Neil Howe: Generation X Does Not Get Its Due

[Writer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQj1sbeQHTo&feature=related

[Odin2005]

1. K&R

[Sebastian Doyle]

2. I've been telling you that for years!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_sJ6-4C_Ws

[Jennicut]

3. Hmmm, and they wonder why we are the cynical generation!

[Writer]

20. It just is what it is. n/t

[omega minimo]

4. The last gasp of authoritarian capitalist bullshit, fluffing Gen X to feel special

rather than OUTRAGED at the impacts of Reaganism, which is what this doofus is really talking about.

Forget about Boomers vs. Gen XYZ (which he completely mixes up anyway), this is about REAGANISM and the forces of the past thirty years that are now FIRMLY ENTRENCHED in charge of our government. Fall for this generationalist bullshit at your peril.

[Therellas]

5. o.m.g.

it did make me feel special.

[omega minimo]

7. the people are special, the "experts" demarcations are mostly bullshit

[patrice]

16. Bingo! We don't necessarily have to reject "authority", but it would be a good idea to at least

be aware of our auto-vulnerabilities to it, especially when it tries to tell you who/what you are, because authenticity is the nourishing soil for Freedom.

[omega minimo]

18. "...because authenticity is the nourishing soil for Freedom."

:applause:

[patrice]

6. You are soooooooooo awesome.

[omega minimo]

8. back me up now, P!!

:hi:

[Therellas]

10. i was being silly.

cool yer jets sheesh
i hate time magazine anyway.
im not sure what you thought i meant.
but it was a joke.

[omega minimo]

12. don't know what you're on about

:shrug:

[Therellas]

13. ok cool.

cause your post was awesome.

[omega minimo]

19. cool

:pals:

[Ishoutandscream2]

22. Omega, wish I could recommend that

Excellent post. You really nailed it. Reagan is the reason, as I say. That man destroyed what was great about our country.

[omega minimo]

24. excellent

:hi: glad that resonates. we don't really need more divisiveness. This guy's expertise seemed as valid as anyone else's personal opinion/perspective. no more.

[craigmatic]

9. Generation X doesn't believe in anything collectively. They're too individualistic and ultimately

became a republican generation in spite of their kick ass music. Now my generation the millenials are going to be the new greatest democratic generation and the fact that Obama got in because of our increased participation just makes it even sweeter.

[Therellas]

11. i agree with this.

you are awesome too.

[omega minimo]

17. quack quack quack

:P }( :crazy:

[Raineyb]

21. Bullshit.

This tripe doesn't need any more of a reply than that.

[Jennicut]

23. Gen X was more in favor of Obama then McCain as well, just by lesser margins.

http://boomerconsumerbook.blogspot.com/2008/11/boomers-and-change-2008-presidential.html

I would say the younger Gen Xers lean more Democratic while the older ones still grew up in the Reagan revolution. I was just 4 when Reagan was elected in 1980.

[craigmatic]

25. True the Xers are a pretty evenly split generation without one big idea holding them together

Which further proves my point and the point of the book Generations. I don't think people realize that Obama is the first Xer president it's obvious by his pragmatism.

[Jennicut]

26. I thought Obama was in Generation Jones?

People debate all the time if he is a Boomer or Gen Xer and then some people think he is neither, he is part of the small generation in between the two.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Jones

I would say that he has much more in common with Gen X then the Baby Boomers.

[Writer]

27. Generation Jones has no real sociological value as a concept.

Now, I know that many identify with Generation Jones, and that's their prerogative, but it holds about as much sociological value as the Atari Generation or the Beat Generation.

First of all, the reason why we typically discuss generations in terms of a couple of decades (20 years or so) is because that's about the amount of time it takes for someone to go from birth to adulthood. A 10 year "generation" does not do that, so we have a thin slice of people with a very limited look at their total historical perspective. 10 years does not make a "generation."

Second, Jonathan Pontell has not, nor will likely ever provide, any real social theory to back his claim. At the very least, other social researchers have performed extensive historical and cultural work in order to map overall ideological trends that shape groups of people who are coming of age at around the same time. He has done none of that - offering only a term for a specific period of time without any longitudinal research.

Third, Pontell has, however, being a marketing consultant himself, marketed the hell out of the term - on election night faxing every TV commentator with a press release stating that Obama is the first "Gen Jones" president so that they'll say it on the air. And a few did. If you ever read an article about generations - any generation - online, inevitably someone will go into the comments section of the article and cut and paste the same spam message about Generation Jones.


So that's my take on this. Personally, I don't get the impression that Obama himself identifies with Boomers, and he does seem EXTREMELY familiar culturally as an X'er. However, that's up to him to say. Early in his presidential run, he made a few comments about America needing to move away from Boomer politics. In fact, I get the feeling the culture wars have annoyed the fuck out of him, as it has me and many of my friends. But ultimately Obama should identify with whatever he feels like identifying himself with... as we all are.

[Jennicut]

29. That is true, 10 years is a very small time period.

And the first time I ever heard Gen Jones was when Obama was elected!

[nickinSTL]

30. I'm a member of generation X

and so liberal/progressive I find the Dems...rather lacking, to say the least.

But, as much as I'd like to point to all of my liberal friends as examples that Gen Xers are NOT republican...I realize that out of all the people I have come across from high school, only one is not a right-wing fundamentalist Christian.

Wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that I went to high school on a military base?

The people I went to college with and have come across recently, however, are all Dems, if anything. Probably not as far left as I am, but not Repubs.

So...we certainly aren't all Republican, but can't say whether Repubs are a majority or not.

[patrice]

14. What is this stuff based on? Statistics? So this guy is spouting A-V-E-R-A-G-E-S?

What were the assessments used to create this stuff?

What are the assumptions upon which whatever assessments he is using were built?

Perhaps some people feel like he is talking about them, but does that mean that there are no variances in these terms amongst "Gen X -ers" or within a given "Gen X -er"?

You know, if you don't know who you are, maybe you need someone to tell you, but it might be a good idea to at least be aware of the tools that can be used to accomplish that task FOR you, what those tools are, how they are constructed and most importantly WHY.

Especially when you get a little sympathy followed by sugar.

Who owns you?

[patrice]

15. S - T - E - R - E - O - T - Y - P - E - S, buy them if you need them, or you could just be yourself.

But, if you are going to buy them, you might at least make yourself aware of what the price is.

[anAustralianobserver]

28. Worth watching...

The last in the series, characteristics of the 'Millennials':
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu9UPEr5E2E

I think the Millennials and post-Millennials might now actually become more apolitical, rebellious and present moment-oriented (but in a moderated, responsible and community-oriented way), now that their hope that the old political systems could be transformed has disappointed and been disrespected (eg Palin's 'hopey-changey' comment).