I can't remember when, but one day I read that I was part of "Generation X". I have no idea who came up with this title, and I really don't think anyone has ever asked me about it in direct conversation. In fact, I really don't know anyone from "Gen X" that truly self identifies as Generation X. It has always been a foreign appellation that means little or nothing to the generation itself.
The reasons why Gen X gets lost in the shuffle are many and varied. The two dominant ones are the strengths (both real and mythic) of the generations that preceded Gen X.
The Greatest Generation
"The Greatest Generation" is known as the group of men and women who navigated World War II, assisting in victory for the Allied Nations, and also enjoyed the great prosperity of the 1950s. This is one of the golden and glamorized ages of the nation, of the height of U.S. industrial and economic power, of single income households, when "Father Knows Best" and the perfect domestic Mom was running the household. This is the near mythic status emboldened on this generation.
The Baby Boomers
And in contrast to the cookie cutter perfection and uniformity of the Greatest Generation came the Baby Boomers. They are personified by rebellion, experimentation, freedom, and individuality. Again, much of this is myth, as not everyone went to Woodstock or protested the Vietnam war. Yet in general the generation did engage in a worldwide battle against the status quo and for a time questioned the dominant models of capitalism, materialism, and western hegemony and promoted a greater diversity in the arts.
Generation "X"
Yet, after all the success of the Greatest Generation and unique spirit of independence of the Baby Boomers in their youth came the 1980s. The 1980s were my formative years where I was shaped in the culture. Yes, there still were reverberations of the 60s and 70s in the books, albums, and thoughts available in my household, but overall I circulated in the schools, malls, and cultural mileau of the yuppies; the new cult of money and materialism. In retrospect, the 80s were dark days for creativity and the arts, and culturally there was again a strong push for uniformity under the reigning Republican ethics and growing mantra of "family values".
A lot of this I think was a reaction from the oil and economic shocks of the 1970s, the inflation that made the country uneasy, and the general sense of the potential weakness of the U.S. in the world. This brought about a conservative culture reinforcing the nucleus of myths about "America" and Friday nights involved watching the oil baron glory and cut-throat capitalism of "Dallas" and the home-spun Americana of "The Dukes of Hazzard". Hollywood movies, mall culture, and sports culture further cultivated insulated viewpoints and "wearing blinders' to the larger world beyond the USA.
Lost in the Shadows
To some extent, it was the personal egos of the Greatest Generation and Baby Boomers that have weighed collectively on Generation X. That is not a strong indictment or heavy criticism of each, as every generation does seem to be nostalgic or prideful of their own glory and achievements. Yet, between the "back in my day" remembrances of the Greatest Generation of WWII and the 1950s golden age of capitalism and the Baby Boomers confidence in being a counter-culture and trailblazing group, Generation X was left a bit in the shadow of history. The previous generations had occupied respectively the mythic height and then rebellious independence of what it might be to be "American", and in the process left no ground to occupy for the following one. When you combine this with a backdrop of 1980s culture emphasizing conformity and uniformity, it's easy to understand why Generation X was always perplexed about how they would make their mark or what direction to take in the culture.
Search for Authenticity
I think one of the ongoing problems for Generation X was finding authentic voices in the culture to identify with. I was born in 1973 and growing up in the 80s I listened to Billy Joel, The Police, and The Cars on vinyl or cassette. Later R.E.M. would be the group that probably identified the most with Gen X's confusion, feelings of social isolation, and search for authentic exuberance. The Star Wars trilogy was the backdrop of our search for independence and we played with the G.I. Joe toys we were given without really knowing why. We went to the arcade to play Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. Our first home computers and gaming systems gave us a glimpse of the future and engaged our imagination. All of these were unique distractions, but none could accurately define us collectively.
Today if you ask me who are the leaders or role models for Generation X I could not tell you, nor have I really even considered the question. For me the voices that resonate more are still the older ones, from the Beatles to Dylan, or those political voices with unique and independent perspectives, such as Ralph Nader and Noam Chomsky. I think the lack of strong leaders from Generation X still goes back to the confusion of our youth, and the conflicting images and icons we were presented with. It wasn't possible to unify the ideals of strength, independence, and conformity; it was a quest that was impossible to complete. And maybe it is just natural and prudent for a generation to revere first those that came before... yet hopefully soon we'll have more of our own generation to appreciate and venerate publicly.
The Confluence of the Future
For the Millennials and "Generation Z" (another terrible name) it is good to be reminded that for Gen X in the 80s the availability of information was restricted to 4 or 5 TV channels, access to printed newspaper, word-of-mouth from friends, or advice we'd get from our aunts, uncles, and grandparents. The ability to shape our own personal worldview was restricted by limited information, and we still fell under the rubric of "you need to go to college to be able to free your mind" (and finally dive into what's really happening in the world)! So for Millennials and the youth, cherish the abundant access to information that you have, please !!
That is why I'm personally excited about the latest generations! There is great possibility and excitement in the new ideas of a shared, communal, global, and multicultural society. One that is less materialistic and more connected and less inclined to believe the myths and propaganda that centers of power are always promoting. I still think there is time for Generation X to be redeemed as well. We are now able to translate the shared wisdom we've finally deciphered from the Greatest Generation and the Baby Boomers and can help fuse this with the parlance and future visions of Millennials and Generation Z.
The Future is All of Ours
It is my hope that someday soon Generation X will earn for themselves a different name (anything please!), and hopefully it will be in someway related to transitioning to a new and better world. One of greater global cooperation and away from the inane bickering, posturing, and greed that encapsulates our current geopolitical and economic climate. Please share your ideas and comments to help me better understand where we all come from and where we are going.
As a fellow Gen X'er, I enjoyed your post. Must say, I think we have the coolest generation name. Lemme see. We pioneered extreme sports, were the earliest adapters of video games, computers, the internet, cell phones, and our generation is responsible for most of the technology we presently enjoy. I don't think we have any notable emergent leaders because the boomers refuse to release power. Our time is coming to clean up the mess left by our parents generation. We shall overcome! Heh.
Yes, good point about tech innovation. I overlook that as I'm not very strong in technology myself. Thanks for your comments.
Great post. My only critcism is the use of the Sprinngsteen album . Aesthetically it does represent US values in that record however the song "born in the USA" is about mistreatment of Vietnam vets and the whole album is littered wiht depressing economic times. If I have misunderstood your use of the image , in that you put it up to show an album that documented depressing 80's America then I apologise. The article itself is well written and thought provoking so thank you .
Yes, you are right, I hesitated about using it, but needed an image. It really wasn't the best choice. The interesting thing is that many (and when I first heard it) assume it's strictly patriotic and don't understand the critical nuances within. I guess it's kind of iconic for the decade, so I used it.
Well its still cool as an image , not only that it represents the dicotomy of the American Dream you can have it all but at the expense of others. Still rad article and well written.
Good point. Thank you very much.
Revealing. Major events happened in 70's & 80's to shape (or rather hold back) the minds and hinder the passions of baby boomers that really wanted to evolve society to something more peaceful self sustaining rather than destructive
Great article. I'm also an X'er. We have overseen the biggest technological transition/revolution on a personal level. We got out and DID STUFF. As far as information was concerned, we did have to go out and find out what we wanted or needed to know. We should be doing that now, but instead, people sit back and wait to be FED information, factual or not. We X'ers on the whole were/are neither lazy nor entitled, whatever name we have.
Yes, thanks for the comments. I think part of it is as these systems and society gets bigger and bigger, there is a lot of inertia and resistance to change. Unfortunately in that case things don't change until they break. But hopefully the world can work collectively before a major shock happens.
Nice post, well written. It seems you forgot to cite images. :)
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I think our early years are important and formative, but we later forget them consciously, then 20 years later we transform what we see with a touch of that early programming.
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Interesting point, true / Thanks again !
Nice article. Right that information is power but nowadays, we should know which information are real and which are just made of.
yes, that can be a challenge, true
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