Generation X

St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture, Jan 29, 2002 by Judy L. Isaksen

Neil Howe and Bill Strauss provide a more pragmatic perspective in their oft-cited 13th Gen: Abort, Retry, Ignore, Fail?, in which they lay out a five-point political credo of Xers: 1. "Wear your politics lightly"; 2. "Survival comes first"; 3. "Try to fix only what's fixable"; 4. "Clean up after your own mess"; and 5. "Personal style matters." Howe and Strauss posit that for the 13th Generation, "national politics will drift toward the personal, no-nonsense, survivalist approach." Xers are already employing this do-it-yourself attitude by saving early for their retirement. According to Richard Thau, in a 1994 poll of 18-34 year olds, 82 percent believe that Social Security, the U.S. government's largest benefit program, will deconstruct before their retirement. Thau is the Executive Director of the Third Millennium, a political advocacy group centered in New York with hundreds of members who are dedicated to speaking out on behalf of the interests of the Generation X age group. Likewise, Hans Riemer and Chris Cuomo cofounded 2030, what they describe as a "political action-tank" for Generation X. In Riemer's words, "so much of what is going wrong today requires innovation and new thinking, and we can respond to these requirements at a more rapid pace than other generations could." These informed Xers are responding to the concerns of "massive ignorance" through practical action.

Xers' cautious and fiscally conservative sensibility has been a challenge to America's mostly middle-aged advertisers and marketers who have recognized Generation X as a viable and large market. However, they are also the best educated generation in America's history and were raised on commercial hyperbole. While Xers might respect and enjoy advertisements that are crisp, sophisticated, humorous, and informative, they are savvy enough to realize when hype or insincerity is at work. Karen Ritchie recognizes that "no icon and certainly no commercial is safe from their irony, their sarcasm or their remote control. These are the tools with which Generation X keeps the world in perspective."

Xer Richard Thau confirms such use of satire and irony in explaining the wild popularity of the "fictional buffoons" who have largely defined Generation X for the nation: Beavis and Butthead, Bill and Ted, Wayne and Garth, Bart Simpson, and the children who live in South Park. Members of Generation X, claims Thau, are clearly educated enough to enjoy "watching these morons because they satirize the image older generations have of us." Shows like Friends, ER, Seinfeld, Melrose Place, The X-Files, and Party of Five are popular among Xers because they employ friends as family, serialized story lines, and the use of music, three ingredients favored by Generation X viewers.The effect of Generation X on current TV programming can clearly be measured by the launching of three broadcast networks--Fox, UPN, and WB--specifically targeted at Generation X.

Perhaps one of the more joyful memories from the early days of Xers is those three-minute jingles that provided Saturday morning lessons in grammar, math, civics, and science: ABC's Schoolhouse Rock. Rob Owen, author of Gen X TV, claims that "these little ditties entered the Gen X consciousness and stayed there." He also posits that these musical education segments were the forerunner to what we later came to know as music videos. Unlike any preceding generation, the visual element is essential to Xers. Since they have grown up with television, video games, and computers, it is natural that theirs is the generation that added pictures to rock songs. Owen contends that the introduction of the Music Television channel (MTV) "raised the ante" in the entertainment industry when television producers blended music, visuals, and quick cuts for the sophisticated viewing demands of Generation X. When MTV went on the air in August, 1981, targeting the 12-34 age group, members of Generation X responded immediately, so much so that Xers are criticized for having an MTV-attention span, alluding to the quick-cut and fast-paced conventions of music videos. Despite this criticism, the attraction of MTV remains constant, explains Meredith Bagby, because MTV has quite literally made it their business to keep up with the changes in Generation X.