Generation X, labeled in the 1980s as a group of cynical, apathetic slackers, is all grown up: The oldest members are hitting the big Four-Oh this year.
The group who worshipped Madonna, idolized Michael Jackson and glued themselves to cable television, seemed to embody the worst characteristics of youth when they were teens and young adults. They job-hopped, focused more on leisure time and personal fulfillment than careers and engaged in a lot of searching for the meaning of life.
Things haven't changed much and probably won't, even though they're reaching a midlife milestone, say generational experts.
[from the Las Vegas Review Journal]
I think it’s likely that the oldest Xers hit 40 a few years ago, and I take umbrage with the suggestion that there’s something bad about focusing more on leisure time and personal fulfillment than in kowtowing to a corporate overlord, but apart from that, this article ends up offering a pretty good definition of exactly who Generation Xers are -- and it’s a fairly positive depiction, too:
Those seemingly negative characteristics actually define Generation X, born between 1965 and 1981, and are nothing more than the mark of an individualistic, self-reliant generation, said Chuck Underwood, president and founder of The Generational Imperative, a Cincinnati-based research and consulting company. Not surprisingly, it was the events of their formative years -- the late 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s -- that shaped who they are today.
...
Many of the cliches about Gen X -- that they're lazy slackers who don't like to work, don't care about themselves or their future -- are not true...
...
Because of their formative years, Gen X developed unique core values that position them "for the uniqueness of the present and future workplace," Underwood said. "They're independent, self-reliant, technology savvy, adaptable to change, and they tend to be very focused at their work while on the job."
"Xers tend to separate their work from personal relationships and they are entrepreneurial. Those are the kind of qualities that the unpredictable workforce will embrace in the coming future," Underwood said. "Xers have plenty of toughness."
Lots of good stuff -- click over to read the whole article.
