I mean, he fell on the stairs and cut his arm open. Whatever.
He was a weird person to sit next to, but aside from the hospital road trip, my most vivid memory of him is the day he decided to debate whether or not I was a part of Generation X.
He did not know who he was messing with. (Although to be fair, I did not know how irrational a strung-out creative could be.)
Since getting engaged at age 19, I’d been fighting for an older image. I did everything I could to seem mature and wise. Because getting told, “But you’re so young!” gets old well before you do.
Besides, I actually was a little bit mature. Some might say boring. But we’re going to say mature.
I blame my cousins. Five, six and eight years older than me, they were my role models, the older siblings I didn’t have – and the reason I have always felt comfortable with people a few years older than me.
So when my co-worker thought it would be funny to call me “Generation Y,” I was having no part of it.
I double-checked my facts, since it’s now been a few years since I researched this topic. And the consensus is still that Generation X consists of anyone born between 1965 and 1980.
Yes, some people say the cutoff is 1976, but I’m not buying it. [Because I was born in 1978. Okay? I’m not going to beat around the bush here.]
But we don’t have to go strictly by the numbers. Let’s take a look at some of the characteristics of my generation.
Talking ‘bout my generation . . .
It’s interesting. After an extensive round of searching on Swagbucks, the most common kind of sites that popped up were management sites (“How to manage different generations” or “How can Baby Boomers work with Gen X and Gen Y?”) and marketing sites (“How to sell stuff to Generation X”). But I think the information still applies here.
Generation X is the first generation of “latchkey kids.” One site described the typical family structure like this: “Mom, Dad and 2.47 kids. Three bedroom, two bathroom home with double garage and a dog. Your parents were divorced by the time you were fifteen. Then it was mom and your new dad, your real dad, his girlfriend and her two kids.”
Well, my parents aren’t divorced, but we did dive headfirst into some dysfunction about halfway through my childhood. And I was definitely a latchkey kid for a few years, doing extra chores and taking care of my little brother and cousin. So this one is pretty spot-on for me.
However, the same site says Generation X views their parents as absent workaholics who were too permissive. No, no and no.
Generation X created independent individuals who disdain authority and dislike bossiness. Hmmm. Am I independent? Yes. Do I disdain authority? Well, okay, sometimes. Sometimes I have an attitude. It’s not pretty, but it happens. I think I know everything – or at least more – than whoever is trying to boss me around.
Grrr. I don’t like this one. On the upside, the description goes on to say Generation Xers are generally pragmatic (as in practical? I’ll take it.) and risk-takers (I’d like to be. And maybe I was once or twice.).
Generation X likes sharing, spending time with friends and hanging out. They also like “activities where you can die doing it, like bungee jumping and white water rafting.” Wellll . . . we’re batting about 500 on this thing. Do I like “chilling,” as one definition put it? Sure. I’m more of a doer, but I enjoy my sit on the couch and watch a movie time. But life-threatening leisure activities (and that’s an oxymoron if I ever heard one)? No thanks.
Generation X is likely to have several careers during a lifetime, and a work/life balance is important. Clearly, I’m all over this one. Several careers? Check. Quit a job after getting completely burned out? Check.
Several different sites credit this attitude to growing up in the 80s, when they saw their parents remain loyal to companies that didn’t return the favor when the economy tanked.
I don’t know if that’s where my own tendencies came from, but I definitely fit this part of the description.
Generation X has diverse musical tastes. Ah yes, the statement that started me down this path. Kansas City’s new “Gen X Radio” says it plays music that Gen Xers love: retro, grunge, hip hop and hair bands. And they say it in a British accent. As I do love those genres and the music the station plays – and a British accent – I must be Generation X.
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Almost every one of the sites that described Generation X ended with a disclaimer that we shouldn’t stereotype anyone in any generation. So apparently I’m not the only one who doesn’t fit perfectly into the box!
Given all this, it seems that the only reason I have clung to my Generation X card is because I was desperate to be seen as older – or at least wiser, more responsible and to be taken very seriously.
Of course, since turning 30, that doesn’t seem quite as important. Or is it since having a baby? Either way, I’m feeling my age more every day and might not balk so much if someone considered me a part of “the younger generation.”
But the numbers don’t lie. And 1978 falls smack dab in the tail end of the generation span. So no matter how much older my cousin, my college advisor, my friend’s husband, my brother-in-law, my cousin and my weirdo co-workers are than me, I’m still a part of their generation.
Am I an angry slacker who wears flannel shirts and pants on the ground? Nope. But I am cynical enough (of, you know, “The Man”) to disregard some of the definitions I read while researching my fellow Gen Xers – and independent enough to create my own definitions.
What generation do you identify with? Do you attribute negative or positive connotations to any generation?
For a thorough – and somewhat humorous – look at several different generations and their characteristics, check out this chart. And don’t miss the disclaimer at the bottom!
Sources:
http://www.sustainable-employee-motivation.com/generation-X.html
http://www.demandmade.com/terminology.html
http://legalcareers.about.com/od/practicetips/a/GenerationX.htm
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