Talkin' 'bout My Generation

My urge to rant shows no signs of abating.

My entire life has been overshadowed by the Baby Boomers. Their freakishly huge generation continues to distort cultural trends like the gravitational pull of a black hole, even as they edge into old age.

OK, they had a LOT of cool music--I'll give them that.

But still! To this day, I can't call myself a thirtysomething without having a flashback to an 1980s, angst-filled TV series. BTW, does anyone else feel an existential similarity between that show and MAD MEN? Or is it just me?

The 1980s don't seem that long ago for me. But they were. Molly Ringwald now plays a grandmother on TV. Those thirtysomethings from the 1980s are now starting to retire. And that's giving me a midlife crisis--what have I accomplished with my life? And what can I accomplish in the next thirty years?

Gen-X stereotypes aside, it's not like I've been a slacker. I've been busy with jobs, books, kids, etc. But I feel like my group is slipping from the cultural sphere without ever really having had a turn to influence it properly. Heck--"Gen-X," an intentionally meaningless term, was actually the nicest thing we've been called. Remember "Baby Bust?" Do ya?

Plech.

So, I need to do something to feel good about my generation. Let's make today a celebration of Gen-X. Fill the comment section with waves of nostalgia and generational pride.