Generation X

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Last Monday I discussed lingo that “commonly” spawn out of Millennial mouths so today I thought I’d chat about my generation Generation X. Those born between 1965 to roughly 1980-81 fall in this socio demographic. Characteristics of Gen X ers are: self sufficient, resourceful, freedom loving, independent and responsible one of the must important attributes. Gen X has been dubbed “ The Lost Generation” because a lot of political, economic, and social conflicts like war, recession, uptick in divorces, racial inequality led to rebellious youths and young adults feeling lonely and isolated aka latch key kids.

Some of Gen X token expressions were:

Gnarly

Rad

Gag me with a spoon

Take a chill pill

Yuppie

Headbanger

Diss

Gen X are the first group to grow up with a personal computer and home gaming devices. Gen X prefer the phone, email and now texting. I’m a phone and e-mail gal over texting. I think much tone and mood can get lost in a text message versus speaking on the phone or conveying thoughts in an email. Popular music that sprung forth when Gen X were youths were punk, rap and grunge. Perhaps the music reflected anger at the status quo but one attribute Gen X are not slackers although they were accused of this trait and stereotyped as apathetic in many movies in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Here’s a list of 15 influential events that shaped Gen X’ers as they were growing up:

  • Fall of the Berlin Wall
  • Challenger disaster
  • Energy crisis
  • Jonestown mass suicide
  • Rise of the personal computer
  • Watergate scandal
  • Lockerbie flight bombing
  • Three Mile Island meltdown
  • Corporate layoffs
  • Rodney King beating
  • Iranian hostage crisis
  • Stock market decline
  • Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill
  • Operation Desert Storm
  • Terrorism at the Munich Olympics

Source is managementisajourney.com

Gen X unofficial color is turquoise which represents calm, happy and tranquility. So let’s all just take a chill pill.

Stay safe stay well ❤️❤️❤️

Published by Michele Marsh

I love movies, music, theatre, Shakespeare, my three dogs, my dad and mom, my siblings, my twin nieces and mostly to chat and exchange ideas and commentary about the world we live in.

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38 thoughts on “Generation X”

  1. It’s strange but from the time period I’m a Gen X, but those sayings and events mean little to me. I remember the winged keel when Australia beat the US in the Americans Cup. I do recall the Challenger disaster, but 9/11 rings louder. Perhaps it’s cultural

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      2. The Berlin Wall was huge because we all knew what it meant. I suspect Challenger was a US thing. To us, it was just a spaceship blowing up. Sure, people died, but I bet many times more people get murdered there every weekend, and nobody bats an eyelid.

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    2. Yes some of the sayings are regional in nature although I did say take a chill pill ( today more like you need to calm down)
      I do remember many of the events listed. Challenger tragedy was horrific
      911 does ring louder I agree

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    3. 9/11 is interesting because while I’m sure we all remember it, I bet we remember different things about it.
      I remember it as the moment when it became clear that America couyld not apply it’s foreign policy without consequences. In other words, whatever the rights and wrongs of 9/11, 19 people were motivated sufficiently to wage war on America, sacrificing their own lives in the process. There was a deep motivation for that, we don’t give our lives lightly.
      I wonder if your avaerage American thinks that deeply? Certainly Dubya didn’t – he launched a war which cost thousands of US lives and billions of US dollars for, as we now can see, no gain.

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      6. W launched a war against a country they did not do anything to the US to provoke an invasion
        To me 911 meant the US was vulnerable through the air getting attacked. The fact that this was orchestrated with red flags in place shows how arrogant snd dumb W administration really was

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  2. What’s horrifying to me is that I’m a Baby Boomer and my kids are Gen X-ers on the cusp of Millennials. Where the fuck did the time go? We used phrases like “Right on”, “Roll me a bone” and “Groovy”. Some of the events that shaped my life were the moon landing, the JFK assassination, getting a color TV and the British Invasion. But I’m still groovy, baby! 🤣

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  4. To me ,yes, things may influence you in each generation, but unless it affects you personally I don’t
    think it is that big of an impact. I remember all those terms, did I ever use any? Yes maybe once
    in a while. Events that we grew up with “you always remember where you were” when it happened
    and certain events, no matter what generation will leave an impact in someway even if just in your
    memory. So each generation leaves an imprint if you live through a bunch then you will pick
    up certain things

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    1. The gist of the post was to compare Millennial verbage and attitudes to when my generation and yes there are similarities and major differences. Technology is much better now as evolved more
      I don’t consider myself a slacker but Gen X was pegged with that term
      I hope we learn from each generation and definitely events that affected our lives growing up may not define us but they are etched in our memories how we view particular things

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  6. Hello fellow Gen X-ers! And you’re right about the lost generation, many of us, including me, have a type of Peter Pan syndrome (but maybe that isn’t exclusive to our generation). For the UK I would add Thatcherism to the list, which left an indelible stain on our society.

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  7. Another event that shaped the generation is Tiananmen Square and the cold war which the day after and red dawn drove that point home loud and clear. We are not slackers, cynics, or lazy. The spike in divorces in the 70s did make us loners and self-reliant.

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