Trying to give defining characteristics to generations is really no different than the daily horoscopes: "Wow, I'd better be careful, my Horoscope says that I will be attacked by a drunken skydiver on the way home from work!"

Of course I'm kidding, horoscopes are never that specific. They are more likely to say things like; all Taurans will have "...conditions favorable for romance..." which could mean anything at all, and suddenly hearing David Sanborn while listening to The Current on the way home qualifies, making horoscopes about as accurate as my Magic 8-Ball

Of course applying any specific characteristic to any group is stereotyping, and generally frowned upon. "All Americans Are Fucking Idiots" is not only an easy claim to disarm ("Well, Americans invented TIVO, the light bulb and Family Guy, right?"), it also does not go over well when speaking with Americans.

TIP: A simple adjustment, "Most Americans Are Fucking Idiots" is a pretty solid surface to host an argument, especially if the person you are talking to is American, because we all know they are all fucking idiots.

Anyways,you can probably guess my reaction when someone comes along and tries to tell you what you are like, based on your race, religion, the lines on your palm, or when you were born.

This analysis of Generation X-ers was a surprising read for me, since I immediately tend to shatter any kind of label put on myself. Of course, this 'instinctive rebellion' makes me a great candidate for Reverse Psychology Behaviour Modeling...but I re-digress. I was surprised that I agreed with some of the defining characteristics, and while I could quote the entire article, I put the highlights below.


Despite their generational attitude against collectivism, Generation Xers take some group pride in their generation. In math, "X" stands for 'substitute anything', and Gen X takes some collective pride in their own tolerance, diversity and inability to be labeled.



While Gen X childhood was filled with Brady Bunch/Happy Days/Eight-is-Enough, their teen/college years included "Married With Children", an internally-competitive family yet a unified team/unit if the family was threatened. This is one example of a new Gen X paradigm: individual competitiveness yet loyalty as compatible and healthy societal concepts.



Some have suggested Xer's generational pride translates into active rebellion against what Gen X believed was the shallow, misguided and self-serving (and hypocritical) idealism the Boomers advocated in the 1960s such as escaping the draft. Some would also argue that it is not merely that Generation Xers reject the idealism of the 1960s, but that they bear a deeper cynicism of the fact that such "idealism", inevitably doomed in its gratuitous naïveté, so quickly gave way to an era unequivocally focused on commercial and industrial 'progress'.


And finally my favorite:
It has been said that a "Gen-Xer" differs from a savings bond, in that eventually, a savings bond will mature and earn money.

An interesting read, even if you arent from that generation, there is the entire list of generations at wikipedia, and even if they aren't that accurate, they are certainly entertaining, and make for wonderful 'water cooler conversation starters' For example:

"Hey Spab, how are you today?"

"Oh, I dunno."

"You seem kind of down. Are you sure that you arent bearing a deep cynicism of your parent's self-serving idealism which was inevitably doomed in its gratuitous naïveté, and gave way to an era unequivocally focused on commercial and industrial 'progress'?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, sorry I forgot, you're an American, aren't you?"

Blog on,
-CZ

Labels: americans, Culture