# Am I generation X? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 11, 2003, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080 "2003-06-11T11:37:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080/1 "2003-06-11T11:37:48Z")
Just wondering, as I was born in 1988(shocking as that may seem). When was Generation X, if I’m not one of them? Was it the generation of kids after the sixties? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080/2 "2003-06-11T11:40:54Z")
It was anybody gullible enough to buy the t-shirt. You are Generation Y. Or just bag that demographics stuff and be whoever you need to be. ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080/3 "2003-06-11T11:41:59Z")
since i was born in 1980 and i’m definitely not “Generation X” then i’d say no 🙂 and shouldn’t you be in school?! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080/4 "2003-06-11T11:54:04Z")
Don’t be so sure **garius**. [One opinion](http://users.metro2000.net/~stabbott/genxintro.htm) > [@](#): > > The 1961-81 years are also being accepted and popularized by media like TIME magazine, which has used those years in a Gen-X cover story. The years 1965-79, 1964-82, 1960-1970, 1966-1977, and 1970-1983 have also been used in articles on Gen-X, but these all seem very arbitrary, and as you can tell, are all over the map, demographically. [Another opinion](http://www.royalneighbors.com/virtual_community/AskThePanel/index.cfm) 1965-1980 [Another](http://ericacve.org/docs/genx.htm) > [@](#): > > Generation X refers to the population cohort following the Baby Boomers. Sources differ as to the exact years during which this cohort was born. Coupland (1991) suggests 1960 to 1970; Bradford and Raines (1992) propose 1965 to 1975; and Howe and Strauss (1993) suggest 1961 to 1981. ---
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080/5 "2003-06-11T11:54:07Z")
I can understand “Baby Boomers”, the term fits because then their was a boom, population explosion, but why “X” and “Y”? ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080/6 "2003-06-11T11:59:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by UncleBill \* > \*\*Don’t be so sure **garius**. > > [One opinion](http://users.metro2000.net/~stabbott/genxintro.htm) > > [Another opinion](http://www.royalneighbors.com/virtual_community/AskThePanel/index.cfm) 1965-1980 > > [Another](http://ericacve.org/docs/genx.htm) \*\* but… but… i don’t want to be Generation X ☹ in seriousness i’d tend to go with the cut-off point being at the end of the seventies - hence my elder sister would be “Generation X” (born in 1970) but i would not be. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080/7 "2003-06-11T12:43:14Z")
Shoot, I’m not Gen X? Do I have to shave my goatee and quit slacking? ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080/8 "2003-06-11T12:49:58Z")
**Aslan** , as you are someone who so recently had to ask [why old games required you to type your moves into them](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=189395), I would most definitely, emphatically and unequivocally state that you are **not** Generation X. I’m not sure you even qualify as Generation Y. pan ---
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080/9 "2003-06-11T12:51:27Z")
Yep. Now, put on some dark clothing, go write some bad angsty poetry, and get the new Marilyn Manson CD. You’re now part of the “Y Me” generation. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080/10 "2003-06-11T13:10:14Z")
I’m a Gen X-er? No farking way! ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080/11 "2003-06-11T13:17:46Z")
Douglas Coupland wrote a book named Generation X which then got subverted by the mainstream media. FWIW, Ive heard the current generation being referred to as Generation Y or the Pepsi Generation. ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080/12 "2003-06-11T13:33:34Z")
What is the “current generation”? Those being born now? Those who are 15 now? Those who are 30 now? IMO Those being born now are not Generation Y either. They’re something else, as yet unnamed. It’s all dumb nomenclature anyway. Classification for the sake of classification. There’s no such thing as one’s “generation” beyond a few shared memories of pop culture that may or may not have an effect on one’s life or personality. I wouldn’t get too hung up on it. pan ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080/13 "2003-06-11T13:35:48Z")
“The Pepsi Generation”? That’s ridiculous; what justifies that? I remember seeing Pepsi ads with the slogan “Generation Next”. I hope they didn’t manage to buy a demographic. Baby Boomers were born after the war, Generation X is the children of the Baby Boomers, and Generation Y is the children of Generation X. Clearly, the further along you go, the more spread-out and confused the generations become, eg, the people whose great-grandparents were a part of WWII have vastly varying ages. We need a new big-time event to get ourselves recalibrated. ---
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080/14 "2003-06-11T13:44:28Z")
Pepsi Generation? PEPSI GENERATION?!? No way in hell am I letting that devil created caffeinated product be representive of my generation! It’s freaking sugar water in comparison to Coke. I wonder, will the big event happen, if so, after the new baby boomer generation will the next generation be “X”, the one after it “Y”? I guess since I’m not Y, I’m Z. We’d better hurry up or we’ll be having to have generation 1, generation 2, hey, maybe even generation ! or generation \*. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080/15 "2003-06-11T13:47:59Z")
My point was that I don’t understand this lemming-like need to belong to a particular demographic. Whatever happened to individuality? Brian: You’re all different! Mob: We’re all different. Lone Voice: I’m not! ---
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080/16 "2003-06-11T14:00:47Z")
I’m interested about what they(aka the people that make up the demographics) think I am, as compared to what I am. ---
**Author:** ![Capcha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Capcha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capcha)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080/17 "2003-06-11T14:04:19Z")
in a 100 years on the news: “The _Generation X_: why were they the generation we were ashamed of!” & “Today youngsters of _Generation B_ & _C_ get into war over who does the formerly known as PEPSI/COCA-COLA company reprepresent. Later on tonight…” :dubious: 😕 Ok, maybe i’m not as funny as i think i am…lack of sleep before going to work…grrr :mad: ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080/18 "2003-06-11T14:12:09Z")
I’m with you actually **Shibb** - one of the reasons why i would hate to be branded “Generation X” is because it smacks of “the in crowd” In my opinion this whole “Generation” thing exists only so people can claim to have been part of some great movement or nostalgic time just because they happened to be coming of age at that particular point in history. Its almost like gaining “coolness” by proxy ten years later: **Generation X-er** : Yeah dude - it was an amazing time. Everyone hated the world smoked dope and listened to Morrisey! It was craaaaaazy. **Garius** : “Everyone?” Did you? **Generation X-er** : Um…no… i had homework. But i was still there dude!!! ---
**Author:** ![Second\_Guest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@Second\_Guest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second_Guest)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080/19 "2003-06-11T14:48:54Z")
And if the Boomers, Xs and Ys don’t meet your need for acceptance in a generational subset, how about [Generation Jones](http://generationjones.com/files/contents.htm)? ---
**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080/20 "2003-06-11T16:33:09Z")
I always sorta thought somebody though “Generation X” should exist because the concept of the “Baby Boom” was so well-defined. It’s fairly obvious that the idea of “Generation Y” exists only because of “Generation X.” Seems that each proceeding “Generation” gets less well-defined. Just as a data point, though, I was also born in 1980 and I’m certain that I’m not a part of what’s commonly though of as “Generation X.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-generation-x/181080.md?page=2)