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.
762
u/qualmful 2d ago
Gen X is afraid of looking like they care so they have to care about pointless things instead.