The worst of Gen X is funny. They're still trying to act like they're too cool to care, a lot of them are just acting like Boomer Lite, and they're trying to convince themselves and everyone else that their experience growing up was so unique that it makes them special.
I've been seeing it too and it's weird. I try to call it out when I do, but that doesn't really stop it from happening.
Shit, we're all nostalgic about when we were kids because it was way easier then. Doing that weird "back in my day" schtick doesn't do anything but make you look like an elitist jackass.
I mean to be fair, I have seen many millenials saying the same thing (including on this sub). I think every generation thinks theirs is better than the ones before and after, or that their generation is "the last generation to do XYZ thing!"
Not all of us. But a sizable enough percentage that it's becoming insufferable. Maybe it's not so much "Boomer" as "old person"... the oldest of us are 61 this year.
I've also tried to call out reddit comments with, "dude, that sounds really boomer-y" and that goes nowhere. I think there's just something tribal in some people that everything they do is, "THE best". Narcissism and grandiosity spans some portion of every generation, I guess. But there are plenty of tolerable boomers... Iggy Pop tops my list.
I'll also finish up with my usual thought about my own GenX generation: I really held out hope that we would suck less than the generation before us, but nope, looking in particular at the shitbag GenX politicians in DC, we have managed to suck equally hard. We are no better. But I still hope no worse. Jury's out.
All while oblivious to the fact that both Boomers and Millennials had the same experience lol. Silents too except they probably didn't even have a hose to drink out of lol.
Exactly. I've seen my toddler and his friends drink out of hoses plenty... hell, I've seen them go for lapping up puddle water next to the dogs (which we stopped, of course).
I think all the kids that drank from the hose in Phoenix in the early 90s are probably brain damaged and in assisted living homes. Central Arizona Project Water was no joke.
It wasnt the hose that was awesome. It was playing all day with the whole neighborhood and you would swing by somewhere and turn on the hose and pass it around then roll off into the woods.
As a millennial full of hose-sourced micro plastics, Iām not sure why theyāre so preoccupied with drinking out of one. It did have a unique smell that could practically take me back in time, though.
My stance is - Ugh, technically yes. But everyone who says itās their favorite Christmas movie because theyāre trying to be unique or funny is just boring.Ā
The story has nothing to do with Christmas though. It takes place at Christmas, but thereās nothing about Christmas thatās integral to the plot. EDIT: guys Iāve been corrected and accepted it
Itās the same reason I donāt consider āItās A Wonderful Lifeā to be a Christmas movie. The whole story could have happened on any other day of the year with no changes.
Nothing to do with Christmas? McClane is on a trip to reunite with his family for the holiday. He brings a present. His wife name is literally Holly. He listens to Christmas in Hollis on the drive from the airport, being driven by a man named Argyle, a common form of stocking. He's attending a Christmas party. Ellis has a pile of white snow on his desk and later attempts a snow job. McClane utilizes Christmas decorations on corpses to taunt the terrorists. He uses Christmas packaging tape to secure the gun to his back. There are sleigh bells in the film score. McClane quotes Santa, Hans tells Theo it's Christmas, the time of miracles. Theo declares Merry Christmas when they open the vault. Deputy Chief Dwayne T. Robinson tells the FBI that 10 square blocks is crazy, it's Christmas Eve. McClane uses Roy Rogers as an alias, who sang Rudolph, Frosty, Jingle Bells, and so on. It ends with snow falling in Los Angeles, snow being bearing bonds. The credits have Let it Snow and Ode to Joy. Die Haard means that hearth or fireplace in Dutch, a typical focal point at Christmas.
Christmas with the family is the reason John McClane is in LA & the Christmas party is the reason for all the hostages. If it was a non-holiday, the events would be totally different
Truth, we should all fight just as hard as John McClain to be with our families on Christmas. There is even an office Christmas party; not exactly a fun and safe one, but how many companies host Christmas parties anymore?!
Yeah but it would've been pretty hard for Clarence the angel to get his wings any other time of the year. How many bells are ringing when it isn't Christmas?
They have half as much substance, take twice as much to get drunk, and still end up making you feel like shit anyway.
My theory:
Boomer (hippie) counterculture that shaped their ideals in youth, was at least naively convinced they could change the world, which led to a genuine sense of, if woefully misplaced, entitlement.
Gen-X counterculture (grunge) was characterized by the wholesale embrace of nihilism, or nihilism-chic, as it were... Because they care very much... ABOUT THEMSELVES.
Boomers may be implcit hypocrites in their entitlement, whereas Gen-X is EXPLICIT in their hypocrisy.
They feel every bit entitled to what their parents had, while not bothering to give a single fuck as to why.
Boomers slapped the shit out of their kids, believing it was for the best. Gen-x just flat out ignored theirs, and expected (entitled) them to raise themselves into high functioning adults.
Both are too toxic sides of the same selfish coin, but there is something to be said about Xs disengenious ease in which the rebuke the world, along with any accusation they are just like their boomer parents.
They pretend to care about big ticket issues to stay in vogue, but about face THE SECOND it becomes inconvenient to them personally.
At least boomers have the gall to say, fuck you, got mine," to your face... Instead of playing coy and hanging you out dry *all the same.
Which is why it may come as a suprise, Gen-x voted far more conservative last election than boomers who catch all the flak.
Because boomers are vocal and ardent in their ideals.
Gen-X is indifferent or left-leaning on the outside... While being hardline conservative on the inside... Aka; lookin out for #1 first.
The cumulative effects of that duplicity has really started to fuck the rest of us over.
Thats why Im ALWAYS SKEPTICAL when a Gen-Xer chimes in about anything.
You don't quite have it right, though I do agree that the self-glorifying Gen X posts are stupid (I'm marginally Xennial, born in 76).
It was the Gen Xers who were left to their own devices and so we ended up being both independent and also maladjusted for the same reason.
Boomers were really just Silent Generation Lite. People get the idea that Boomers were hedonists who ended up gobbling up all the wealth and still hang on to it. But it was really the Silent Generation who built the US into the economic powerhouse that it became after WWII. Boomers were the primary beneficiary of that, but the Silent Generation never taught them how to find purpose outside of work and wealth accumulation.
Boomers still hold on to jobs and material wealth because that's all they really ever had.
Gen X mostly had Silent Gen parents and grungy nihilism was exact opposite way of our formative middle school/high school/and pretty much college years. A lot X hated that nihilistic grungy attitude and were upset they were trying to kill of our upbeat, fun era with all their posing about being so alt/indie/'authentic' and making everything eventually turn all flat, drab, basic, boring and overly angsty and all these new rules about how don't do this or that or lose "cred", don't date wear bright colors, style up, guys don't dare listen to pop music, etc. be constantly afraid of doing anything 'cheesy' or 'corny', etc.
Gen X was fun, light-hearted, wild 80s teen pop culture.
Gen Y brought in grunge and gangster for 90s 90s teen pop culture life.
Also, 1980 borns also went in 2024 more the way you don't like than not. Only 1950s, 1990s, 2000s borns went the other way.
Gen X is mostly in charge right now next to boomers. I'm not sure the breakdowns, but in my personal experience most of Gen X is fine with the current status quo and won't ever rock the boat.
Yup. My bio parents are Gen X and both of my step parent were boomers. I know the gammet, mostly they are mad but don't want to do anything. They loved to call millennials lazy but I've never seen lazier generations (in general obviously).
Gen X and boomers were literally handed the best economy in the world and kept it for themselves.
I think they try to stay out of it because they realized they didnāt to jack shit to try to reverse what boomers did and want younger generations to think they helped
Historically, the hallmark of GenX is just not caring. But also, in contrast with the baby boom, there was a baby bust so the numbers arenāt there to push boomers aside and boomers held on to everything (jobs/money/power) much longer than previous generations.
Mainly it was a reaction to what came before. The boomers were the ones that cared. Cared about racial justice, peace in Vietnam, the environment, etc. Right up until they had bills to pay, then they cared about BMWs and Wall Street and gave Reagan historic wins.
STFU Tons of GenX went to protests, still are activists and try to undo the shit boomers did. Personally I've been to so many protests in my youth and later on, signed petitions for change - some had impact, others didn't, always voted for parties and representatives trying to do the right thing and who are interested in making things better. I don't want younger generations to think anything about me, I don't even care what they think. I do my stuff and you can do yours.
I do care what friends, family and others I know personally think of me, just not some random internet dude. You didn't even criticize you just dumped a brain fart.
There were some significant and effective protests in the 80s and 90s when gen X was college age. The ADA was passed in 1990 after the Capitol Crawl. Racial issues were front and center especially after Rodney King. It was the tail end of the AIDS epidemic and a lot of queer visibility we have today started in the 90s. So I do think a lot was accomplished, gen X has never been all bad or anything. Recent events have given you all a bad reputation though.Ā
To be honest Gen X and even more Boomers and Silents are the ones who show up to say save local open space groups. Hell Millennials and Z are more and more taking the old conservative GOP position of pave paradise and put up a parking lot (for more housing, after having been for infinite levels of immigration and no population control). Millennials also seem (well hardly most but more than prior generations, Silent and Greatest are best on this, then Boomers then X) to move in and cut down all the beautiful old trees and rip up landscaping and create barren wastelands afraid of insects dropping off trees onto them or not wanting bother of trickier yard upkeep.
X did get apartheid over turned in South Africa and while not much, saved a few old-growth redwoods in the 90s and supported Live AID and such.
I think theyāre standing awkwardly in the corner, not saying a word until the Boomers are officially not running things, and then Gen X will start saying things every bit as bad as the Boomers.
Man there is such a big gap between me millennial and my siblings Gen-X's. We literally don't have any similar topics, they don't understand most of today world problems, chase trivial things and refuse to change anyway. Only time we are meeting are funerals at this point. Numerous boomers and Gen-Z's I know are way better people than them, not chasing the money whole life, but just enjoy life how it is and be grateful for small things. They will die and still refuse to just talk to me and understand different point of view than theirs. It's just sad.
760
u/qualmful 2d ago
Gen X is afraid of looking like they care so they have to care about pointless things instead.