There’s always so much talk about the Boomers, Millennials and Gen Z, why do we rarely hear about Generation X? Gen X was born between 1961 and 1981. The following are some reasons why people and Gen X in particular think Gen X is often overlooked today.
They Think Gen X are Boomers
The Millennials and Gen Z can’t seem to tell Boomers and Gen X apart or believe they even exist.
“As far as their concerned anyone who’s older than them, regardless of their generation, is a “Boomer.” It’s become a catch-all phrase used to insult someone.”
One readers said it makes sense that early Gen X people are being lumped in with Boomers:
“This makes sense since your life experience will be different depending on where you are within any given generation. The Boomers experienced this too. Someone born in the late 1940s is going to have grown up differently than someone born in the early 1960s, despite them both being in the same generation.”
Gen X Had Similar Technology to Late Boomers
There was no internet for Gen X which may be another reason why they are lumped in with Boomers.
“Is it because we learned how to research in a library with card catalogs, microfiche, and no internet? I remember my high school and college teachers wouldn’t even let us have more than a couple of internet sources on papers. And I’m on the younger end of Gen X. Things used to be difficult and take time.”
Gen X Doesn’t Need Attention
“For all intents and purposes Millennials and Boomers share many of the same characteristics. We are the latch key kid of the generations. We don’t need to scream how important or offended we are. Lol.”
“Between Marcia and Cindy there isn’t that much attention left for Jan. Simple as that.”
“We were never attention seeking in the first place. We’re the “whatever” generation, self-promotion was never our style. And, in fact, it was something we all became very suspicious of.”
Nothing Significant Happened in Their Generation
“Our generation wasn’t the result of a huge post-war surge in pregnancy, and our generation wasn’t highlighted by the novelty of a new millennium and celebrated as the “generation of the future”. so it was easy for the world to skip over us.”
Gen X is a Smaller Group
“I don’t get how this isn’t common knowledge. The defining fact about Gen x is that we’re relatively small, and therefore relatively powerless. That’s it.”
“Here just wasn’t enough of us to rock the boat. We were dwarfed by the WW2, Silent, and Boomer generations.”
They Believe Gen X Adopted Boomer Values
“GenXers who essentially adopted the mindset and values of Boomers. Such as authoritarianism (see Freedom Caucus) endless culture wars, racism, religious extremism, hatred of the working class (classism), the list goes on. If your values as a GenXer are the same as those of Boomers, you have failed.”
“On one side of the split, X is MUCH closer to boomers in things like politics, ideology, technological adoption, etc. the other side of the split is closer to millennials.”
Gen X isn’t Big on Social Media
“It’s a big reason I don’t understand millennials and gen-z. All the selfies and bragging on social media are at odds with the Gen X world view. Influencers, people that stop in the middle of the grocery store to take a selfie, people that post about how awesome their lives are always felt like bad manners to my Gen X brain.”
“Yeah we called people like that “Posers”. Now being a poser is the norm. It’s the complete opposite of our GenX “Keeping it real” culture.”
Gen X Keeps Quiet
“Boomers told us to stay quiet and pay our dues. So while we were busting our bottoms off working to keep the machine running, Millennials and Gen Z came along with their outgoing and boisterous personalities and overshadowed us.”
Gen X are Used to Fending for Themselves
“We received good educations but were basically feral, especially during the summers. We learned how to fed and take care of ourselves being latch key kids. Thanks to those after school specials we knew to be on the look out for stranger danger. We weren’t troublemakers because any adult could belt us for it. If an adult hit or yelled at us we must have deserved it. We learned how to bandage our own cuts and not tell so we wouldn’t get into trouble.”
Gen X Grew Up Faster
Many Gen Xers grew up as latchkey kids because their parents both worked. Kids at a young age would come home and take care of younger siblings and make simple meals and snacks until their parents came home from work.
“I wore the keys to the apt. around my neck so I wouldn’t lose them. Then once I was a step-child we upgraded to a house again. Still a latchkey kid. My half-brother who is 15 years younger was never a latchkey kid. He’s a millennial. I turned into the built-in babysitter too!”
“I also think a lot of us ended up being step-children along with being feral latch key kids.”
Gen X are Internalizers
“We had no one to confide in, except for maybe other kids. If you got physically injured it was your fault and you better suck it up and if you were bullied or sexually assaulted there was no adult concerned enough to confide in or would believe you.”
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