The Cultural Impacts Of Generation X

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"When someone tells you they’ve just bought a house; they might as well tell you they no longer have a personality. You can immediately assume so many things: that they’re locked into jobs they hate; that they’re broke; that they spend every night watching videos; that they’re fifteen pounds’ overweight; that they no longer listen to new ideas. It’s profoundly depressing. “(Coupland). The disengaged generation, the lazy generation, the broke generation. These are only a few words to describe the ridicule and criticism towards the people known as generation X. Generation X has experienced many hardships throughout their lives. They do not possess the technological savvy that their children have(Millennials) or the cultural impact that

Divorce was at an all time high during generation X so this created latchkey kids. Common characteristics of gen x people include traits of independence, resilience, and adaptability. Generation X faced hardships that included seeing their parents getting laid off or face job insecurity. Many of them entered the workplace in the early 1980s when the economy was spiraling down. This has caused Generation X to remain loyal to the people they work with, not the company that they work for. Competition was extremely tight for jobs. The American Dream had suddenly changed. For the first time in a long time, Gen Xers faced the possibility of not replicating the lifestyle that their parents had formed. The Gen Xers faced the dreaded glass ceiling. Meaning that they faced this invisible barrier between jobs that excluded people based on criteria. However, they were excluded simply because they were born at the wrong time. Financial stability was a cause for concern for the Gen Xers, “Almost 40 percent say they “don’t at all feel financially secure,” and, “38 percent have more debt than savings, more than any other generation.” (Hymowitz). Depression and anxiety were extremely common for Gen Xers due to the high divorce rates and struggle to find a stable source of income. Gen Xers and the prejudice toward them is an important issue to understand. From a sociological perspective, social inequality is definitely taking place.

Voting rates were much lower for Gen Xers then their baby boomer parents. For example, in the 1994 midterm elections, “ fewer than on in five eligible Xers showed up at the polls.”(Halstead). In 1996, only 32% of Gen Xers voted in on the presidential election. There is an explanation for the rapid decline of voters. Politics doesn’t really resonate with young adults. Young people hear all the arguments and counter arguments that politicians have to say and they get mixed together and eventually are blurred into irrelevance. Gen Xers realize that the two main parties, Republicans and Democrats, are corrupt and more interested in fighting than actually getting any kind of work done. Gen Xers tend to stray away from the two party system, and typically favor candidates that establish themselves as independents. Unsurprisingly, young adults gave the strongest support for independent candidate Ross Perot in 1992 and Jesse Ventura in 1998. Many theories about the political apathy of Generation X have been introduced. One theory is that television is to blame for the lack of civic education that the youth of Generation X received. Another theory is the growing up during the Reagan and Bush presidencies, which saw many horrific events occur is another reason why Gen Xers have a negative view point of politics. The third theory is the breakdown of the so called “traditional family.” Children typically learn their political