Why Gen-X is the Coolest Generation

The idea behind The Gen-X Files is to take a topic; usually one provided for me, and just…go! Initially, the exercise revolved around having a random issue thrown at me and answering without thought. That’s a little difficult to do as a blog post, but we’ll try it anyway.

A friend whom I’ve known since high school submitted this question. If you have a topic you’d like me to post in The Gen-X Files section, then submit it here.

“Kev, why do you consider Generation X to be the coolest generation?”

How much time do you have? Is there a word limit? My writing tends to be verbose, so conceivably, this could go on forever. I’ll try to keep it under a thousand words.

A brief history in case you’re not Gen-X.

Foremost, I was born in 1971, so my Gen-X card is valid and current.

My generation is sandwiched between the much larger Baby Boomer and Millennial generations. We’re often left out of the intergenerational conversation. However, because Gen-Xers are best known for shrugging off most things with a “whatever,” most of us probably don’t mind.

Gen-Xers were born between 1965 and 1980 and have a unique perspective on life because we bridge the divide between the old world of analog and the digital revolution.

We’re the last generation to know how to use a rotary phone and the first to date people by meeting them on America Online (there will be more than one tale about this phenomenon in the memoirs section). We also remember a world where there were actual music videos on MTV.

Gen Xers also grew up during a distinct period in history. We’re the first generation who feared we wouldn’t do as well as our parents. The AIDS epidemic made sex and relationships serious, life-or-death topics, and we grew up during one of the most violent eras in American history.

Historically, we’re the “least parented generation in history.” Many of us were born during the divorce boom of the ’70s and ’80s when both parents worked. Consequently, many Xers were latchkey kids who came home to empty houses and took care of themselves.

We also grew up during an incredible time for entertainment. We saw the first “Star Wars” trilogy, “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” and the “Indiana Jones” films on the big screen or at drive-ins, not on Netflix. We also grew up during the greatest era of pop stars, entertained by the likes of Prince, Madonna, and Michael Jackson.

So, if you’re a member of Gen-X, you know there’s a lot to feel nostalgic about.

Let’s take a closer look at some trademark Gen-X culture that made us the coolest generation.

The technology was much different. One of these was required to play the Atari. Good luck hooking one of these bad boys up to a modern ‘smart’ television. Hint: It can be done.

One had no choice but to get up and cross the room to change the channel on the TV. Or, in my case, I may or may not have made my little sister do it.

Mix tapes.

The telephone was attached to the wall!

When getting decent reception meant having to do this. Fortunately, we had a motorized antenna, although it didn’t make it easier to tune the UHF channels.

Having this meant no longer having to get up to change the channel. It also meant fights over who got to control the T.V. when parents weren’t around.