Gen X-ers
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Gen X-ers
Crazydog | Monday, October 29, 2001 - 01:00 pm   Here's an article I found about "Generation X" which I found on Ask Jeeves.com. Again, I'm sure everyone has their own definition, but I would certainly identify with the Ataris and the 80s. ------------------------------------- Generation X defies definition by Jennifer Jochim, Outpost Contributor Generation X can technically be defined as the generation following the Baby Boomers. Xers were born between 1965 and 1980, 1961 and 1981, 1964 and 1979, 1963 and 1979, 1965 and 1975 or since the mid-1960s, depending on which source you use. For practical purposes we will say that Generation X was born between 1965 and 1980, now ranging in age from 17-32 and usually judged by characteristics assigned to them by the media. 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. "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," said Jackie Shelton, 31, vice president of Minor Advertising in Reno. The term Generation X came from a book written in 1991 by Douglas Coupland by the same name. It is a fictional book about three strangers who decide to distance themselves from society to get a better sense of who they are. He describes the characters as "underemployed, overeducated, intensely private and unpredictable." Coupland took his book's title from another book "Class," by Paul Fussell. Fussell used "X" to describe a group of people who want to pull away from class, status and money in society. Because the characters in Coupland's book fit that description, he decided on the title "Generation X." The media found elements of Coupland's characters' lives in America's youth and labeled them Generation X. 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. |
Micknrc | Monday, October 29, 2001 - 01:11 pm   I was going to say The boomers didn't end until '64. My man Lex and I are both boomers (I'm a tad younger) but we're the edgy, grew up under the counter-culture kind of boomers (punk rock, tattoos, more than one hole in each ear...)The gen-x kids stole all that from us to feel cool about an era which gave them nothing much else to signify rebellion. I work in a university setting now and see both kinds of Xs and Ys, however. Some motivated, brainy, hard-working ones--as well as one kid we hired in my office who has the personal pride in his work of a slug. I take that back as an insult and a gross stereotyping of slugs. Lack of work ethic doesn't bother me in particular, it's the feeling that you somehow deserve to be a rich (rock star, movie star, soap star...) type without having a work ethic that really burns my butt... Did I mention that I'm always at work when I'm posting... |
Calamity | Monday, October 29, 2001 - 02:07 pm   In the past five years or so since the the "generations" trend has taken off in the media and publishing world, writers and researchers have been fudging the dates of each age group to fit their particular theories and views. Traditionally, a generation was considered to be 18 years - the time it took for a person to become a self-sufficient adult capable of beginning his/her own family. The start of generational group is a bit fluid, of course, but was usually centered around a significant event in national history. But nowadays, it seems that changes in technology and social customs are the determining factor in deciding "who goes where". For example, baby boomers were those born between 1946-1964, in the years following WWII. But today's kids, sometimes referred to as millennials, are more likely to be characterized by their familiarity with home computers and exposure to mass media & marketing. So the question is, was the growth of the Internet the defining event for them? Or was it access to computers or cable television their entire lives? And so on. It's all a bit subjective which is why there's no set dates for them. Using the "18-year rule", then I guess today's college freshman and sophmores could be Generation Y. Don't feel bad about the lame name though. I'm a Gen X-er, which is a horrible label but better than the one they tried to pin on us while I was in junior high - the baby busters, so called because the birthrate dropped so dramatically compared to when the baby boomers where born. And now we're outnumbered on either side - the boomers at one end of the spectrum and their kids on the other. Ah, for those sweet days of the early nineties, after Nirvana released "Nirvana" in '91 but before Newt Gingrich took over Congress in '94. For a while I thought we might really be able to change the world but, as current events show, it's even more messed up than before. By the way, I'm really not as boring as this post would seem to indicate! |
Calamity | Monday, October 29, 2001 - 02:13 pm   correction, that should be "after Nirvana released 'Nevermind'...". I am so ashamed. |
Oregonfire | Monday, October 29, 2001 - 03:43 pm   I'm a pround Gen-Xer, no doubt about it, but I have a hard time thinking of a 17 year old as being in the same generation bracket as me. That's too weird! To me, Gen-Xers are those who were forced to wear polyester pantsuits before they were old enough to have a say in the matter. We were also the latchkey kids; our parents had the most divorces ever. I read an article about this whole generation labelling thing years ago, and apparently, we Gen-Xers have the most in common with the Lost Generation of the 1920s and 1930s. Heck yea, sign me up with the likes of Dorothy Parker, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein! I like my status as a disaffected navelgazer. BTW, who do you think is going to pay the Social Security checks of the overpopulated Baby Boomers? Us slackers, so everyone better play nice. |
Voyeur | Monday, October 29, 2001 - 03:53 pm   If the boomers end in '64 and the X'ers start in '65, then my husband is a boomer, and I'm an X'er, and that distinction just isn't there, we were born only 9 months apart. I think the whole "generations" thing is overblown anyway. |
Joan | Monday, October 29, 2001 - 04:08 pm   About Lex' tattoos...people who get one or two tattoos may be rebellious but people who get seriously into body art (tattoos, piercings, scarring, extreme modifications) are a whole other subset of society IMO. A kid with her ear pierced at the top or a navel ring is trendy, a guy like Lex is someone who is beyond trendy or rebellious and just into the culture/art of it. |
Ocean_Islands | Monday, October 29, 2001 - 06:29 pm   "Generation X" is a fantasy, a creation of the popular press which takes its name from a sad movie about a black muslim named "Malcolm X" -- whose advertising gimmicks, baseball caps with a big "X" on the front, is a poor symbol for any generation.
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Bidasea | Monday, October 29, 2001 - 08:48 pm   I am a baby boomer, and my children are Generation Xers..Both of my children work hard, and are solid people. Most of their friends are also. Lazy is as lazy does. You can be lazy, and unmotivated at any age..Lex lives down the street from me and is just a normal guy. He is married, has kids, and a white picket fence around his home. He walks his dog around the block and mows his lawn. He just happens to like body art.. |
Joan | Wednesday, October 31, 2001 - 09:03 pm   I see no connection between Malcolm X and Generation X. The people wearing the caps with the X on it are promoting Black Pride or at least that was always the impression I got since I never saw anyone who wasn't black wearing them (and they usually are done in African colours). |
Crazydog | Thursday, November 01, 2001 - 08:51 am   Ocean, I'm not sure if you really believe that or if you are just trying to stir up controversy. I wouldn't fault you for not knowing, but if you truly think this then may I suggest you be a little more sensitive in posting. Malcolm X is a pretty well known historical figure, and the way I read your post it was written in a "eh... some insignificant guy who became commercialized" manner that some may find offensive. Further, I find your post ignorant considering all of the previous posts that went up before yours - you should at least take the time to read through them and consider that you may be wrong. If you are trying to be inflammatory (as in your reopening of the Nicole hot tub topic), then may I suggest that there is no need for that here. Joan, of course you are correct - there is ZERO connection between "Generation X" and Malcolm X. |
Mssilhouette | Thursday, November 01, 2001 - 11:53 am   I'll just take Ocean's comments to be on a sarcastic satire side. Because surely Ocean can't be serious. So we'll just call it a bad joke and move on...Yeah I think that's best, lest we get way off topic. I think most posters have pretty much said that the group on survivor does not give a reprsentation of the medial labled Gen X'ers. |
Car54 | Thursday, November 01, 2001 - 04:35 pm   About these kids...last week at Tribal council when Jeff was asking about alliances, Lindsay, Silas and Brandon smiled and flat out lied to everyone. Do these fools NOT know they are on camera 24-7??? DUH |
Joan | Thursday, November 01, 2001 - 04:39 pm   Somehow I don't think it hits them Car54. I noticed the same thing with Love Cruise, esp. with Toni. People did one thing and then spend the rest of the show sobbing and trying to convince people otherwise. I guess when the show is syndicated, contestants tend to forget about being on TV maybe? The people on BB are the only ones who seem keenly aware that they are on TV. |
Judy | Thursday, November 01, 2001 - 07:31 pm   I think that OI is talking about the Movie- not the man. *I hope* Bidesea!!! Have you been holding out on us???!! You live down the street from Lex???!! Where are the pics of him and his dog???!! Let's go get to work!  |
Avrey | Thursday, November 01, 2001 - 07:43 pm   My husband and I have had this conversation for years. Not to add to the confusion but let's take my situation: I was born Oct. 1963, my son was born in Feb. 1985. Aren't we a little close to the same generation? When the term/phrase gen. X came into being, I read many times that Gen. X was 1965 and up...however, my husband and many others have told me that the baby boomer generation ended in 1955. So that left the 1956-1964 generation as "tweeners". People stuck between the boomers and the X-er's. I was a teen in the 70's but I really don't feel like a generation Xer. Also, when Bill Clinton was Pres. and he turned fifty, there were tons of articles about how the first wave of boomers were turning 50 that year: 1996. I was 33 in 1996. I really didn't identify with the baby boomers either. |
Chippy | Thursday, November 01, 2001 - 08:45 pm   Could somebody plllllleeeeeeeease explain WHY the mallbrats can't go to bed earlier. What? Are they busy reading, watching a movie, playing backgammon...what? What a bunch of whiny hiney holes. Yuck. Did they have nothing better to choose from for S3 than these geeksters? Nevermind a generation- they're an embarrassment to humanity in general. I think I'm whining just from watching them whine for an hour. Go Boran. I like all of them so far. |
Debb | Thursday, November 01, 2001 - 08:49 pm   The whole topic of Generation X is interesting to me since I teach at a community college. I have personally found the differences in the Boomers and the Gen X'ers to be very real, especially when considering differences in work ethic. This is evidenced by attendance patterns, willingness to work in group activities with people they may not get along with, etc. As a BB2 viewer, I also found the generation differences very interesting. Think about Kent vs. Shannon or Will or Boogie...classic examples! |
Oregonfire | Thursday, November 01, 2001 - 09:08 pm   Okay. I watched almost the whole show tonight. I can't stand those Gen-Xers in the Sambura tribe--they are so smug. It seemed like Jeff Probst didn't even like them. I found that Brandon guy to be especially contemptible. Wow are they on a power trip. I didn't see much of the other tribe (Boran), but they seemed nicer to each other. My two cents. What is this--Real World Kenya? |
Grooch | Thursday, November 01, 2001 - 09:17 pm   Let me play devil's advocate here for a minute (then its of to bed.) Don't forget that we don't see everything going on. Even Jeff said he has never seen a tribe split like this before. There must be a reason. Maybe MB planned a tribe that was 50/50, to change the show a bit and so we can see an older tribe in charge. But it didn't work out. For some reason it divided sharply. Remember, I like the older group better. And the X'ers look lazy. But don't forget how Nicole took charge of the kitchen and the house and no one felt comfortable doing anything dealing with house chores. Maybe this is something similiar. No one could cook in BB2 because of Nicole, maybe the young people feel intimated by the older members and don't know how to properly assert themselves. That is why they are all smirking when one of the older members were banished. The x'ers are threatened by them. We don't get to see everything. |
Kep421 | Friday, November 02, 2001 - 06:48 am   Com'on Grooch...whenever anyone speaks up for the GenX group to explain their bad behavior, it always seems to be the older generation's fault. I mean the excuses always seem to intimate that it is something the older group was doing or not doing that caused the kids to act the way they do. I have read more than one post that said the older people are not bringing out the best in these kids, like it is totally their responsiblity!!! What hogwash.... These kids are selfish and self centered. They are not the X generation, they are the "me" generation in my opinion. I feel bad for the two older ones left because now they have to suffer because these kids have messed up the camp pretty bad by screwing up the pots. I remember the episode where Carl had tried to show them how to fix the pots when they cracked and he was trying to explain how important it was to keep them repaired. But wasn't that the same episode when the younsters were making bead necklace? They didn't want to listen to Carl because they didn't like him...He was to arrogant for them, he tried to from an alliance that didn't include them, he was such an SOB. And because he ticked them off, they were gonna show him by not listening to anything he had to say. Seems kinda silly now doesn't it? |
Twiggyish | Friday, November 02, 2001 - 06:59 am   Debb, I teach both generation groups, too. There is a BIG difference. The kids do have a different attitude. I love working with adults. They make the classes more enjoyable. I don't have to "supervise" them. |
Oregonfire | Friday, November 02, 2001 - 07:14 am   I'm a Gen-Xer myself (31) and many of my students are 19-20 and some are quite disrespectful. Many are more conservative than I am, which is a switch! I also had an older gentleman who was quite a pill--he dropped my class because I told them that it's now proper to use "he or she" in a sentence instead of just "he." Boy, did he fight that one tooth and nail. I think Ethan is also a Gen-Xer, but very cute and seems nice, Maybe he learned teamwork from playing soccer...Anyway, I don't remember past Survivor Gen-eXers annoying me like this Real World Kenya group. Greg annoyed me a bit, but that's about it. Didn't watch enough of Survivor 2 to make an informed decision, but Elizabeth and Amber seemed nice. But the undoubtable trend on on three shows is that often the older women are the first to go. Diane, Deb, the cancer Survivor lady...but Tina did win, so I guess not all older women are doomed. Anyway, I just rambled. Must go to work. |
Realfan | Friday, November 02, 2001 - 10:20 am   <Could somebody plllllleeeeeeeease explain WHY the mallbrats can't go to bed earlier. What? Are they busy reading, watching a movie, playing backgammon...what? What a bunch of whiny hiney holes. Yuck. >> My husband asked the same thing. I merely pointed upstairs, to where my teenage son was playing computer. He also lacks the maturity to go to bed at a reasonable hour unless someone older (his parents) make him. But he's only 15!! These Samburu babies have never grown up. They probably spend all night giggling and gossiping as if they're at a slumber party. YECTCH! Go Boran!! |
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