So-Called
"Generation X"
Okay
it's true - technically I
am one of the many that constitutes
so-called "Generation
X." You know Gen-X'ers
- the millions of apathetic,
disaffected youth synonymous
with the X Games, X Box, and
the drug pronounced 'X-tacy.'
To
the census folks who keep
track of pesky little things
like these, "Generation
X" means that I'm one
of the roughly 46 million
people born between 1965 and
1978. Or 1961 and 1971. Or
1961 and 1981.
Regardless,
the fact remains that I am
a Gen-X'er and according to
the advertising people it
also means I love body piercing,
have a short attention span,
enjoy an MTV-style life, and
listen to nothing but alternative
rock while watching extreme
sports.
Clearly
the advertising people seem
to have a better handle on
things than the census folks.
I do, in fact, have several
body piercings, including
a nose ring. My attention
span can indeed be categorized
as time-challenged, thus a
column called "Ramblings"
and not "clear concrete
point". And it does appear
that I model my life after
MTV, at least if my day job
of "musician" is
any reflection.
Still,
I bristle at the suggestion
of being categorized as a
"Gen-X'er," in part
because the label is associated
with a generation that is
perceived as lazy, apathetic,
and utterly incapable of accepting
responsibility.
The
advertising people will tell
you that resisting categorization
is merely another Gen-X trait.
They say that we don't like
to be defined and labeled.
Stupid advertising people
- always knowing things about
us.
In
this case, however, I'm bothered
less by the label than by
the fact that I feel it is
inaccurate.
Maybe
around the time most newspapers
and pop culture media started
to identify Gen-X'ers as so-called
"Generation X" we
were lazy, disaffected and
apathetic. Then again, we
were teenagers and although
I'm no sociologist, it seems
that historically every generation
of teens have been considered
lazy, disaffected and apathetic
by their elders. Well, maybe
not the Cleaver-esque teens
of the 1950s but then they
wore fancy sweaters and went
to sock hops. Freaks.
The
reality is that many of us
in so-called "Generation
X" are now 30-somethings.
Yes, we love our rock and
roll, body piercings and tattoos,
but we're also husbands and
parents responsible for supporting
our families and loved ones.
We're politically aware and
socially conscious, even while
we still wonder whether or
not our voice matters. We
have a strong work ethic,
although having watched many
of the boomers who spend 40
years with a company get unceremoniously
fired when times got tough,
we're not nearly as employer
loyal. Apathetic and disaffected?
More like pragmatically cynical
realists.
Maybe
it's true that we're more
laid back than the previous
generations. Admittedly, we
like to have our fun. But
in the end every one of us
in so-called "Generation
X" is simply trying to
figure out where we, as individuals,
fit into the world. If that
happens to involve a nose
ring or some loud guitars,
well, so be it.
This
column © 2002 Lee Totten.
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