Fellow GenXers, ever feel invisible? .......

[marmar]

....... There are lots of threads and articles about boomers and millenials, but we can scarcely get a mention.

Ok, that's my mini-rant. Now I think I'll slip into my flannel shirt and hit the coffee house.

[gollygee]

1. Yeah I didn't bother to get into that thread

[quinnox]

2. No, I don't care

But I am a weird, unusual person.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

3. It's ok to feel invisible. It means they're blaming each other, and not us.

We fixed everything the Boomers broke, but then the Millenials came in and messed everything up again. I'm aggrieved.

See how that works? Neat and tidy.

[brush]

56. It's the middle child syndrome for GenXers

Being between the Boomers and the Millenials they don't get much attention but they become very independent because of it.

I know. I'm one.

[darkangel218]

4. LOL!!

We are invisible, don't matter.



Cheers!

[phleshdef]

5. I was thinking of posting the exact same thing in that particular thread.

I'm pretty sure I know the one you are talking about.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Well, yes, but what can I say

We are the invisible generation. let me join you with coffee

[NightWatcher]

7. I'm wearing flannel, sipping coffee, & listening to Pearl Jam

How stereotypically tired....

[darkangel218]

8. Im having a beer.

I had an awful, long day.

[JustAnotherGen]

26. I'm having a glass of Pinot

And listening to Tori Amos.

[Jesus Malverde]

9. heh I was looking for some relevant media criticism to start a thread.

BUT THERE WASN'T ANY.

[Happyhippychick]

10. Yes! I want to shout "I WILL NOT BE IGNORED!"

But I probably will be

[11 Bravo]

97. Boil a bunny. That'll get our attention!

[Demonaut]

11. can't see the OP??? is there something here?

[JustAnotherGen]

12. Yep!

But can you blame them? We are such cynical assholes!

[jeff47]

13. LOL (nt)

[htuttle]

14. You think you're ignored -- What about us Generation Jonesers?

We're not Boomers! My mom is a boomer! I have nothing in common with boomers! I listened to the Sex Pistols druing my senior year in high school!

sigh...well, at least we have the White House...

[cemaphonic]

17. That just shows how dumb it is to label a 20-year cohort, but give it hard dates at the outside

I'm Gen-x, but being born in the mid-70s to Boomer parents, I find I have as much in common with the millennials as x-ers. My brother was born in 80, so he's technically Gen-X too, and that just doesn't fit him at all.

10-year cohorts might work a little better, but the whole categorization scheme really just smacks of astrology with a sociological face.

[htuttle]

76. I think that the concept of cultural cohorts can be moderately useful

...especially to things like political science and marketing, but they don't have anything to do with calendar years. Cultural cohorts are partially defined by popular culture, major events, the economy and so on, during the years of a person's coming of age. It seems to be happening younger nowadays with so much entertainment media available, too.

[FSogol]

33. Same here. Although my parents aren't even boomers. They were little kids during WWII

and couldn't possibly be part of a post war baby boom.

At least we punks had the best music.

[Egalitarian Thug]

71. I believe we've been folded into Gen-X. As you say, we're the kids of Boomers so can't be Boomers

ourselves, but we were the big kids when the Xers were riding around the neighborhood on their Big Wheels. Too young to party with the hippies, our whole lives have been lived in the day-after-the-best-party-ever.

And I'm pretty sure that "we" hold the White House in much the same way that the chauffeur holds the Rolls Royce Limousine he drives.

[htuttle]

77. You're right about living through somebody else's hangover

In high school, nuclear plants got dangerous, the economy got worse, and drugs were bad now, mkay? Then right when I get into college, we learned that free love can kill you...

[Egalitarian Thug]

98. Our whole life, "Oh look at them doing what we'll never get to do. Looks like fun". n/t

[Wait Wut]

15. The very term 'gen x' insinuates anonymity.

What did you expect? We've been labeled to be ignored. I hate being called a 'gen xer'. My brother and sister are boomers.

I don't own a flannel shirt, coffee makes me vomit. I actually relate better to millenials.

[JustAnotherGen]

29. I related best

To my great grandparents! I should have been born in 1904 so my Gramfeathers and I could drink orange blossom specials and get crazy listening to ragtime jazz.

[abelenkpe]

16. Better to fly under the radar anyway

Feel bad for millenials tho...

[tcfrogs]

18. Absolutely

We are in the middle right now, and most of us are getting very screwed.

[TBF]

19. I like being invisible -

I've always been an introvert.

[myrna minx]

20. Yeah- we knew Nirvana before they were big.

*Smugly sips IPA*

[Skittles]

21. you want I should kick some GenX ass, marmar?

LEMME AT Y'ALL!!!

[marmar]

23. LOL.

[OneGrassRoot]

22. I get so darned confused. I don't know what the heck I am.

Born in '63. I see conflicting info about me being a Boomer vs. a GenXer.

But, marmar -- no offense, because it means you come across as a wise, older soul -- but I TOTALLY pegged you as being much older.

[marmar]

24. It's alright, OneGrassRoot. I can be as wise as Yoda......

....... or as braindead as Beavis and Butthead. Depends on the day of the week.

[OneGrassRoot]

25. word

I'm with you on that.

[OneGrassRoot]

39. Welcome, yogini 1221!

[BainsBane]

36. We're on the cusp

Last edited Tue Dec 3, 2013, 09:58 PM - Edit history (1)

between Boomer and Gen-X. We're sort of in a generational no man's land.

[OneGrassRoot]

38. No wonder I stay lost...

I haz no real label....

[Violet_Crumble]

91. I think if yr parents were baby boomers, you'd be Gen X...

Coz it wouldn't work if you had two generations included in the same generational thing...

I'm definitely Gen X coz I liked REM before anyone I knew had even heard of them, and loved Pearl Jam and Nirvana. Plus I always thought hippies were lame and pointless

[BainsBane]

92. Yeah, my parents are boomers

They were hippies too. So that makes me GenX. Anything to feel younger at this point.

[Violet_Crumble]

94. LOL. I know that feeling!

btw, a fair few cultural icons who are associated with Gen X (eg Pearl Jam) were born in the first few years of the 60's...

And no thread mentioning Gen X can go without a clip of 'Black'. Okay, it could except I'll use any excuse to post Pearl Jam clips

[Blue_Tires]

48. +1

Born in '76...I'm in that grey area between X-er and millennial...

[htuttle]

78. We're Cuban Missle Crisis babies

[OneGrassRoot]

80. And also "I Have a Dream" babies.

[NoOneMan]

27. Isn't there a gap between GenX and millenials?

I think there is. We didn't get a name. Were more invisible. We win. So can we get talked about finally?

[Warpy]

31. You're generation Y.

[NoOneMan]

34. Just looked it up. I'm both! Im twice as ignored.

[TDale313]

35. Gen Y.

No, not kidding.

[Xithras]

58. No. Gen Y ARE the Millennials.

Gen Y was the first label applied to them, because they were the "next generation after X". The label later changed to "Millennials", and Gen Y isn't really used anymore.

Generally speaking, anyone born before 1982 is an Xer. Anyone born between 1982 and the early 2000's is a Millennial. Generationally, millennials tend to be the children of the Xers. Culturally, the dividing line tends to be the Internet...even the oldest Millennials were web users before high school. They are the first "digital native" generation where a substantial number grew up with computers in their households.

[Warpy]

30. That's because a lot of Xers were suckers for Reaganism

along with the younger cohort of Boomers. You're likely under represented here. That will change as more Xers wake up to the fact that they've been had. They will, too.

Older Boomers have often felt lie a bug on a plate, conspicuous as hell. I know I'd prefer a little anonymity now and then.

Xers who are aware of what has been done to them are certainly welcome on lefto forums like this one. As their numbers increase, they'll get more mention. Whether they enjoy it is moot.

[loyalsister]

40. True

Some of the very worst high profile politicians are in that category. Chris Christie (Gen Jones). Paul Ryan, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio are all Gen Xers.

I know many other Gen Xers who fit that mold. My class reunion was extremely depressing.

[abelenkpe]

53. I was surprised to discover

that most of my high school friends were so conservative. O well, I never fit in there anyway....
Those that aren't conservative are worse: Libertarian. And by that I mean Rand Paul loving libertarians, not social libertarians.

[loyalsister]

81. I have a Rand Paul lover in my family

It's all based on selfishness. Taxes are immoral. And, she's rather die than buy health insurance.

[Warpy]

54. It is changing, although not as quickly as you or I would like.

Xer women have largely realized the GOP is full of shit. They're just waiting for their husbands to catch up with them.

Don't beat yourself up about all the Gen X jackasses in politics. After all, we older Boomers were cursed with Clinton and Stupid, the former gutting a lot of financial protections we had and the later being, well, Stupid.

[kcr]

41. We were kids when Reagan was president n/t

[Warpy]

51. That's why so many were suckers for his fairy tale economic ideas

that have kept them poor all their working lives.

And that is why so many are starting to wake up now.

[Warren DeMontague]

64. Bull.

We've been hearing since the beginning of time how Boomers are supposed to be inherently more progressive than Gen X.

It is not true.

[Warren DeMontague]

65. "Plus, We listened to ted nugent and the Amboy Dukes... while you had that Michael Stipe crap!"

[kcr]

74. LOL

Seriously? What a giant load of nonsensical malarky. I was 8 years old when he was elected president! We were watching cartoons.

We're invisible because we're the baby bust generation. There are far fewer of us. It's that simple.

[Warren DeMontague]

62. Baloney. Gen X starts, by most reads, in 1964. That means at best only the VERY oldest Gen X'ers

The oldest 2 years, would have been able to vote in Reagan's 2nd election.

Trying to lay the blame for Reagan at the feet of Gen X, is ridiculous. It was Boomers and Greatest Generation voters who put him in the White House. Twice.

[Warpy]

66. RTFP

[Warren DeMontague]

67. RCMP

[Blue_In_AK]

82. I'm one of the dreaded baby boomers,

a very early one (September 1946) and it makes absolutely no sense to me that people born in 1964 are still considered "my generation." We '40s babies really have nothing culturally in common with people born in the '60s.

Besides, I think labeling generations with arbitrary cut-off points does nothing except foster "us-them" divisions and fights, as several threads today have amply demonstrated.



AND I love your music.

[Warren DeMontague]

83. I would totally agree with all of that.

However, I've spent the better part of my life hearing about how much more liberal and progressive and all around better boomers were, than the people of my age group.

It's bunk, and it's belied by statistical analyses of several decades of election results.

That said, most of my ipod is full of music made by boomers, so I can't begrudge you folks TOO much.

[Blue_In_AK]

84. I understand.

For what it's worth, I don't think we're any better than you at all. We older boomers were just fortunate - or more accurately unfortunate - to have come of age during a very tumultuous time with the assassinations, urban riots, the war/draft, (more positively) the music, etc. The stark difference between the America of 1960 and the America of 1970 was probably not matched until 2000-2010, because, as we all know, "9-11 changed everything."

One thing I've observed in my own family, though, is that my youngest daughter, who is Millennial (born in 1985), seems a lot more politically concerned than my two gen-x girls, who are 41 and 36. They're Democrats, they vote and all, but they just don't seem to care as much about political issues as the younger one, and they kind of roll their eyes at me when I get all wound out about something, like, "oh, mom, calm down." Does this represent a general attitude among your generation or is it just that my two older girls are busy raising their kids and can't be bothered?

[Warren DeMontague]

86. I don't know. I was pretty politically engaged in my 20s, and I still am, now.

It is sort of funny, that for instance the 80s were reduced in cultural shorthand to things like Hair metal, vespa scooters, Michael Jackson, parachute pants and John Hughes movies. When I was in college we were very active in groups like CISPES. The Rainforest action network. There was a tremendous amount of pushback against the Reagan administration, along with things like the budding of real awareness and tolerance for LGBT issues, which I don't believe really came into their own until well after the 60s.

And Nancy Reagan said "just say no", so none of us were doing drugs, or having sex, either.

I don't know, I think for sure I'm more cynical, in some ways, than I used to be, but in other ways more idealistic. I think it's easier in some ways to be strident when one is in their 20s. For sure when one gets to the age of marriage and parenting, the day-to-day takes up a lot of energy, which may be what you're sensing. Plus, AS a parent, I can't let myself have the sort of "everything is fucked" nihilistic attitudes I maybe once had. Maybe everything really IS fucked, but for the sake of my kids, I simply can't believe that. I won't.

For me, at least, age wore down some of the rougher edges. Or, maybe I got more lazy, who knows.

[Blue_In_AK]

88. I think maybe all of us get caught up in raising our families

when we're in our 40s which is why some of the younger people think the boomer generation "dropped the ball" during the Reagan years. I know I was very politically engaged in my 20s, then when my daughters were born in the '70s and '80s, I was busy working, raising them, doing family stuff, keeping a roof over everyone's head and didn't really have the time to do more than be aware of what was going on politically and vote whenever elections came up. Maybe that's a cop-out, but at that time my immediate family was top priority. Now that the kids are grown, I'm back to my old 25-year-old rabble-rousing self. I'm retired, I have the time for it.

Maybe we weren't as politically diligent as we should have been in the '80s, but we were busy raising you youngsters. I appreciate when younger people, like you, aren't so strident in your disdain for my generation. Inter-generational disrespect doesn't help anyone. We're all in this together.

[Warren DeMontague]

90. Nah, I mean, so much of where I come from, how I see things, is rooted in Boomer stuff

even if I came of age later.

Some of that may come from being on the younger end of an older family. Certainly the cultural and political stuff from the Vietnam war was still reverberating loud throughout my childhood.

Plus I mean, I'm a Deadhead, duh.. and, for me it was never a question of doubting the cultural primacy of assorted Boomer touchstones, like the guitar work of Jimi Hendrix or the lyrics of Bob Dylan.

Whereas I think a lot of Millennials are like, "Bob who?"

[Tikki]

32. Historically lower numbers of GenXer's were born in this Country than say Boomers or Mills...

I remember reading an article saying that most born between 1967~ and 1985 or so would probably
have little problem finding work.
'Course this was written before boosh/chainme got control.

I will tell you in all the decades the Mr. and I have been going to live shows and concerts
'1964~one coming up this month'…

..The funnest to be around and yet actually very respectful concert~goers we have encountered are the GenXer's.


The Tikkis

[d_r]

37. I gave up being tired hearing baby boomers talk about themselves

years ago. Just ignore it.

[anneboleyn]

42. We GenXers do get ignored...that stupid 60 Minutes story about how "millenials" are too

"spoiled" to find jobs kept pitting boomers against millenials while ignoring the generation (Gen X) in between entirely. It was kind of weird but would have complicated their "argument."

[d_r]

44. yeah we were always

a forgotten generation. I think part of it is that baby boomers are so self obsessed we had to live through their nostalgia, and the millenials now are self obsessed also.

[tammywammy]

75. I read an article a while ago that said GenX has similarities to the Silent Generation.

Forgotten.

[MyNameGoesHere]

43. I am timeless

so i reject all of the labels.

[Boom Sound 416]

45. Sometimes I feel like a number

But I'm not a number

--

Now I'm going to put on my ripped jeans got get some CDs

[leeroysphitz]

46. No news is good news. n/t

[hrmjustin]

47. Up until this moment I did not know I was a generation x member. Born in 1978.

[arely staircase]

49. we actually are a pretty small group

Compared to those other two I think I read somewhere.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

50. X and Y are unknowns. Language is important. Choose a memorable name. nt

[Warren DeMontague]

59. "Baby Boomer" sounds like it describes a fart smothered in a diaper.

No offense.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

85. Fine, you don't like it. But you remember it. No offense. nt

[Warren DeMontague]

87. See, man, that's what you Boomers and Millenials don't understand about Gen X.

We don't WANT anyone to know we're here.

[slor]

52. Yes. But I was a wild child at partying, so I like it. nt

[MadrasT]

55. I am quintessential Gex X

and I like flying under the radar.

[Warren DeMontague]

57. Seems to me very few Millenials or Boomers quite grasp the importance of R.E.M.'s album Murmur

Really, it is their loss.

[JCMach1]

79. +1000

Gen X... 1967

Saw REM for free when all they had out was Radio Free Europe and Stipe still had bad acne...

[mike dub]

60. Born in '72 gen-X'er, checkin in

Couldn't care less about visibility. My wife and I would rather relax on our rural property with our three hounds than do much social stuff. Chose to be child-free, too-- unconventional.

Happy to have boomers, gen y, and millennials get the attention.

[Paulie]

61. I get lost

[flamingdem]

63. Sorry to inform you but the Boomers were into flannel shirts

How do I know? I had a couple, and a pea jacket!

I was a late boomer and even that feels invisible as in I was too young for Woodstock.

[mstinamotorcity2]

68. Go really old school when you get to coffee house

ask for a shot of cognac on the side

[TheKentuckian]

69. You know no one gives a damn about you when you don't even merit blame.

[dionysus]

70. hey, better to fly under the radar and avoid the bullshit... while listening

to great gen x music

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

72. I know. We're assholes too. We deserve some blame for

something.... anything.

[jkirch]

73. Did you guys know that...

...a generation is 32 years?

[devils chaplain]

89. I'm worse at what I do best / And for this gift I feel blessed / Our little group has always been...

... And always will until the end.

[Recursion]

93. That's what the X means, yeah?

We represent the nadir of US fertility, and were driven around without "baby on board" signs.

[Jesus Malverde]

95. Bumping...nt

[Jesus Malverde]

96. Bumping again cause ya'll at work gotta pay for the

other two generations...