, and the year that the 'boom' of births was officially confirmed via the birth statistics showing am explosion for 3 straight years.

Obviously individual people vary greatly inside a gen, but overall the hallmarks that make up the zeitgeist are pretty defined (albeit broadly) as well as delineated.

[treestar]

110. It was a post-war thing

Referred to in Betty Friedan, "The Feminine Mystique." That men came home from the war wanting stability and emphasis on home with family. Thus the women going back to the home from work (i.e. Rosie the Riveter) and having many children and taking care of the home. It was a time of regression for women, as Friedan showed that there had been progress in education and careers for women before and during the war.

After that, not so much, in fact when the boom stopped is rather tough to define. It appears to be around the time the Pill came along, so as to mark the differences that would make. That and the changes since then are gradual and take place over time so that a certain year can't stand out like 1948 might.

[llashram]

92. oh???

thank you for reminding me... yep I* knew. 75 in January. So far this 'boomer' can still harass and fight the RW...

[Wingus Dingus]

53. Here! 1969.

[geardaddy]

97. Me!

First year X'er. Born in '65

[Celerity]

114. some DU age polls (it skews old)

[intrepidity]

6. This west-coast (tail-end) boomer identifies as GenX

I think west coast boomers were a bit ahead of the curve.

[tinrobot]

44. Tail end of the boomers is starting to identify as Generation Jones

Born late 50's/early 60's. They were the 'boomers' who never got to experience the '60s as adults. While their older siblings were at Woodstock, they were home watching cartoons.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Jones

The group includes people like Barack Obama, Bill Gates and members of the Sex Pistols.

[ProfessorGAC]

70. That's Where I Am

My Wife, too. But, were mid-50s babies, not late 50s, early 60s.
I was not yet 13 for Woodstock so I wasn't home watching cartoons but was probably still out playing baseball that summer.
I was the oldest, too so no siblings at Yasgur's farm.. My wife was the youngest so one brother could have been, but he was more Elvis & Buddy than rock & Roll.
I've never heard this boomer subset thing before, but it seems to make sense.

[area51]

108. Generation Jones here.

I don't identify with Boomers, tbh.

[brush]

7. Good article. I was hoping it would get into "getting it" about being the last cohort...

Last edited Mon Nov 21, 2022, 04:06 PM - Edit history (1)

who grew up schooled to fear "toxic " socialism and literally had to practice hiding under school desks in case of a nuclear attack by Russian socialists/communists (as if that would do any good.

We still see the results of that schooling in the millions of voters from both the boomer and GenX generations who still react negatively to winger smears that Democrats are leftist socialists who foisted Social Security, Medicare and the idea of socialized medicine upon the nation.

These voters are the ones who've never gotten "nuance" and don't get that there are many aspects of our society that are socialism in action—the aforementioned Social Security, Medicaid/Medicare, local fire, sanitation, police and highway departments—and are good things.

Dems lost a good number of Congressional seats in 2020 because certain prominent Dem and Dem-adjacent pols who called themselves democratic socialist.

I was suprised that the article didn't touch that at all.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

15. Socialism is the fire dept putting out your house fire. Capitalism is insurance denying your claim.

[brush]

17. Good one. I like your analogy. I wish the OP had gone into this.

[Probatim]

20. In my district, the volunteer FD is right next to the polling station.

In each of the last three big elections, they've had signs reminding people to vote against socialism.

I'd make a comment but in the unlikely event my house ever caught on fire, I'd prefer the socialist volunteer fire department show up to help out.

[brush]

23. That's crazy. They're practising socialism and don't even know it.

Their socialist education in the public schools failed them...no wait, more likely they failed civics and history courses in the socialist, public schools.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

25. LOL! That's fantastic. I vote at a VFD, too, but they don't have a sign like that.

[Jspur]

8. As older Millennial I can say I have never had respect for

generation X. This generation kept the status quo by the majority of them voting republican through their adulthood.

[Sky Jewels]

12. Yeah, I'm an old Gen Xer and my age cohort

(born mid-late 60s) had a lot of members of what we called The Reagan Youth when we were in high school. A lot of them never outgrew it. I never related much to being a Gen Xer (and certainly not to being a Boomer). I much prefer my kids’ generation, born around the turn of the century.

[SoBlueInFL]

21. I'm a Gen-Xer and I can only name two high school classmates who were Democrats and r/o

remained Democrats. I have no idea why they all turned Republican. I'd rather eat nails than attend a class reunion.

[RANDYWILDMAN]

28. This is because Gen X was the last generation without a functioning internet in their late teens/20'

Also our parents and grandparents were very politically conservative.

I do not understand why they are still voting that way, though, no excuses now.

I do felt my generation under estimated the 2000 election and the fight we never fought. Bush v Gore caused a lot of crap and is still causing problems and my generation didn't seem to care one way or the other.


last thing Am Talk radio started when we were kids and we kind of grew up with it, Rush limbaugh was normalized when I grew up and there was No other voice to go against that crap, you could turn it off, he was on TV and radio at the time. You could see through it but there was no other voices on the left

[geardaddy]

98. None of my close X'er friends nor I voted republican

Voted democrat in every election since 1984.

But I avoided hanging with republican leaning folks (and still do!)

[GenThePerservering]

11. Well, I'm 69 years old

and this could have been written by me...but without the smug attitude.

So let me break it down for the particular GenX who wrote the above: We were already doing the heavy lifting. What generation do you think pioneered personal computing?

[Tetrachloride]

14. +1.

[SoBlueInFL]

19. This Gen-Xer thanks you. My younger Boomer husband said just about r/o

the same thing as you regarding personal computing. He worked in that field in CA during the early 80s.

[Texaswitchy]

35. Plus 2.

I trained to many Gen Xers.

I was the liberal boomer and they were the conservatives.

The women Gen Xers only had the training because of female Boomers going first.

I never understood them..

[Mariana]

40. It never fails.

Every time someone posts a thread about the experiences of Gen X, Millennials, or Gen Z, some Boomers are sure to come along and find a way to make it about them.

[Texaswitchy]

46. Because we are always put down.

The younger women owe a lot to female Boomers.

Affirmative action was not a fun time.

70's the first women here, the first women there .

Younger women take their opportunities and rights for granted.

Like Roe...

[Mariana]

47. This OP didn't put Boomers down.

[Texaswitchy]

76. Yeah.

Not directly.

But it is always blame everything on Boomers.

[Celerity]

67. because Boomers are the original Me Generation, plus they are extremely numerous here on DU

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_generation

The "Me" generation is a term referring to Baby Boomers in the United States and the self-involved qualities that some people associate with this generation. The 1970s was dubbed the "Me decade" by writer Tom Wolfe; Christopher Lasch wrote about the rise of a culture of narcissism among younger Baby Boomers. The phrase became popular at a time when "self-realization" and "self-fulfillment" were becoming cultural aspirations to which young people supposedly ascribed higher importance than social responsibility.

[BannonsLiver]

93. That's because DU skews old

I think most members are 65 plus.

[Bev54]

49. I am also 69 years old and we did not use computers for school work

or even in most of our work lives until much later. Didn't even have calculators, just adding machines. So yes it was my children's generation that crossed over from typewriters to computers and had the first video games. Yes we boomers did some heavy lifting but our children were the start of the new generation. I worked full time while my mother was a stay at home Mom who worked but in a small town post office attached to our home. So the writer is not wrong and every generation has their obstacles and hills to climb, so it is not a competition but a comparison.

[GenThePerservering]

56. I used calculators

and word processing equipment in the 70s. I was wiring up computers by the early 80s (cos that's how you did it) and doing support for Apple by the early 90s. I was training GenX on computers. I was on my own in my teens - most of my friends moms worked.

I think the author of the article doesn't really understand tech evolution - they seem to just want to own it. Fact is, generations elide as much as the challenges they face - we need to STOP thinking in generations and start thinking in progress.

Which is why I think the attitude of the article is silly, even while the contrast of analog/digital is valid.

[Bev54]

73. I graduated 1971 so we never used computers or calculators in school and for my first year or two

working in the bank we had to do all our calculations by hand whether interest calculations or foreign exchange. I think the OP writer is talking about the majority of people not those who specialized.

[Mblaze]

13. Plus, in my experience as a parent of Gen-Xers

They had a superb education.

[Sky Jewels]

24. Yes, I did. I was a kid in California schools

in the 70s. I had an excellent academic experience. That was before the Republican right really started hacking away at public education. Prop 13 really screwed kids over for generations.

[Mblaze]

117. Congratulations 😀

It’s great to be informed.

[tiredtoo]

22. as a member of the silent generation i will just share this.

[Mr.Bill]

27. I love the Gen-Xers. I have two step-children in this group.

Many years ago I remember them being called the Baby-Boom Echo, because they were basically the children of Baby Boomers. I guess it it didn't stick, but I though it was good and very descriptive moniker.

Soon I will think of them as the generation that will run and choose my convalescent home.

[Mariana]

45. Gen X are not basically the children of Baby Boomers.

Most of us are the children of the Silent generation.

[Mr.Bill]

57. Maybe, but there's a lot of

gray area behind any generational divide.

[geardaddy]

99. This

My parents are/were of the Silent generation born in the late 20s early 30s. My brother and sister are Boomers and I'm a Gen X'er

[prodigitalson]

105. yeah

I'm an Xer (born in 68) and both my parents are Silent Gen (mom born in 43 and dad in 39). I didn't know the name of their generation until recently. We always just called our dads "guys to young to fight in Korea and too old to fight in Vietnam." My kids are Gen Z so my family is Boomer and Millennial free.

[Yavin4]

29. Boomers and Gen-Xers were the greatest beneficiaries of all of the liberal policies of the 20th...

century. From FDR's New Deal to the GI Bill to the Highway expansion, etc. Most of the benefits from these programs went to the Boomers and Gen-Xers. These generations came of age during the greatest period of abundance in American history. Life's essentials, housing, healthcare, education, food, and clothing were comparatively the cheapest and most plentiful during their formative years and young adult years than any other generation.

All of that abundance made these generations more politically conservative as well.

[inthewind21]

61. Ya think?

The GI bill ended in 1956, which is BEFORE Gen X was born. However, after 9/11 a new bill was put in place as well as the Forever GI bill in 2017. The new deal was passed in 34 - 36. The HWY expansion act was passed in 1956. Pretty sure EVERYONE born after that benefitted from the HWY system. However, ask people of color how well all those "beneficial" highways helped their communities. Hint, it was used as a segregation and isolation tool. So what were you saying again?

[Yavin4]

80. Let's do this...

The New Deal created anti-poverty programs. The most famous of which was Social Security insurance for older Americans. This meant that older Americans were no longer a financial burden on their families which freed up money for the Boomers/GenXers.

The GI Bill moved a generation of the working poor to the middle class. They were able to attend college and own homes in the suburbs which gave them generational wealth. These were the parents/grandparents of Boomers and GenXers. That wealth was transferred to the Boomers/GenXers.

The HWY expansion bill allowed for suburbanites to commute from their homes into the city for work. Thus, raising the property values of their homes. That value was passed on to their Boomer/GenXer children.

On your last point, yes, people of color didn't begin to benefit from these government programs until the Civil Rights acts were passed in the 1960s.

[LiberalArkie]

31. Boomer is the last generation to holler at my mom and say I am going to the pool as a elementary

student. Just carry 2 quarters, towel, wear t shirt, swimming trunks and walk 3 miles through town to go to the community pool. By myself and no one think anything.

[Texaswitchy]

39. Yes

Exactly.

Independent as hell.

[Sympthsical]

84. I promise this is not the case

I grew up 80s/90s, and it was basically "Go, do whatever, home by streetlamps." We'd wander for miles and miles afield. Parents neither knew nor cared where we were nor what we were doing. As long as no one showed up at the front door asking to talk to my parents about what their child had done.

They were just happy we were out of the house.

Where this all turned, I think, is the onset of cable news and the 24/7 news cycle and "action news" programs. They have to fill that time with something, so rapes, kidnappings, and murders started appearing on the daily.

Fear sells.

And who was fully participant in creating that culture of fear that is now being derided?

Tip of my tongue. Schooners? Nah. It'll come to me eventually.

[Hekate]

32. Interesting. My kids were born at the end of 1975 & the beginning of 1978...

I never knew where they were supposed to fit in this “Gen X, Y, Z” thing, but this has laid it out fairly well in terms of formative experiences — they are Gen X.

[NNadir]

33. OK boomer. (Speaking as a boomer myself...

...I often muse that history will not forgive us nor should it.)

We boomers were merely consumers and consumed everything, the air, the seas and the ground on which we stand and I personally feel that future generations owe us nothing but contempt. Overall - i hate to say it -there's a lot of Trump in all of us.

[Texaswitchy]

37. Speak for yourself...

I was around to many Gen X types.

The world was suppose revolve around them.

Most of them washed out of the training program.

I had to fight my way into the training.

Remember affirmative action in the 70s.

[inthewind21]

62. Did you also

Have to walk 15 miles barefoot in the snow to school?

[Texaswitchy]

74. Had to fight a lot sexism for 3 years.

In a union program.

A bunch of angry white men didn't want change.

It was a ugly time.

Walking thru snow would have been easy.

[NNadir]

82. I am speaking for myself, but I've also been around many Gen X types.

I think the world of them; I think overall, they will be a great generation.

As a scientist with a deep understanding of environmental issues, I stand by my remarks: We screwed the future and history will know it.

[BannonsLiver]

94. Wow you're super invested huh

[Celerity]

112. +1

[GenThePerservering]

58. Bullshit. NT

[randr]

38. Let's make it a contest and see which generation can turn out the most votes

So far I think Gen Z is in second

[Texaswitchy]

41. But who will vote in every election.

All elections are important.

I will without my opinion of younger voters until they do that.

City, county, and state.

That is how the Republicans took over.

[Sympthsical]

51. X and Millennials had similar numbers

As a proportion of the electorate.

Hard to say with Z, because a lot of them are still under 18. Millennials are considered mid-twenties to early forties at the moment. But a lot of media will call anyone under 30 Gen Z.

It's really difficult to get a parse on it, because different outlet use "young voters" different ways. One thing I repeatedly see is "young voters" being 40 and under. Ok, 40 isn't young . . .

Gen Z (25 and under) was about 6-7% of the electorate who voted in this election. Their turn out rate was about 27% for midterms. So it's not staggeringly high, but it's notable because it's generally considered pretty good for voters that young.

I think the most worrisome development, for me any way, was Millennials are already shifting Republican. My demographic, 30-44, only voted Democratic by four points. Contrast that to 2016 where Republicans were blown out of the water by that age group. There has been a very strong shift as Millennials are getting older.

I can see how it is - our concerns have forever been dismissed, belittled, and often earned us a "Go eff yourself" from older members of the party. It's like we could never be forgiven for liking Bernie in 2016 or something. The grudge was real.

But that approach has . . . had an effect. Just my perception, however. I know it's never anyone's fault when it comes to political strategies.

[Jspur]

116. 30-44 demographic is almost all Millennials but it includes

some Xers. The oldest Millennial was born in '81 so that would make the oldest 41 years old. Also remember Xers are hardcore republican voters so the few that are included in the 30-44 demographic will skew the percentages by a few points.

[Celerity]

118. But in 2016, the 30-44 yo cohort was more skewed to Gen X and less to the Millennials, yet voted Dem

at a higher percentage, same for 2018.

[GenThePerservering]

59. Gen Z

Making us all proud at the voting booths! They are our future (and I know a lot of them and they're really great people).

[Sympthsical]

48. Xers were the ones on the mountainside when the avalanche began

Millennials were the ones at the bottom who got buried. Z are the ones expected to dig everything out.

And Boomers are sipping cocktails in the lodge yelling, "Dig harder!"

I love skiing, but this is the worst resort ever.

[Texaswitchy]

50. Gen X had a attitude problem.

We mean evil boomers were trying to train them for really good jobs

Good pay, benefits and pensions.

The X crowd might show up, or not.

So many washed out.

Their own fault.

Gen X really didn't care for voting either.

Or voted Republican.

Politics will always be there whether you engage or not.

I was there.

[Sympthsical]

54. One thing I admire about many Boomers

Is the seamless pivot. How it went from "Everything's our parents fault!" to "Everything's our children's fault!"

It was so smooth. You almost didn't see it happen.

Look, I don't expect any self-reflection or sense of accountability. That ship has sailed, hit the iceberg, sunk, and is forever beyond recovery. I'm at the stage where I'm in the submersible staring at the wreck going, "It's amazing how they hit that iceberg. Just straight on like that."

It's for educational purposes only.

[GenThePerservering]

60. Stereotyping

is lazy thinking.

[geardaddy]

100. You don't think Texaswitchy is stereotyping?

[Celerity]

113. Not at all, Sympthsical is spot on up and down this thread. Having observed them for some time now,

they are one of the more astute posters on here when it comes to gens talk.

[inthewind21]

63. Exactly

[inthewind21]

64. LOL

That was great!

[Celerity]

111. Good summary.

[Efilroft Sul]

55. I'm in Gen X, and the author needs to know that our generation's shit does indeed smell.

Especially when the majority of it votes for Republican assholes.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

72. The author is a Kennedy (yes, THOSE Kennedys), so is unfamilar with smelly shit.

It's just not permitted in the Brahman caste.

She does write well. Even this early Boomer recognizes talent.

[Texaswitchy]

78. Yes.

Did back then also.

Now a lot.

My nephew is hard core Republican.

[maxsolomon]

66. I'm supposed to be a Boomer (late '63), but I don't really fit there.

Last edited Mon Nov 21, 2022, 07:15 PM - Edit history (1)

And I don't fit with Gen X.

I guess my Boomer Identity comes out mostly in not using Google Maps to get anywhere. I basically grew up using maps and horse sense.

No clue what Gen X "got" that I don't get.

[Demovictory9]

69. Bigots are trying to reduce that exposure to progressive ideas via school boards and book banning

[Pathwalker]

77. Oh goody! Generational Fight Club Round 268!

Will a true winner ever emerge or will this series end in a many way draw, with all sides wounded and too tired to continue. In your corners, generations and come out swinging at the sound of the bell...

Ding, Ding, Ding.


Just in case it's needed:

[treestar]

88. It's so useless

started with the "Greatest Generation" bullshit.

[Renew Deal]

79. This was well written and gave a lot to think about

I’m not sure how many other generations have seen as much change in the same amount of time, especially not involving wars. The advent of the commercial internet is a massive change with impact that are still being felt after 30+ years.

[hatrack]

81. Tail-end boomer (1961) but definitely identify as X . . .

Formative memories for me:

Apollo 13
Watergate
The fall of Vietnam
Jonestown
Desert One
Reagan
Challenger

If I had to boil it down, it comes down to: Things can, do, and will go wrong.

[Meowmee]

83. I don't think it is useful

To classify age groups of generations this way. Such silly names for them also.

[Prairie_Seagull]

106. There is pre-industrial, industrial and information ages.

The rest is mostly academic. We should be thinking about how to work together to make the changes that the world needs. This categorization of humans (while academically relevant to some) is unfortunately being seen by many to outline the supposedly "huge" differences between us. There are no huge differences between us. There are different experiences which are great conversations to have. in my significant years, i have sought to bring my progeny along on my journey through life. Followed them on theirs as well at times. Or at least I tried.

I believe, in general, most kids do not want to be like their parents. As part of this they don't want to vote like their parents, maybe even see it as a right of passage. In word and action I have seen my kids as their own people. Which of course they are. They will express this one way or the other.

We should be working to become closer not be separated into our own little cardboard boxes.

Just one mans possibly completely worthless thoughts on the topic.

It has worked for us.

[Arthur_Frain]

85. Best write up of me that I've seen.

Except the challenger disaster happening in my teens, I’m here from 1963, so many things I had access to that will never come again. Millenials, Gen Z and Alpha will simply never know.

[geardaddy]

101. Wait, how can the Challenger thing have happened

when you were in your teens when you were born in 63? I was a junior in college when it happened and I was born in 65.

[Arthur_Frain]

109. I am aware that technically I'm a Boomer being born in 63.

We like to slot things into categories. Is there a precise line on the calendar that defines you as a boomer or a gen Xer? No, just a general guide. Born on the cusp as I was most of my Boomer “peers” didn’t really get me. Majority of the gen Xers are going to be younger than you, so you’re in the opposite situation that I am. Most of the generation they try to slot me with is older than I am.

Challenger, Valdez, all that happened in my 20’s, and from my somewhat wiser perspective of now, I would argue that I behaved (and thought) like a teenager well into my 20s, maybe 30s. I thought it pointless to argue about my particular situation when the article applies quite accurately to those who came 5-10 years after me, the bulk of the Xers, who were in fact in their teens when the events we are referencing took place.

[ellie]

86. I am Generation X

and we have a lot of monsters. Look at famous Gen X luminaries such as DeSantis (born 1978), Musk (1971), MNTG (1974), Cruz (1970) and Rubio (1971). They looked at Reagan and said, Hey! We can be worse than that! Just watch us!

Absolutely fucking disgusting shit-heels.

[Hortensis]

96. For sure. :) All generations have a lot of monsters.

And Republicans, bless their hearts.

Sounds like you may be missing out on the satisfactions of slapping a whole (other!) generation with broad-brush condemnation, though.

Maybe those who'd like to join the party could start by avoiding cognitive processing that insists on factual truths and sending it for emotional processing alone? And for sure pre-grease by working up some generational grievances. Even if it's only your MIL insisting on serving something you don't like at Thanksgiving and a retired neighbor parking his ugly boat in his driveway -- work it! THEN, when feeling really pissy, try again.

[treestar]

87. Get what?

Doing the heavy lifting for what?

What a ridiculous piece.

[Wingus Dingus]

89. I didn't understand it either. Totally missing the point of this.

What did we "get" that other generations don't?

[Hortensis]

95. Lol, obviously then, you just need to get out of the way.

And me. No need to know. I'll get a Gen-Xer to escort me safely to the sideline.

[GenThePerservering]

104. They were doing OK

for a ho-hum opinion piece until the conclusion, which makes no thematic sense. What 'heavy lifting'? For what purpose? Good grief, I used to work at a manuscript mill and we turned this stuff out by the bucket load, but it had to at least have some coherency.

[prodigitalson]

103. wasn't Obama our first Gen X president or was he a super late boomer?

[treestar]

107. super late boomer

as it went to 1964.

I'm slightly older than Obama - the only President younger than I at the time. I recall some of the things in the article, so we would be close to the Gen. X, or not much older.

[Jspur]

115. As an older Millennial I remember hearing stories from

the Xers about how the Boomers had screwed them over with their economic policies and at first it made them sympathetic victims in my eyes. That changed once I reached adulthood and saw how the majority of them were conservative assholes. Also, I just thought they were dumb since they complained about the Boomers economic policies screwing them over, but they still voted republican to continue the horrible economic policies that had dicked them over.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

119. How Gen X Became the Trumpiest Generation

snip....

Now, though, there is no confusion: Generation X is safely Republican. One model from 2014 measuring only white voters through the 2012 election shows those born in the mid-to-late 1960s being the most Republican-leaning of all, more so than the older Boomers and Silent generation. In a poll released in late April by Marist/NPR that separated voters by generation, Generation X had the highest level of disapproval for Biden and were the generation most likely to say they would vote for a Republican candidate in the midterms if they were held that day.

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/05/20/cherie-westrich-alt-rock-gen-x-maga-00033769

[Torchlight]

120. Sounds like a conversation

every generation over the past 10,000 years has indulged in, but I suppose the 20th century model has further perfected the meritless finger pointing through prodigious usage of market-approved labels.