Generation X was born, by broadest definition, between 1961 and 1981, the greatest anti-child cycle in modern history. Nevertheless, we grew up to become the world's most devoted parents: the "workhorse of America." This sub welcomes links, photos, graphics, memoirs, commentaries, stories, etc., for and about Gen-Xers, the 13th Generation of Americans. GenX also translates to many other parts of the world.
Generation War
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"The Greatest Generation" 1901-1927 (Thanks Tom Brokaw) were so named for their resilience and patriotism in dealing with both the great depression and WWII.
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"The Silent Generation" 1928-1945 were named after their strong sense of conformity and watching McCarthyism happen and basically doing nothing, but also for a very strong work ethic and doing their jobs without complaint.
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"The Me Generation" 1946-1964 (Thanks Tom Wolfe) were so named for being very self-absorbed and narcissistic. They prefer to be called 'baby boomers' of course. And so-named because they were part of a large population explosion.
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"Generation X" 1965-1980 were called thusly because of a shifting variable (x) and a desire not to be defined, though we are also sometimes called 'the slacker generation', which, hey, spot on.
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"Millennials" 1981-1996 were originally called 'generation y' because it comes after x.
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"Gen Z" 1997-2010 were called that because z comes after y.
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"Gen Alpha" 2011-20?? are called that because they ran out of letters and started over at the beginning of the alphabet again.
Even though Millennials do have another name besides "generation" + [a letter], the name 'millennials' still really just refers to the years in which they came of age and says nothing about their personas or situations.
And gen z and gen alpha we seemed to have thrown in the towel and just said 'yeah, next!' and waved them on through.
Having those descriptive names is like Maverick, Iceman, and Goose having their navy pilot call signs! It's a badge of dubious honor! Well what the hell? Are we going to let them go on without stamping their foreheads with some moniker they will initially resent but eventually grow to accept with a weary sigh?
What do you think generations Y, Z, and A should be called and why do they deserve it?
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As a middle child and a GenXer, I got a double dose of being habitually ignored. I feel like GenX is sort of the middle child of named generations.
Imagine someone 100 years from now having to say they're Generation H. How embarrassing.
They're prepared for it.
Underrated comment
Yeah, it feels incredibly lazy to name the succeeding generations after the next “letter”. At least Millennials got a better name.
Gen Z and Alphas need something else.
Generation Victim and Pandems
Gen Alpha's name is boss. They don't need to change a damn thing.
Henceforth, I declare all generations be named "Generation Boned"
Not bad. Though it doesn't describe them so much as describe what's going to happen to them.
Yeah, but to be fair, it takes significant time for generational names to achieve enough popular usage that they become the default/common terms (q.v. "Generation Y"/"Millennials"); Z and Alpha will presumably receive more appropriate and specific names in due course.
Right, I think the alphas could still get a pass. They might become the Mad Max Generation, after all. We don't know yet.
But I think Millennials are long overdue. Some of them are 40 now!
My son's closing in on 40 years old, so he's on the older side of "Millennial", but that name probably serves as a decent generational marker (2000 being around the pivot point from analog to digital culture, which could be said to be definitive).
X was for ten generations from the founding of the country.
I don't think so. But I've been wrong before. Do you have a source?
I thought I read it in the gen x book published in the 90s
Solid confirmation
I'd say we got robbed of a proper descriptive title. Generation X? Like the band that was named after the book that was written about kids in the '60s? The original Generation X? We couldn't even get an original title. Just a cast-off from Baby Boomers.
I'll take the Digital Generation since we popularized video games, home computers, and CGI (thanks, Jurassic Park!). Or we could at least acknowledge our Lucas roots and call it Generation X-Wing.
Lucas has a big enough ego already.
Yeah, that divorce did him no favors. I watched a documentary about how the original trilogy worked because his wife kept him grounded. He didn't have anybody to tell him no on the special editions and prequels. It shows.
I've seen people suggest the Nintendo Generation, though I personally oppose that since I didn't own one. But it's not about me, so Nintendo or Atari would work. How does one properly type out the sound a modem makes because I'd be cool with being a part of the Pshhhkkkkkkrrrrkakingkakingkakingtshchchchchchchchcch Generation.
I was Intellivision and commodore 64. But yeah, the 28.8 generation doesn't flow either
To answer your question, I really don't know what Gens Y/Z/A should be called.
However, I did want to say that I'm glad you didn't list the non-existent term "Xennial" in your list. There aren't any Xennials. If you were born between 1965 -1980, you are Gen-X. It doesn't matter if you are on the cusp of it. You are a Gen-Xer if you were born in 1980. The oldest today would be 59, or just turning it, and the youngest would be 44, or just turning it.
Great list by the way.
Any generation that can't drive a manual or change a tire is "Generation Useless". 😂
I can change a tire, but many modern cars don’t have spares or even “fake” spares. And many cares don’t have any kind of shifters these days, just buttons you press.
I miss “driving” - feeling engaged, and operating the vehicle with pedals and moving the gear shifter
Found the car guy
Taking car of your own car at 16 was definitely a GenX thing, unless you were a spoiled preppy or a girl. 😂
Okay Xoomer
Eat a bag of dicks, Poindexter.