this post was submitted on 18 Jan 2025
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All I hear about is "boomers" this, "Millennials" that, "Gen Z" that, etc.

Why no one talk about Gen X? What happened to them? They just vanished like in Infinity War? Or are we mistaken Gen Z by Boomers?

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[–] Snapz@lemmy.world 4 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (2 children)

Gen X said "fuck it" quickly and lived relatively comfy, selfish lives from their boomer parents funding trips to Woodstock '99 - where they feigned a rebellion, but always with a credit card they didn't pay for in their pockets and the rent paid.

They pretended to be above or "so over" politics, but in reality that was just a way to forgive themselves the burden of maintaining a decent society. So they willingly let the fire burn and grow out of control so that the millenials would have to deal with it.

After being hit with one life altering tragedy after the next during their prime earning years, many millenials realized they would need to be the sacrificial bridge generation. They resigned to delay or deny a lot of personal happiness/excitement so that they could do everything they could to oppose the second bush (who isn't actually a nice, harmless man with candy) and get Obama elected.

As the millenials can't afford homes or children of their own (part of that mentioned sacrifice), the X parents then have the kids that are gen Z later in life. Those Z kids weren't given any civic direction, personal values or responsibility to community from their perpetually checked out and selfish X parents. So without any tools to build meaningful resistance or any need to serve other humans, they then dropped the ball this election (the ball that the millenials were sacrificing their own fulfilling lives to be able to hand off to them).

Z was handed the blueprint on a silver platter, so they could literally fix shit by just showing up and acknowledging that nazis are both real and bad. There was actually a point where republicans wouldn't have won another presidency around 2009 (and they were freaking the fuck out with changing demographic trends forecasted) - never again without a "trump" chaos desperation play emerging to lower the bar, shift the Overton window and generally suck the value out of words, concepts and law.

The Republicans are ultimately ever-hungry scoundrels and religious zealots though, they want it more, but really that's because some will literally go to prison if they aren't governing. Also, a successful left will never have that same ruthless hunger, but that's really just because the definition of the left's vision of success is that you should actually be able to slow down, enjoy living and let your guard down a bit, or else what's the fucking point? The Republicans are perpetual losers, but even when they "win" they don't. They aren't happy and all that means they are never slowed by legality or morality. So they got to work in earnest starting in 2010 (go watch a film called "slaying the dragon") and here we are.

Edit: Ha! Scrolled down and saw someone posted a comic that says about exactly what I was expressing, except the Z kid would need to be falling on his face.

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

This is all beautifully stated.

Gen X is the end of SLC Punk. "I'm not selling out, I'm buying in."

(the ball that the millennials were sacrificing their own fulfilling lives to be able to hand off to them)

OOF. Hits hard.

[–] Snapz@lemmy.world 2 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

For those who don't know, SLC Punk is a movie worth your time, especially at a certain time in life. The spirit is great, but... Stevo is an Xer who ultimately did go to Harvard and dad and mom are boomers (The boomers turned from hippies to yuppies in the 80s).

https://youtu.be/5aNiBktcSvQ?feature=shared

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[–] freagle@lemmygrad.ml 3 points 20 hours ago

I want to make abundantly that Gen Z did not fumble the election, the Democrats did. The Democratic party analyzed the situation much the same way you did, and realized that there was no way the Republicans would ever win over Gen Z, so they took that as opportunity to move further right than Reagan and expose the entire two party system as one large fascist bloc with 2 different sheep dogs.

And Gen Z correctly saw electoralism as a dead end and are actively exploring alternatives.

[–] AidsKitty@lemmy.world 2 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

We are just living our lives. We don't care about you or your opinions so we usually dont speak to you. You want to waste your lives complaining and whining them good luck with that. No one cares.

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[–] Proprietary_Blend@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

We're here, frantically paddling to keep up.

[–] technomad@slrpnk.net 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

but you fuckers still got a boat though, even if it is leaking a little...

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[–] Pumafred9@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

Probably still outside drinking water from the garden hose.

[–] Azzu@lemm.ee 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

hear about

Something is only talked about if talking about it accomplishes something. Gen X doesn't raise any strong feelings with anyone, so they're not talked about. They're still there obviously.

The reason why is complex, and I'm no expert myself. However, from what I gathered about recent history, what seems most likely to me is that the time gen x'ers grew up in was very stable in the sense that economy was good, no major wars were happening, the cold war was "ending". So the only thing gen x'ers had to worry about was themselves. So they did. And you don't really need to talk about someone that just keeps to themself. They cause you no issues.

Another theory of mine is very simple: humanity changes over time. The larger the time, the larger the change. Differences between humans breeds conflict as their interests collide. Since boomers are the current oldest larger impactful generation, and gen z are the youngest, the difference between them are greatest. Thus the conflict between them is highest, thus there are a lot of people talking about those problems. I've been hearing less about millennials as well.

[–] DrunkenPirate@feddit.org 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

That is tbh a very US centric perspective. The decade Gen X grown up - youth in the 80ties and young adulthood in 90ties - is known for the break up of the Sovjetbloc. If that isn’t a big shake in life, I don’t know what else might have such an impact on lifestyle, thoughts, ownerships and behaviors.

The longtail effects had disruptions to other regions in the world with unrest and uprisings for independence.

And sure there have been conflicts as well. E.g. the North Ireland conflict with bombing in the UK. And there was the first nuclear disaster of Tschernobyl in 1986 causing angst in Europe.

But at all, Iβ€˜d say these days were characterized by a positive mood and the feeling that people can change things.

[–] Azzu@lemm.ee 1 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

It's a western perspective. And of course it is. How many people of the sovjetbloc do you think are around here? I thought about this for a second and dismissed it because it's with a 99% chance not relevant to the one asking here.

But still, thank you for providing this perspective, it is like you say, I just didn't think it was relevant to this question in this place we're in.

[–] Marthirial@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

Never upgraded; decided to stay Gen-Twitter.

[–] random_character_a@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Asshats who use the term "Boomer" don't seem to understand that it means people born about 10 years after WWII and use it for anyone older than they are, so MTV term "genX" gets swamped.

[–] kalleboo@lemmy.world 1 points 15 hours ago

Originally calling everyone old a "Boomer" was a reaction to older people calling everyone who was young "Millennials" even when millennials were now in their late 30's

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[–] Diddlydee@feddit.uk 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

These whole rather arbitrary ages used are quite silly. Do you really think someone who is, for example, 45 will have a very different outlook than a 42 year old just because of the year they were born? There are decent people and wankers in every generation.

[–] limer@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 day ago

Proper zodiac it is

[–] Arfman@aussie.zone 3 points 1 day ago

The rapture came and took them away

[–] riskable@programming.dev 1 points 1 day ago
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