This channel is what I need. I don't get how the average aged UA-camr comments. I can't remember what its called but when they say off the wall things to get a reaction.
@@GenXGrownUp yes I keep forgetting that's what its called. I'm like if you want to talk say that to my face but then I reel it in and remember that they are potentially under 18. But I don't understand saying something on the internet that one wouldn't say to anthers face and if they would their insane.
I don't know what I am. I'm ether a really young GenX or a really old millennial I don't expect the in between Xennial I was born Jan-19-1980 I feel more in common with the GenX someone please confirm for me what I am. All the things in the video we're spot on how I grew up.
I’m 54 years old. One of the greatest feelings of being a kid in GenX was freedom. That feeling is slowly fading for a number of reasons. Waking up early summer mornings, getting on my bike, meeting friends, communicating and engaging in what we were going to do that day. Having fun all day, then riding my bike back home at sundown. Sure, we got an ATARI in 1978, but swimming in the pool, playing records, going to the fair, and meeting girls was far better than staring at a screen or begging for attention and clicks all day on TikTok.
It's sad that most people sacrifice their freedom simply because they became an adult. I'm a Gen Xer and never lost my freedom to do what I want when I want. I understand wages are low for many people, which limits you but if that's not an issue for you there's no reason not to go out and enjoy life.
I remember in the 70s during summer vacation, getting up early to go out all day doing whatever. Your bike was like your car. You could go anywhere. When I got older I spent almost everyday at our park's Wave pool getting the best tan, then going out with friends that evening to hang out at the mall and arcade. Best of times😊😊😊
Gen X is the bridge generation. We span the gap between the older, analog generations and the younger, digital generations. If we do this middle age thing right, we will be the glue that holds the world together.
We have no choice, withoutnus it will fall apart. Boomers are self centered, millenials are learning, what we were thrown into, but later in life and the little gen z kids are friggin brilliant, in their own right.
Until we are all gone and then all that's left are anti-social digital social justice warriors who want to save a planet they don't understand or even want to go out and explore.
As a generation X'r myself, I'm struck by how during this video,you walked down lots and lots of residential sidewalks. Not a single kid out on a bike, no one out playing/walking. Every street nowadays look like ghost towns. Back in the 70's 80's people were outdoors on a nice evening like that!!!
On my drive to work everyday I see kids waiting for the school bus with all heads down looking at a cell phone. If they are like that all day whew. I couldn't see just staring down to a cell phone for any amount of time. My friends would of played some prank on me or slapped the back of my neck LOL. HEY MACK what u looking at? There seemed to be some kind of ball to toss around also while we waited for the bus.
One thing, as a Gen-Xer, that bothers me about this current age is how people can't seem to handle someone not liking what they like. Back when we were teens in the 80's, we always said 'opinions vary' etc etc. These days, people act as if your dislike of something that they like is some kind of severe threat to their happiness. So, they have to go on the attack. I'll never understand that - or the easily offended, narcissistic culture that's being promoted these days.
Preaching to the choir, Axcess2084! 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
lol yes ! i´ve had fights with people because i don´t like the work of their fave ( who culture vultures my fave ) but i generally don´t care if they don´t like what i like ! they on the other hand what the fuck ! they are M E N T A L i have been studying them and those behaviors l o l so have been winding them up oops
We called em porckcops and rednecks.. Porkchops across the forehead to drive it in,rednecks in the back to get it out😂😅... Didnt count if you didnt leave at least 4 finger marks behind(prolly caught a case of tbi just playing around😂😅)
Let's face it though, Gen X had its own elitism when it came to what kind of music scene or social group you were into. It wasn't to the extent of being cancelled professionally if you didn't affirm latest thing - how could they back then?, but you'd get dumped on and low-key ostracized publicly if you didn't know the secret handshake to latest thing. The divisions were lame and low steaks, but present. There was a time where shit played out like gangs - threatened for having hair too long or too short, or visibly being part of (or not a part of) school or music x-subculture. If they had access to smart phones then, you'd probably see every bully trope from the 80s and 90s play out in real time, Worldstar style. Maybe not as violent but just as mean spirited and f*cked up. For however overly offended later generations are due to over-medication and media / academic astroturfing, it's also that generation's overreaction to the Boomer-tier above-it-all attitudes that a lot of Xers had or have. Newer gens have less in terms of actual social connections and experiences that aren't reliant on technology or transactional social dynamics. They probably feel like they have less to look forward to, less stability. So anything critical of what they do have or are into, it just comes across as that much more threatening to how they see themselves. It's annoying and dysfunctional, maybe a bit psychotic. But there are reasons for it.
As a Gen Xer born in 1968, I remember as a kid in the 70's sliding all over the place in the back of our station wagon....no seatbelt, large back window down...it was awesome! I also remember sometimes being the unlucky one to have to deal with the hump in the middle part of the back seat. Oh and no air conditioning in the car. I also WALKED to elementary school....ALL BY MYSELF.
All true, Elaine. All true. Did you have the station wagon back seat that faced in reverse? I sure did -- that was my little private domain on long trips. 😀 We devoted an entire episode of our weekly podcast to passing time in long car rides back then, so give it a listen if you have an opportunity: genxgrownup.com/car-rides
Born in 68 and yes, my 3 brothers always forced me to sit on the hump! We ask mom to take sharp corners so we would fly all over the back of the station wagon, we were on our hands and knees so we’d go all over the place. Also rode in the back of dads truck too.
Another '68 baby here... we had a Ford pickup, me, my brothers and sister would ride in the back, on the freeway. We would ride bikes all over tarnation till after dark... our parents were trying to kill us all!😂
I like to THINK THESE DAYS??-- PEOPLE if SOLID??= like Paul McCartney & Wings...Kiss!!-- Rush of the 70s.." NOTORIOUSLY REALLY tight GOOOD BANDS LIIIVE!!--- then. There were bands like The CARS-- awesome in the STUDIO kinda " duds" live....Good PEOPLE BETTER " LIVE" SCARED/ FAKE PEOPLE BETTER " STAYING IN THE STUDIO"-- AKA " STEELY DANNING OUT"-- IIN THE 1970S...I KNOWW UMM WAAAY BETTER AND BEST OF ALL!---" LIIIVE" VERSIONS!! 👍
As a Gen-X-er I can’t handle the current generation and their inability to SPEAK to people. I work in tech support and I sometimes ask my staff to call a customer to work something out. They would rather email or text or use any other form of communication rather than actually SPEAK to a customer. I pride myself on my customer service skills and I’ve sometimes resolved the worst of situations by calling the customer, listening to their concerns and working out an agreeable solution. Kids today are scared to speak with people and I think it’s one of the most valuable skills that I grew up learning.
I tend to "freak people out" when I show up at their cubical to ask questions about an email they sent me. I prefer to talk to you face to face. -(I'm 56)
Born in ‘66. Rode my bike everywhere without a helmet. Walked 4 miles to hang out at the mall and play video games like Astroids and Space Invaders. Knocked in my friends doors to see if they wanted to come out and play and spent zero time inside the house. Miss those days.
it feels like i was always outside as well, but i know i read so many books, watched so many tv shows and VCR movies, played board games and cards, took stuff apart, cooked my own food and did plenty of chores too....
I remember in the 70s trick or treating for hours in the dark with my friends all over the neighborhood. There weren't any adults with us, and we'd ring doorbells and knock on doors of complete strangers without fear.
You're right when we were kids we would knock on doors until people would either try to Run us off or not answer because of it being extremely late in the night
As a Gen X, I deeply value the independent nature of my generation, especially looking back on all the times I struggled and had to pull myself out of a rut on my own. I know so many millennials that are still living off of mommy and daddy. That dependence cripples them.
@@KratostheThird I'm an early Boomer who raised an early Gen Xer. Boomers did not ruin Millennials; maybe very late Boomers did to some degree, but technology ruined almost everyone. It drastically changed a world that was no more in a very short period of time so that the parents had no way to prepare their children for it. Boomers were not prepared for the world we inherited also because of technology, but it happened more slowly. I'm 75 and all 4 of my grandparents were nineteenth century (1900, 1900, 1890, 1881). Think about my parents being raised by them and how that would affect their Boomer offspring.
Resourcefulness-taking a cassette apart, using pencils to wind the tape to the twisted, damaged part, cut that section out, use cellophane tape to reconnect the broken pieces, and gluing the cassette case back together. "It's not all about you. Especially if you're a kid." Parents didn't ask where you wanted to go out to dinner, what movie you wanted to go see, where you wanted to vacation, & you never even considered that they would've done so. You went where your parents decided you were going & most of the time you were ok with it. If you weren't, too bad, you went anyway, and you didn't throw fits about it, because it wouldn't do any good, anyway. You were going. "Do you know my mother?" When I was in elementary school in the early-mid 70s, a good 30-40% of kids wore house keys tied around their necks with a dirty white shoelace so they wouldn't lose it. Which was important, because when they got off the school bus, they had to let themselves into their locked, empty homes. Otherwise, they would need to find a neighbor's house in which to stay, when their mothers finally returned, approx 3-5 hrs later. This was not a good thing, because it meant the child hadn't done their homework, fed themselves a snack, set the table, perhaps started dinner, or completed the myriad of other chores they were required to do in the afternoon & was considered, "immature," "inconsiderate," and "lazy." "Go away, go outside, find something to do somewhere else." Parents expected kids on weekends to do any chores they had & after that, GTFO and leave them in peace or to do chores in the home without you underfoot. Just be sure to come back from wherever unknown place you went, unsupervised & without a way to contact a parent, by the time it started getting dark. "A trophy was for actual winners, not participants." These items were rare & valued, because few were given & you really had to excel in whatever you did, to receive one. Showing up & participation was expected from everyone competing, not some great feat deserving of recognition. "I don't want you hanging out w/ so and so, anymore. They're not a good influence." You were furious, but you did it, because your parents were in charge, & they meant what they said back then & had actual convictions. I pity anyone that didn't have this as a child. You were robbed. Something to think about, when you have kids of your own, if you guys are still doing that, in the future.
Thanks for those in-depth, thoughtful comments, Dianne. Maybe I need to start preparing a "Part 2" of this video to take into account some of the great comments & suggestions I've gotten on this video; yours included! 😀
I was one of those kids who got off the bus and let myself into an empty house. I might start dinner but I rarely did homework. The lack of supervision was not a good thing. And I remember seeing a talk show bemoaning the fate of "latch key kids" one afternoon before my mom got home from work and thinking, "Oh my god, that's me!" The independence we got from being able to just go off with friends and explore was great though. We had to make our fun, develop social skills, and be problem solvers.
You have absolutely hit in on the head, my dear fellow GenX-er!I grew up having to figure out how to deal with real-life people around me in real time, how to problem-solve using my brain and limited resources I had if any at all, rather than effing google it and - first and foremost-how to never give up and stay patient and how to clench my teeth and keep going whatever it takes-against all odds!And we never got bored like those sorry pathetic snowflakes, who feel entitled at every turn and give up hope every time sth goes wrong or just turns out to be contrary to what they planned or expected...With brain power having been outsourced and replaced by those ubiquitous cellphones, how can the modern- day generation think for themselves and learn how to harness their brain power?Happy to have grown up without all those screens flickering around me, feeding me data and throwing soundbits and images at me!I can crack an actual book or a manual open and stay focused without losing my concentration for an hour and much longer, which for most of the snowflakes is plain unthinkable of!Go, GenX!Love you, guys!
I was the bike mechanic of my circle of friends. I made money fixing flats. My tubes were full of patches. I noticed now days when kids get a flat, the bike is immobilized for a long while. Lol.
1967. Remember seeing your parents on weekday mornings and then talking to them again when they came back home from work? I never worried about not hearing from my parents all day. They expected me to be responsible and take care of most things myself. Patience. I miss people being more patient. I noticed that sales clerks are so happy when they help me and thank me for being patient. What I miss the most are my grandparents' and great grandparents' generations. They were very practical and had so much common sense. I loved hearing them talk about their lives.
We're right there with you, Librarians! By the way, we did a follow-up to this video recently that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html 😀 Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
You will be that same said great or grandparent! The Lost and the G.I. generations... Like GenX and Millennial. Born after 1900 or before 1900, those born after were more favorable to society. Remember "Baby on Board " signs? A Nation at risk...🤔
Gen X. Our bicycles were freedom. Garden hose is how we stayed hydrated. Confrontation was face to face. We built things, forts, treehouses, from scrap.
This is what learned 1. Strike first strike hard and never stop. 2. Don't take shit from anybody. 3. If you don't have a quick comeback, well you better. 4. Don't be a slave like your parents were. 5. Better to be alone than in bad company.
Eric, it sounds like you grew up as a member of Cobra Kai! 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
The fall of the Berlin wall, the Challenger tragedy, when MTV actually broadcasted music videos, when you envied your friend who had cable TV😃 Proud Genxer, born 1971!
Hey, Pitbulls, welcome! It's funny you mention all of those together! We just recently did an episode of our weekly podcast where the topic was memorable TV events, and all of those you listed made the list. genxgrownup.com/bt_tv_events Check it out if you have a chance -- if you like our UA-cam stuff you just may dig the podcast too! 😃
I remembere watching the Challenger in 5th grade. We watched in class. After we said the Pledge. When my dad got Hbo it was the best. We would have to go to the neighbors before that to watch any big sporting events.
What do you expect if the number of degree courses offered exceeds the jobs that require them. They’re worthless unless it’s a useful subject and you’re top of the class.
I know quite a few successful (Nor "rich", but doing fine) people who never went to college at all. My "B.I.L." is a plumber and believe me. He's doing alright!
@@jamesslick4790 I believe it, yeah. I have a relative that didn't get a degree like I did, but he went to school to fix A/C units and he's doing pretty damn well for himself.
So much this! My dad convinced me that all I needed was a degree, and I could “write my own ticket.” Maybe true in the 60’s, but 20 years later, not so much. I do regret going to college.
We are truly the last people who will remember what life was like pre-internet, while utilizing it fully, in adulthood, as well. THAT IS A UNIQUE & VALUABLE PERSPECTIVE FOR SURE....Fleeting as well - once we are gone, so is that perspective. Gen X truly is a magical generation to have grown up in. ❤️❤️❤️
I miss going to the library to figure something out. Especially when a librarian helped you, it was like they were a gatekeeper of information. You felt special figuring it all out in there. Or just being out in the local woods with your friends, building a tree fort that took months to complete. Having to leave the fort to be home before the street lights were on.
I was a very popular young Storytelling School Librarian in the '80's, and early '90's: Very much enjoyed and identified with Gen -Xers. First student taught 4th graders born in '72. (1982).
I sometimes piss people off because I don't feel the need to constantly check my phone for messages or answer the phone when people call. Growing up, you had to actually had to be home to answer the phone. Now people expect you to always answer or get back to them.
GenX is known for being very adaptable -- being young when tech was primitive and learning to master it as we grew -- but you're right, Valerie, we don't all feel the same compulsion to be instantly connected like younger generations.
I have my phone set on music in me earbud, it sits in my personal tool box drawer. If I check it, it's too see if my teen age kid needs anything. If not I dont use the darn thing
Gen X kids had to have patience. Like having to wait a whole week to find out if The Fonz succeeded in jumping over those 14 garbage cans. That was the longest week of my life!!!
Not to mention jumping that shark, Double E! 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
Well, there were, they just weren't called "spoilers." Just ask my buddy who didn't get to go see Empire when it opened with the rest of us, and he found out about Vader/Luke by overhearing us talking the following Monday! 😜
I'm a GenXer and hated having to have patience so I caught on to the streaming thing as soon as it came out. I don't have cable anymore and rarely watch anything that can't be binge watched. I let shows build the entire season and wait until after the season is over to watch them all. Since I didn't have it as a child, I would moan when I realized something was a two-parter but have the show on the next week to catch the conclusion.
Paddles in every classroom Stop crying or I'll give you something to cry about Your cruising for a bruising Don't tell em what we called each other in high school
When we mail ordered something we had to fill out the order form beg somebody to drive us to the post office for a cashier's check, snail mail it out, then wait 4 to 6 weeks for shipping. Now that's patience. We appreciated the package and was sooo happy when it came in the mail!!
Yeah, it's so true. I remember checking the mail for months until it finally arrived. The point wasn't even the thing we ordered itself but the fact that we would be the only one in our gang to have one.
One of the things I loved growing up when I look back at it(I was born in 75)There was no photo evidence of all the debauchery my friends and I got up to lol. Aww the days of no smartphones or phone cameras.
A person's past yearbook pictures are ABSOLUTELY NO comparison to the countless, FOREVER- OUT-THERE, modern day cellphone pics, videos & messages, documenting, seemingly, EVERY single second of today's, and, to a big degree, now, yesterday's, youths reckless, immature, lives, whatsoever! Also, many young, freaky, people, in days of yore, lol, totally skipped extracurricular school activities & yearbook pictures, as well. Seriously, I feel bad for kids & young people today because of THIS, just because one's youthful indiscretions, past, &, often, bullies, can & will follow them throughout their lives, & getting OFF of social media, is, unfortunately, a real hindrance to job & legitimate social opportunities and out of the question for MOST. Life is, and WAS, hard enough without that constant scrutiny, judgement, & pressure, IMO.
Yesterday the internet went out in our neighborhood, and while on my evening walk; the park was full of kids of all ages. It was like a throw back to the 80’s.
Yup. You're right. We had a longing to be an adult back then because we lived in an adult world. Everything was "when I grow up" because we were not spoiled. Deprivation spawns resourcefulness and creativity. The whole world is a fantasy land for kids today so why would they ever want to grow up at all? We didn't have that at all. There were no kids toys in stores except Toys R Us. Regular stores had that really tall ball rack of shiny, colorful, bouncy balls but they weren't for us. There was also a rusty old merry go round outside the store with paint chipping off it and was embarrassingly bad. I don't know who those bouncy balls were for because they were always full. I think they were put there to make us feel more deprived than we already felt. There was a gumball machine by the exit and that was the best we could hope for haha That deprivation spawned out creativity nature and we made our own games.
Callie, would you believe we just did a whole podcast specifically about the Dewey Decimal System?! You might enjoy it -- check it out: genxgrownup.com/bt_dewey_decimal_system
Going to three different libraries and then waiting for a week to get requested resource material that was at other libraries. Now I can do the same thing in 5minutes with Google. I would have been able to get a lot more sleep in college if we had the internet in the late 1980s.
Anyone else use a suitcase for getting text and resource books around College? Or a Bad back from carrying all those text books around hanging off one shoulder?
Yes! Yes, indeed! Steven, I have definitely used vice grips in my old pickup (first vehicle I ever had). 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
How about the busted strap on your Adidas bag you carried you school stuff in? Didn't get a new one until you broke all four of the mounting points for the straps. Lugged it around with the busted handles until they all ripped off... and still used it for weeks after.
One of my favorite memories as a kid was being able to go outside without someone constantly watching over me. Freedom to do things without being so-called monitored by either an adult or a camera that was being recorded 24/7. The one thing I truly laugh at today is when the power goes out in a neighborhood. People panic & don't know what to do cause they are always on an electronic device playing games, texting their friends across the table from each other, or watching TV. Outside was my favorite place & our creek in the backyard was my sanctuary, where I created many great memories. I wasn't warping my mind on video games, spending all my quarters or hanging out at the malls. I loved cardboard sliding, catching frogs, or tadpoles in ditches or creeks, swimming in the ocean or taking apart my bike/skateboards, then trying to put them back together. I wanted adventures in the great outdoors & in my neighborhood, I had everything I needed to have fun. The neighborhood kids would all play hide n seek, kick the can, twister on neighbors front lawn or building bike ramps, so we could ride our bikes off them. It's when my generation actually interacted with each other, not texting from across a table as kids do these days. I started a paper route in the 5th grade with my friend 5 houses up from me. I kept that paper route thru my junior year in high school. In today's world, kids are mostly on the internet & social media, playing violent video games that control kids' lives & not in a good way. It breaks my heart when I hear on the news that a little boy or girl at the age of 6, 9, or 11 feels they have no other answer than to commit suicide cause they were being bullied by kids at their schools or in their neighborhood. People these days don't feel comfortable enough to sit quietly, read a book & use their imagination while reading that book. I used to read books for hours & create a movie in my head from what I was reading. I never had to have the $100 shoes, jeans, or major clothing labels. I had hand me downs from my older sisters. It was a huge deal to be able to get a Big Mac at McDonald's & would only have them when there were coupons in the weekly newspaper. My parents raised 4 of their own children, 3 foster boys & adopted me. I had powdered milk for life cereal or corn flakes, & sugar was definitely out of the question. I appreciated eating home-cooked meals & eating dinner at the table with everyone.
I remember Bro, Telephone pole to telephone pole street football and hockey, sidewalks were out of bounds. When the lights came on it was time to head home.
leazzel7 My mom bought a Bicentennial Datsun that was white with red and blue pinstripes with red interior. The most tackiest thing ever. Still love it.
I remember how we all went to school on a specific day that year in period clothing. It was a school-wide project at my elementary school. So, I had the whole outfit - tricorn hat and all! LOL!
Being fortunate to have an aunt and uncle living near D.C., we visited them for the Fourth. And watched the Bicentennial fireworks on the National Mall. We went super early with a picnic basket and folding chairs, along with everyone else. Sat at the opposite end of the reflecting pool from the Washington Monument, and watched everyone else who brought firecrackers and sparklers. Then the real show started, and it was fantastic!
As a gen x gal. I just love this! I miss the 80’s! The freedom was awesome! Going to the park by myself! Tinkering to make things work again! Taking to people in person. Tech stuff is nice and I do enjoy them but give me a radio and a book and solitude and I’m happy
If Millenials want to see who Gen X'ers were all they have to do is watch Stanger Things or Goonies. I really miss the 80's way of life and am really disappointed the way the country is right now. It's like everything is subpar now. Movies, music, sports etc.
@@keybored67 maybe I got lucky but my grandma and pa were pretty hip. Especially my pa. He was a military man who loved Pink Floyd, Beavis and Butthead, Ren and Stimpy, South Park, and had an incredible crush on Sheryl Crowe and Halle Barre.
I came into the world in 1970, and I can remember corporal punishment by the principal of my elementary school being a thing. I knew several kids who "got sent to the office" and returned to the classroom rubbing their backsides.
Yeah, Jennifer -- I was sometimes one of those kids! Thanks for watching and commenting. 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
I'd have hit the fucker back! Then my dad would have. Dude, I was 12 and busted by the principal..he took my cigarettes and threw them in the garbage. I made him give them back to me. No 💩. New Jersey
Oh those were the days! Rebellion and disruptive children did not rule the school! I went to a private school and I can still remember that paddle that had holes in it! I almost got it but lucky me the principal went home sick that day, I thanked God and never did wrong again!
Oh man how did I miss this video? Fantastic, Jon. You captured it. I'm 56, so right there with you. Number one is SO TRUE! Thank you for a good presentation.
This guy is right on all these points! I was a kid in the 80s and a teen in the 90s. those were the best if times. I remember my best friend would come over to my house on weekends and he would sleep over. and we would just go out and be outside and do stuff, bad shit at times, but we were out there, being creative with everything. When we were even younger, my friend, my sister and I would go out on the block and explore places, like once we went under the patio of this restaurant and we found nothing but money from people.dropping it through the cracks and we thought we were the shiznit. We went over to the other patio and went under the deck to find forks and knives and more money. it was the best experience we could possibly have in our small world, but in our minds it was HUGH! As a matter of fact, we called these patios Money Base 1 and.Money Base 2. I'll never forget those awesome memories !
Thanks for watching, Cuthbert. If you can relate to this kind of GenX nostalgia, I would invite you to check out our weekly audio show: genxgrownup.com/pod
Being born in GENERATION X, I remember... It took time to write a letter and excitedly check the mailbox every afternoon for a week for a reply. Playing with other kids outside who we didn't know. Sending text messages to friends in class written on a tiny piece of paper and passed down the line by classmates. Making personalised mix-tapes by recording songs off the radio as gifts for our friend's birthdays. Rewinding the mix-tapes on the end of a pencil to save battery power on our Walkman. Watching Greatest American Hero every week to find out if he will ever learn to land. Working summer jobs to earn money to buy what we wanted. Asking a person out on a date in person. Having to line up against the wall with our siblings so our mother could snap the last two photos so she develop the roll of film. Waiting until the next day for the roll of film to be developed. Fast food was a treat, not a lifestyle. A bag of chips was full. Board games were fun. Dial the radio station on a rotary phone to be the first caller with the correct answer to win pizza. There was no redial on a rotary phone. When left at home alone, parents would call home on the landline, hang up after two rings, then call again as a code to answer the phone. Things would be repaired, not replaced. A hiding was warranted for misbehavior. Kids learning basic survival skills. Boy Scouts was a thing to envy. Chores around the house was a requirement for living under your parent's roof. Farting on your sibling's head was funny, not assault. Falling off the jungle gym was usually our own fault, not the fault of the manufacturer. Music was music. Getting a Penthouse magazine created instant friends. "Snake" was the best video game ever! "Aqua Rings" kept us entertained for hours. Rolling down the car window was air conditioning. Finding a book at a library to study was like searching for lost treasure. Being on a phone call and stretching to reach for something but can't quite get it because the phone's curly cord wasn't quite long enough. Bad actions had consequences. Losing a competition meant no medal. Constantly calling the video store to find out whether anyone has returned a copy of the latest release of the film that was completely rented out. Browsing at the video store. A dollar bought a bag of candy. The family ate dinner together in the same room. Slamming down the phone was the most satisfying way to end an argument. "Trick-or-Treating" with no fear. MTV had music. The best time to grow up.
Wow, thanks for watching and taking the time to share so many great memories! 😀 I hope you will subscribe and check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
Getting 2 quarters and then you and your big wheel gang riding down to the local liquor store and getting a candy bar AND a bag of candy. Halloween, my Sister and I or I and my friends would be out till midnight going from block to block filling up our pillow cases. We did not come back unless it was full. If we still had time, we would empty our pile on the floor in our claimed spot then go back out. First time I took my two older nephews out, after a block the oldest one (1991) says, why can't we just eat the candy grandma bought? Doh! The kid may be a fuddy duddy but dammit Jim, he is using logic. Kid may have some Vulcan blood in him. My Dad was a juvenile diabetic so sweets in our house came three times a year. Easter, Halloween and Xmas. We did not have sodas. We had Tab because my Dad could drink it. Not real though. My Mom had to experiment then for sugar free. I grew up asking is this real or fake? Real = sugar. Fake, I would not touch.
You know what, though we are worlds apart (I'm from Singapore), born in 1964, every point you made in this video, it's relevant to my "world" in Singapore. Thank you for making this video. If I would to add, I would say that we are a generation that appreciates our parents, despite their imperfection. We understand that we do not live in a perfect world, and we have to make tough choices, and those tough choices "is the best we can do" and we live by it. Sure our parents "could have..." and "should have..." but we know they had to put food on the table. And I think we invented the phrase "there's no free lunch" we learn the virtue of working for our own money early. I started working for my own money at age 14. I hope these points resonates with you. Again thank you for your video.
I know I'm with you from Louisiana. and I remember having to go street-to-street door-to-door to see if someone wanted their grass cut so I can earn enough money to get my first pair of boots. that took me six months to get. Sure do miss my first pair of boots 😢
I love your comment, but we were definitely NOT the inventors of that phrase. Still, while every generation blamed and resented previous generations to some extent for some things, you're right that all along we always recognized that those generations had most things harder and we respected them. Today I have not yet seen much respect from the younger generations as they have been essentially taught such lies about us and our history, so they have inky formed negative perceptions about us. Maybe, someday, they will come to realize some truth about us and even those before us. I don't want this for us. I want it for them.
Was born in 1978, I remember writing a letter to my cousin that lived in a different city. Then waiting a week or two for her letter back. Or phoning a friend on a landline just for her mom to tell me she's not there and she'll give a message. No cellphones, no instant messaging...you had to wait😂. Dang that pencil and cassette tape took me back!!!❤
@@adamhonestyanddecency5054 1969er also. Saturday morning cartoons, tv dinners in foil trays, being alive for the introduction of the microwave and getting excited over microwave popcorn. atari kicked off home gaming yet we still played pinballl at the corner candy store. good times !!!
Great vid! I’m a gen Xer from 1969. We had the last great “normal” generation, imo. Having ‘hands off’ parents was awesome, it built character and independence. No participation awards for me, thanks!
I'm also a Gen Xer, but this comment kind of annoys me. The millennials didn't give *themselves* participation trophies.. we did that to them. I think because we were all latchkey kids we overcompensated and became helicopter parents. We should own up that the boomers taught us independence, and we kind of screwed the millennials out of that. (Of course I don't mean you and me, I obviously mean the other gen x'ers :) ).
@@misterkite I was born in 81 so Im not X and some millennials see people my age to old for them and we didn't have trophys for second place and we also played on the streets untill it was dark without supervision, no internet, no modern technology other than maybe Nintendo or Atari
As a vintage late '70, I pined for other generations, the '50s & before, beach movies &c. Being able to buy a used Super Eight for $100.... Having the skilz to rebuild same....
Was sore at Boomers for taking away Normal. Got driver's license on my own. At college drove a $200 LeSabre for a semester, took test on friend's Mom's '88 New Yorker. Could go all family disappointments, they had their reasons, in addition to pure flakiness.
Part of the problem is that while we “didn’t care” and were “independent” as kids, as parents we tended to make up for that in disempowering our kids by letting them be hyper-vigilant, hyper-connected virtually, and at the same time disconnected IRL. Let’s be honest! We are the parents of most of the Gen Zers out there. We need to care enough to recognize that we reaped what we sowed.
Some of our generation as parents overcompensated for the lack of guidance and parenting by our own parents (it’s 10pm. Do you know where your children are?) by becoming helicopter parents, hovering over them every second of the day.
Back in the 80s my mother would have me pick up the dog crap in the backyard. I'd wait as long as possible because I had better things to do. But when I did I'd scoop up the hard turds & spray paint them different colors and put them back.
I feel like we Gen X’ers are like the middle child growing up in a family with both older & younger siblings. We are not talked about as much; it’s like the mainstream media focuses mostly on the Baby Boomers and Millennials. We are like that forgotten middle child. But everything the guy says in the video is true. Especially being very resourceful, because we lived in both the analog & digital world. So we know how to manipulate both worlds, when it is needed for our advantage.
That's a nice analogy, BlaccTony69. 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
this is true in which case I have actual experience of accidently being dropped at the age of two on to the floor board of my parents car in 1977. Still have the scar on my forehead.
In the early 70s, my dad's jeep had no doors, seat belts and he drank his can of beer(s) while driving. Great time...plus he let me drink and drive. Miss those daze!
I'm 50 just turned 50 and I think one of the things that I absolutely love the most about the fact that I grew up in the 70s and the 80s is that all the stupid stuff we did is not immortalized on a phone somewhere
Born 1968...When I was a kid we used to get refrigerator boxes, fill them with leaves, climb a very tall tree and jump into it, so much fun. We put cards on our bicycles with clothes pins to hit the spokes to sound like an engine. We made cars out of cardboard, wood and skateboards. We rode our bikes 60 miles a day on adventures back when Vegas was just a desert. We did everything for ourselves, and we were never in doors, never. We skateboarded, BMX Bikes, chewed tobacco, drank beer, smoked cannabis and watched a lot of classic movies when they first came out like Top Gun, Earthquake, Risky Business, Ferris Buellers Day Off, Gremlins, Monte Python Movies...etc. We lived in a great time, and I really miss those days a lot. Now I'm 50 and have to try to cope with this new world, it's not working out to good so I've decided to leave it all for off grid living & more adventures for me like hiking, camping, fishing, boating...being outdoors meeting people. Life's too short to spend it in a building or small cubical working and being a slave to societies ways of today of good credit, nice house, nice bank acct, cars, boats, cycles..etc. To get those things you need to jump through all the hoops to get there...and I flat out refuse to be a slave to get it. I've downsized BIG time...life's simpler, happier, have more time and I'm less stressed. Something for you slaves to think about. Success in my world is not about gaining material wealth, it's about all the great experiences in this life and what you do with your time and money and who you share it with that's important...GO ON ADVENTURES...LIVE...WORK LESS...LIVE ON LESS...LIVE!!!
interesting how you analyzed the simple things in life the way it was growing up GenX, and juxtiposed it against modern society. Marketing and social norms that baby boomers injected say keep up with the Jones' , buy a house, buy cars, buy insurance, buy name brands, basically be a consumer with brainwashed babyboomer bullshit. you spend, spend, spend, and eventually you die, just to be replaced like a worn out battery into the system. GenXers are skeptical about government, higher ups, organizations, rules, etc. and being skeptical about society is no different. We can find a different way to live out our lives in a manner more independent, more experiential, more in tune with those simple things that made us happy. GenX certainly has the creative capacity to figure this out and lead the way for others to follow.
AD L, i really appreciate your comment. it's excellent food for thought. i relate 101% to everything your comment incorporates - I just need to figure out how to live more happily without having to rely on the slave system and I haven't done it yet : (
THE WAY, I love, love, love, love your comments. Yeah sure lots of people loved your comments, I know, but I am in awe of what you have been able to accomplish for yourself and would really love to get some pointers from you. My sister just turned 50 and she is married with kids and doing the whole normie thing and sometimes she seems happy and other times not so much. I am 47 and still haven't found what I'm looking for but have definitely learned by now, the more simple I keep things, the happier I am. I need very little to be happy so it's speaking volumes to me that I am so unhappy as I am. I am burnt out from corporate America and just can't do it anymore - not getting any younger and even though I try to stay fit & feel good enough most days, age does catch up and this ball & chain is starting to get heavy. I desperately desperately desperately want to go in the direction you have gone in but I don't even know where to start. Thank you for any input. I love nostalgia and love thinking back to growing up in the 80s, but it's bittersweet only because I am not happy in my present life so I must change this scenario.
THE WAY, your one point is EXACTLY where I am - it is not working out too well for me, either, this trying to adjust to a new world. I am at the point where I can't even stand technology. I never got into facebook, I don't use twitter and could not care less, i don't take selfies and anymore, half the time i don't understand the expressions and abbreviations/acronyms people use and am sick of having to stop and look this stuff up. i am happiest outside and disconnected from the techie rat race - but how to make a living, enough for the basics, nothing fancy. Good for you for being able to have done what you did. I hope I can one day, too. Life is short and I am sad for this time I am wasting being unhappy and stuck in a place I am not happy in.
51 now and miss the anonymity of the 80’s. Great video by the way, really enjoyed your insight. When I want to disconnect for a bit now I go for a bike ride. Makes me feel young again :).
I love this. You are dead on brother. I think we are the last generation that can actually state: “Jack of all trades, master of none”. Thank you for a blast to the past today.
Thanks, Derek, both for watching and taking the time to comment! 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
I'm a GenXer myself and this was really a cool vid. Thanks a lot for all you've mentioned, it conjured up some nice memories. And yes, fully agree with you, we're way more resourceful and independent (or independently thinking) than the younger generations. What I despise today is the 'typing instead of talking' mentality in younger people. Don't get me wrong, I also love my PC or phone, but when I want to connect with someone, I just want to talk. I don't want to type a message and not hear the other person. The personal touch is being completely lost. That's one of the bigger changes I've noticed in the form of communication today and not necessarily for the better.
I agree about the communication thing. My boss is 10 years younger than I, he texts or emails me questions. I told him to call me and ask me, because I only check my email once a week if, unless I am expecting something, and a phone was made to talk on, I do not text. Took him a while, but he got it.
Proud Gen-X'er here, born in 1972! Ours is one of the smallest generations numerically, probably due to The Pill and Roe v Wade, although I can't quantify that. And ours was the generation that witnessed the birth of no-fault divorce. So many of us were latch-key kids growing up as a result.
1972 here too 😊 I was a Latchkey kid, but not because of divorced parents. Both of my parents worked. They left the house before the school day started, and didn't get home until a couple hours after the school day was over. We had to learn how to take care of ourselves at a young age, and I definitely think we were better off because of it. Proud to be a Gen Xer! 😊
Gen X was the first generation to really get ravaged by legalized abortion, contraceptives, and no-fault divorces. I often refer to Gen X as the "Practice Children" because so many of us ended up being discarded with the first marriage, whereas a lot of Millennials benefited from the fact that their Boomer parents had, by the time they were born, 'settled down' and finally put up their Boogie Shoes
We are the generation they keep taking years from to move the other ones around to fit whatever current theory they want to peddle. Since abortion was available for the Millennial generation I do not see that as why Gen X is less. Millennials used to be called Echo Boomers because a lot of Baby Boomers opted not to have kids in the 70s but later in life.
I remember looking at the Sears, JcPenny, & Montgomery Ward Christmas catalogs for hours on end, A Walkman was the best invention on earth & one of my classmates demonstrated how to reload shotgun shells in speech class.
In speech class?! LOL! I'm right there with you on the catalogs, Terry. That's how I wrote my Christmas list every year! 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
In my lifetime, I have called friends on rotary phones and rewound cassettes with pencils. And waited 6-8 weeks for delivery for literally EVERYTHING I ever damn ordered from anyone.
Remember the movie "Big". The entire plot revolved around how he had to wait months to find out where the Zoltar machine would be next! If he could just google it, the story could have never played out the way it did.
6 років тому+2
Emceemur .... I remember ordering something from the television and paying the C.O.D (cash on delivery) to the mailman once he delivered it!.
Born in 74 rotary dial went out of vogue when I was 10. I couldn't stand my grandma's lime green rotary phone. I begged her to get push button. I did stick pencils in a cassette tape if it unraveled and I had a hard time figuring out the rubik cube.
Emceemur And you witnessed the very first cell phone and now use the latest ones. Probably have a laptop, navigation, etc. we have witness the old and new.
I was born during those last boomer moments/first gen x moments (Dad fought in WW II) It's been a great perspective moving through life with a foot in each world. I've got a deep appreciation for and identification with both.
Another thing about our generation too, is I think we grew up in an era and currently live in one that gives us a very broad cultural literacy. If you think about it, when we were little kids, our grandparents' entertainers were still very much a part of our lives. Bob Hope Specials, Bing Crosby at Christmastime, "I Love Lucy" reruns during the day. Plus, we grew up right during the Normal Lear era of television, where we would regularly observe characters like Archie Bunker and George Jefferson engage in hilarious diatribes on subjects where televison will no longer tread. Yet at the same time, the Huxtables showed us that no matter our race or socioeconomic status, all families really are the same. Then we adopted our own musical tastes, which depend on which wave of Gen X you're from, yet so many of those stars we listened to died prematurely. And now our children's music is what we're regularly exposed to. I think this has given us an open-mindedness on entertainment that I don't know that we share with other generations. Steroetypically speaking, I think Boomers are still into their entertainment, and be prepared for the blank stare you get by saying the name Bob Hope to a millenial.
I tend to agree, Rick. And it's funny you mention all of those TV shows, as our very next podcast is reflecting on GenX era sitcoms! If you are interested, maybe check that audio companion to our UA-cam channel! genxgrownup.com/pod
We are right in the middle so Gen Xers can appreciate the old old world of the WW2 generation and Silent Generation , The Boomer world and all pre-digital era entertainment. I have to laugh to myself (and out of no disrespect just humor) when a Millennial co worker and friend of mine did not who Richard Dawson, Lee Majors, Tom Jones, Raquel Welch (yeah really !) was until I told them. And they are nearly 30 years old! Millennials are knee deep in technology and that is understandable. And most can't conceive of a non digital world. Being raised in an analog world and seeing the beginnings of the digital unfold in school years and blow up in young adulthood is a blessing. Millennial acquaintances and co workers of mine get a kick when I tell them I did not have a home PC until the year graduated college, my parents did not want to pay for cable and we did not get it until I was in HS. and I did not purchase my first cell phone until I was in my late 20's because...I did not really need it! It is all about perspective and where you come from.
In the mid 80s I inherited some wine boxes of 78s c1905-50 Latin, Hawaiian, Argentine, Light opera, classical, several flavas of Swing. Permawarped musical taste.
@T Mox Exactly! Remember when "Designing Women" had a client contract them to plan his funeral because he was dying of AIDS? Television shows used to tackle subjects that current PC hysteria no longer makes possible.
I remember in the 90's when the family's VCR broke and the family took it to get fixed at the local video store. Well, me and my brother knew how to fix stuff simply by watching someone the first time. We had asked the guy if we could watch, and him not knowing how smart we really were. He let us watch him. We learned our VCR belt came loose and learned how to clean the heads. Our Dad also wanted us to "go in theback", cause he knew we were smart and employees wouldn't think twice that we could fix things by only watching something get fixed one time. This in turned saved our Dad money, because when the VCR broke, we knew how to take it apart and fix it and clean. We even learned how to tear apart the TV and replace the fuse whenever the picture started fading and shrinking. Our Dad saved a bunch of repair money by his smart kids learning how to fix stuff. My Dad wasn't dumb either as he worked for the military teaching the troops how to survive during a chemical and radiation outbreak. He was just smart in his finances and knew people wouldn't think twice that two little kids could fix a TV, VCR and vacuum cleaner.
Sounds like were set! 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
We did have to start remembering where we put the cordless phone during the 80s but at least we knew it was still in the house. The cell phone could be anywhere.
I remember before cell phone's when you Talked on the phone it came in crystal clear as if the person was standing next to you. Now you almost have to text because the phone's break up drop calls or too distorted most of the time.
Following that policy, we've got a whole UA-cam channel full of thumbs-up worthy videos for you! 😁 Hope you stick around and check out much more, Jaygo!
Thanks, Mark, and welcome to the channel. We'd love it if you subscribed and enabled notifications, because we produce new content every week that you might enjoy! 😃
I'm a 78er, former latchkey paperboy video store rat who was biking solo all over the city by age 12. Motherless, rudderless, alienated and endangered ...but free! Despite agreeing with all the advantages mentioned in the video, I (and many Gen Xers) have a lot of anger and cynicism, too. Both the Boomers and the so-called Greatest Generation were a lot less than "great" in the world we grew up in. I think that's why so many of us have turned out to be helicopter parents -- we're trying to give the protection and love we feel we missed out on.
You draw a very interesting line between our experiences and the kind of parents we became, Shadeplant. Millennials have had the experience they do because of us!😀
I agree shade plant, I was born 1971 and had freedom, freedom to run into kiddy fiddler old men and be groomed at 13. im a helicopter paranoid parent because I know the dangers out there from experience.
You could have gone the other way - realized your parents, their parents were shit and caught in a repetitive loop cycle ... and OPT out of the whole fucking thing. Never get married, never have any kids, end the family tree. Hazza - welcome to #MGTOW
One of the best things about gen X was growing up around the depression era generation who were resourceful and level headed and practical and optimistic. Their memory gives me comfort in todays dysfunction.
Hey I’m glad to have found this place. I’m playing it out loud so my GenZ son can understand what I went through growing up. I was attacked for being GenX and said we’re to blame for the way the world is along with the Boomers. I’m like, ‘Hon, all of our generations including yours, will have good, bad and ugly. We are the generation taking care of you catering to your needs, and taking care of our Boomer/ earlier generation parents.” I finally just blocked because there was no way she understood what I was telling her. I love being GenX. It’s what I am. Thank you all for the warm welcomes to the discord server!
I once sent physical quarters in an envelope in reply to some commerical. They sent me a ghost buster glow in the dark freezbee! I still have this in my garage lol
Thanks for the insight Jon, I couldn't agree more! Today's generation is engaged in their phones/tablets at all times. Tech is good, but so is being able to have freedom and independence, especially at a young age. Some of my best memories are of riding my BMX across town, to meet up with friends at the local arcade👍
Ooh the patience thing - yes! I remember when Def Leppard’s Hysteria album came out. I was 13 and obsessed with it and wanted to learn the lyrics. I saved my allowance and went to all the music stores until I found a guitar book for Hysteria which also provided the lyrics for the ridiculously expensive price of $16 but I was desperate!
Ouch! You got me right in the memory! I had to order, wait for, and then purchase song books for The Alan Parsons Project because I wanted to try to program the music to be played by my Atari 800! Thanks for watching, Scoopy Pants! 😀
This was awesome! A great way to inform about our generation without demeaning others! To add to your MacGiver it point, I think that we tend to be more careful with our stuff back then because we knew that if we broke it, it might not be repairable... and having another shiny new toy was out of the question! Nowadays is really easy to just order a new one! Great video and keep up the good work!
That sense of independence is so, so true. I was working at a place a few years ago and some kid was so happy he turned 21, and was happy about all the things he could finally do. And then followed up with stating the best part of it all was that he didn't have to move out from his parents or grow up or be responsible for himself for another ten or twelve years. I wanted to so badly slap him until my fingers started bleeding. I was raised that when you graduate high school you get out in the world and take care of yourself and figure stuff out. Even before that I was independent and could take care of myself before I became a teen. And then when I became a teen and wanted money I got a job.
Born in the mid 60’s, no play dates, no staying indoors on a computer, worked as a teenager, eating TV dinners, no supervision, walking or riding a bike for miles to get somewhere. If the teacher called your parents you got your ass kicked and the school was not threatened by a lawsuit. Adults were addressed as Mr. and Mrs. Going to rock concerts at 13 with my friends and no Parents. Best time to grow up.
The younger generations will never fully grasp how f*in awesome we are! 😎👍🏼 I fully agree with the independence part. I was a latchkey kid since the 3rd grade (my older teen brothers were supposed to watch me after school, but were too busy out getting high with their friends), so I was a self taught cook, and everything else. I used to babysit my sister's babies/toddlers since age 8. Funny, because nowadays my parents would've been in jail for leaving me at home. Lol
Born in '75, so yeah, this is spot on. Might suggest one more: self-reliance which is related to but definitely separate from Independence. I see so many younger people now who have no idea how to do (often simple) things that we learned before the age of the internet. Doing things on your own like changing a flat tire, fixing a leaky faucet, etc.
Great video!! My mother is so awesome! She actually boxed up my bedroom, saved my bedroom furnature and I have it all now in my house in a spare bedroom...right down to my prom dress and letter jacket hanging behind the door. Care Bear glasses, Lite Brite, latch hook wall hangings, Fashion Plates and 4-H ribbons and even my boom box are all out for me to touch, look at and enjoy!! It has spilled over into our second living room/ bar area which is super vintage with all of our albums, 45's and cassettes which...yes...we listen to all the time. In said livingroom we have an older box tv with a VCR (& a wall of VHS movies), pong, Atari and a Nintendo! Frogger is still super fun and our friends and family think it is awesome and we are crazy! It is like stepping back in time and with the world the way it is...it is pretty nice to do once in a while! Born in 70...partied in the 80's...still living it all today! Btw...gave up all social media in Feb 2018...best thing I ever did!
Childhood freedom is what I cherish most from growing up Gen X. Given responsibility by parents made you be responsible. So much less trust today. Concerning technology, Facebook has ruined the reconnect with friends and family. I mean if you already know ever detail of their daily existence.. what do you talk about face to face? It kills the excitement of "catching up". My FB is now deleted.
I get you, Brent. I stopped a bit short of deleting my FB account -- I know there are just too many friends that I may never "catch up" with if I don't do it online. My closest and dearest friends, of course, but there just aren't enough days in the year to travel to and sit down with all the people I care about. Thanks for checking out the video, and I did a follow-up to it on our channel as well that you might enjoy. 😀
Freedom was a good thing but there were things I went through that I would have been protected against had an adult been around. I agree with you on the social media thing. People think if it’s on Facebook everyone knows. I don’t have social media if you want to tell me call me on the phone like adults do. Lol
I'm convinced that Facebook is a plot by millennials to destroy our generation. Kidding. But in all seriousness, I could never understand the appeal of Facebook. It's very, very fake. I'm glad to see people getting away from it now.
@@CraftyZanTub - Yeah, Facebook is also good if you have family all over the world and its an inexpensive way to keep in touch with everyone (Filipinos that work overseas or families that emigrated elsewhere). Skype is also pretty great and inexpensive too!
Truth!!! You pretty much nailed it. You can't forget that we learned how to use a card catalog at a library. I don't think my kids could even use a phone book. "Dad, what's the Yellow Pages?" *Subscribing to your channel*
Hahaha! Firstly, Stay Street, thanks for watching, commenting and especially for subscribing. Great to have you here. Secondly, it's hilarious that you mention the card catalog. Just a few weeks ago we dedicated an episode of our weekly podcast to the Dewey Decimal System -- give it a listen maybe: genxgrownup.com/bt_dewey_decimal_system 😜
Gen X was the independent generation - we were always taking care of ourselves. Yes, we rode our bikes everywhere! We are in great shape (I was a gymnast) still. We were the generation to see computers and video games. Working by age 15 at the local theater, and working long, long hours. We are the hardest working generation!👍🏽
As a Gen-Xer, I learned that Carbon was a common element essential to life, and not a reason to tax the masses. I learned that good fences (and Walls) make good neighbors - and we actually spoke to our neighbors rather than texting... and I learned Real history, as opposed to deconstructionist garbage.
@@johngalush8790 EXACTLY, mostly ludicrous, easily PROVEN false conspiracy theories, no doubt, that the TRUE sheeple, whom call ALL of the basically, educated, rational, historically accurate, overall, truth-believing masses, whom don't buy INTO such infantile, conspiracy-crack-headed, NONSENSE "sheeple,"...IRONY🐑🐏
@@johngalush8790 From Grandpa who was there, USA Signal Corps, ETO. Carbon paper was a fun toy, out of grandma's office trashcan, also the PCH stickers. A cigarette lighter shaped like a Nehi soda she was defensive of. Only years of her passing, learned she was a secret smoker, 1923-2012. Bought a Nehi bottle lighter at the Morro Bay Bottle Show, partly in her memory, and to finally touch and explore it! As an unpaid gardener, I fit in as a digger now.
Sad but true, Jennapher. (awesome spelling, btw) Surround yourself with GenX'ers who haven't forgotten! 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video recently that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
Remember putting cellotape over the edge of cassette so you could record in it, then spending Sunday evening recording the Top 100 music charts, pausing i between each track when the DJ spoke !
I love being disconnected from social media and everything else we now have that connects us instantly to anything. I leave my phone on my charger more often than not, and keep myself busy doing household chores, reading a book, etc. I honestly miss the days before all this technology. My kids and I will go out to dinner, and leave our phones on the car or in our pockets. They don't get set down on the table. We actually converse with each other. We look around the restaurant and frequently see couples or entire families completely ignoring each other, with their noses in their phones. So sad.
I find gen X'ers don't have the self esteem issue, that the previous and prior generation. Your not the younger group trying to live up to unrealistic expectations. That grew up w and were bombarded w online as children, which prob has some effect on am individual or groups as a whole. But were also not the older generation trying to remain relevant in a rapidly changing complicted time in history. I also believe gen X may have better critical thinking skills. Unlike the older generation they're not super stuck in their ways. Or try to demonstrate they aren't by over compensating. But gen x unlike the younger groups, from my experience don't subscribe to group think to the same extent . Gen x was taught to question the norm and status quo. Where the younger groups have almost had that literally removed from their existance. The mere thought of individualism in the the eyes of some are literally considered scary amd even traumatic in some circles. Long story short were basically surrounded by crazy people on both side of our generation, they're both crazy just in different ways, for different reasons.
Hey, ObiShaun, thanks for watching and especially for sharing your experience. 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
See that clock on the wall, notice how the hands only move in one direction? In in a few years you'll be over, compensating, and stuck in your ways. The younger generation will consider you irrelevant and crazy.
I'm happy to still have crazy people on my Mom's side of the family. My cousin, whom I lived with many years as a child, had later on in life had accidentally cracked his head open and doctors said it was an injury he shouldn't have survived. But he did survive and his basically perfectly fine now. Had told some younger people this, then said my cousin is so hard-headed and stubborn he didn't know he was supposed to die. They gave me the most god awful look. But my cousin thought it was funny when I told him.
I can't imagine what it's like not to be able to just go play outside or surf till dusk. It was such a fun childhood. We would gang up and play stickball, ride bikes, or whatever.
You nailed it. I learned as a child that adults are unnecessary to much of life. They could drive, which was handy, but then again, there was always the bus, or bicycles, or just walking. Friends and I walked from one town to the next to see a movie because ours didn’t have a movie theater. Of course, an allowance was handy, but they forgot to give it to us sometimes, so you thought up things to do for free. I learned that life involves getting hurt and if you hurt yourself, you were just dumb or unlucky and you learned better next time. I never broke a bone as a child and I always felt like I’d missed a rite of passage. If you had a cast, you got attention and could share the gory details and have your friends all sign it. I learned frustration and boredom are a part of life, rather than things that had to be fixed. Halfway through Summer vacation and you’ve run out of things to do? Sucks to be you. Read a book, invent a game, teach yourself wood carving or sewing or carpentry. Don’t know how? Hope your local library has a book on it. Or most likely, just see if you can figure it out and keep band-aids handy. Neighborhood kids and I wrote and acted in our own adventure movie one summer. How the older kids got the money for film and a movie camera I’ll never know- this was before VHS or even Betamax. And being without a phone and out of contact was a mixed blessing. If I needed help I had to find a pay phone and make a collect call, but then again, if I was out at all hours getting into all sorts of trouble with friends, my parents had no idea and they would hear from me when they heard from me. Sure, I’d probably get in trouble later- but carpe diem, baby, carpe diem!
1976 here. Thank you for this great vid! I think we should be a very grateful generation. Many of the comments brought back many good childhood memories. Like how I envied my school friend because he had an own TV set in his room and had seen the space shuttle Challenger crash live on the news, while I had to go to bed at 7 or 8 pm and missed it. (Living in Germany then.) Or having to go outside the house even thou it was raining, because my parents wanted to have some sex, and then figuring out what to do next, alone in the rain, of course build some sand castles! Or not having any wrist watch, and walking up to a police officer to ask for the time, and him answering politely.
I'm a Gen-Xer from the UK, and the resourcefulness thing is true. Know lots of people who squatted buildings and they were some of the most resourceful people I've ever known - making living spaces out of abandoned buildings, hooking up power, finding legal loopholes, constantly fixing, repairing and making stuff with basically no formal know-how - just their brains
All of this is so true! I’ve noticed in other comment sections millenials, and gen z always blame each other or boomers for their failings, but never mention gen x, almost like we’ve done nothing to offend them, and we just sit back and watch them argue thinking they’re right about everything and getting very defensive. You got a new subscriber! Ps love the pac man munch sound before every point 😂👍🏾
Actually. I discovered that they tend to not mention us only because they don't know we exist. Only recently have some of them discovered there is a whole generation between the Boomers and Gen Y. They think we are the Boomers.
Be sure to include one of the big differences between Gen X and Gen Y is that our parents gave us this directive . “ When you turn 18 you’re no longer a child.”
I was kicked out of the house at 18 (mother’s new husband), but I could afford to live on my own then. There is no way I could do that today. And these poor kids come out of college with the equivalent of a 30-year mortgage student loan debt, which is why so many live at home longer.
In Iceland that age was 16, when I turned 16 I became a full time seaman on boats and trawlers and that was my occupation for the next 12 years, if you left school you better go and get a job and start making a living, slacking at home was a no no.
I'm a gen x'er and remember when it was cool to have a really long phone cord and then after a few years I would be on the phone with friend and be like ," guess where I'm talking to you from", and the answer was ," dude ! I'm on my porch! ", and that's when cordless phones came out..lol.. Of course they didn't have but 20 feet range from the base unit which was always at a "phone station ", that had the phone books and pen and paper to jot messages on and that phone station before cordless was always near a living room or kitchen which means your parents could hear every word ... So we had to be crafty and use code when talking to friends about a party or what not. Sorry to be so long winded but I felt it necessary to explain....lol...
GenXGrownUp -- and I will.. But did ya hafta call me sir? Lol.. Now I feel like a baby boomer.. Ha. !! I think I will also subscribe..can you do a thing on the 90's ? I was born in 71... Ahh it don't matter I'm about having fun either way ," and my 20's were in the 90's ...
I'm GXG - George and I was also born in '71 (Awesome year obviously!) What type of thing would you like on the 90's ... Video, Podcast, Website article? What would be the subject? We're always happy to take requests.
GenXGrownUp - hey thanks dude ! I'm going to have to give it a little thought, my b-day was yesterday and I'm a bit hung over..lol.... Or I mean Blahhh.
GenX unite! Please consider supporting GenXGrownUp through Patreon! 😀 patreon.com/genxgrownup
This channel is what I need. I don't get how the average aged UA-camr comments. I can't remember what its called but when they say off the wall things to get a reaction.
Thanks, AB. I think maybe you mean "trolling?" We've got to stay up on the lingo to survive on this Millennial platform! 😜
@@GenXGrownUp yes I keep forgetting that's what its called. I'm like if you want to talk say that to my face but then I reel it in and remember that they are potentially under 18. But I don't understand saying something on the internet that one wouldn't say to anthers face and if they would their insane.
It's a different mentality, my friend.
I don't know what I am. I'm ether a really young GenX or a really old millennial I don't expect the in between Xennial I was born Jan-19-1980 I feel more in common with the GenX someone please confirm for me what I am. All the things in the video we're spot on how I grew up.
I’m 54 years old. One of the greatest feelings of being a kid in GenX was freedom. That feeling is slowly fading for a number of reasons. Waking up early summer mornings, getting on my bike, meeting friends, communicating and engaging in what we were going to do that day. Having fun all day, then riding my bike back home at sundown. Sure, we got an ATARI in 1978, but swimming in the pool, playing records, going to the fair, and meeting girls was far better than staring at a screen or begging for attention and clicks all day on TikTok.
It's sad that most people sacrifice their freedom simply because they became an adult. I'm a Gen Xer and never lost my freedom to do what I want when I want. I understand wages are low for many people, which limits you but if that's not an issue for you there's no reason not to go out and enjoy life.
I agree.
@@LinkRocks facts
I remember in the 70s during summer vacation, getting up early to go out all day doing whatever. Your bike was like your car. You could go anywhere. When I got older I spent almost everyday at our park's Wave pool getting the best tan, then going out with friends that evening to hang out at the mall and arcade. Best of times😊😊😊
Too true we had it good.
Gen X is the bridge generation. We span the gap between the older, analog generations and the younger, digital generations. If we do this middle age thing right, we will be the glue that holds the world together.
We have no choice, withoutnus it will fall apart. Boomers are self centered, millenials are learning, what we were thrown into, but later in life and the little gen z kids are friggin brilliant, in their own right.
Very insightful
Agreed 100%. if they let us.
Rochelle MacDonald
Spoken Truth sister !
Until we are all gone and then all that's left are anti-social digital social justice warriors who want to save a planet they don't understand or even want to go out and explore.
As a generation X'r myself, I'm struck by how during this video,you walked down lots and lots of residential sidewalks.
Not a single kid out on a bike, no one out playing/walking. Every street nowadays look like ghost towns. Back in the 70's 80's people were outdoors on a nice evening like that!!!
creepy
Oh, totally! The vast majority of my Gen X youth was spent outside.
@@MultiKatieBee I know man wild reminds me of that Westworld show after they got all the dead androids off the streets n nothing was moving..
Bought my first car from mowing everyones yards in a four block radius. Good luck finding any young men hustling yard work now.
On my drive to work everyday I see kids waiting for the school bus with all heads down looking at a cell phone. If they are like that all day whew. I couldn't see just staring down to a cell phone for any amount of time. My friends would of played some prank on me or slapped the back of my neck LOL. HEY MACK what u looking at? There seemed to be some kind of ball to toss around also while we waited for the bus.
I can't imagine growing up today with all the chaos, and being tethered to social media 24 / 7. I'm so glad I grew up in such simpler times.
It was so freeing! I leave my cellphone at home on purpose. I smile all day, knowing that no one knows where I am. Makes me feel all cuddly and warm!
It does make it easier to avoid bullies, unlike back in the day.
That's the reason video games became popular. =p
One thing, as a Gen-Xer, that bothers me about this current age is how people can't seem to handle someone not liking what they like. Back when we were teens in the 80's, we always said 'opinions vary' etc etc. These days, people act as if your dislike of something that they like is some kind of severe threat to their happiness. So, they have to go on the attack. I'll never understand that - or the easily offended, narcissistic culture that's being promoted these days.
Preaching to the choir, Axcess2084! 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
lol yes ! i´ve had fights with people because i don´t like the work of their fave ( who culture vultures my fave ) but i generally don´t care if they don´t like what i like ! they on the other hand what the fuck ! they are M E N T A L i have been studying them and those behaviors l o l so have been winding them up oops
We called em porckcops and rednecks..
Porkchops across the forehead to drive it in,rednecks in the back to get it out😂😅...
Didnt count if you didnt leave at least 4 finger marks behind(prolly caught a case of tbi just playing around😂😅)
It is tedious
Let's face it though, Gen X had its own elitism when it came to what kind of music scene or social group you were into. It wasn't to the extent of being cancelled professionally if you didn't affirm latest thing - how could they back then?, but you'd get dumped on and low-key ostracized publicly if you didn't know the secret handshake to latest thing. The divisions were lame and low steaks, but present. There was a time where shit played out like gangs - threatened for having hair too long or too short, or visibly being part of (or not a part of) school or music x-subculture. If they had access to smart phones then, you'd probably see every bully trope from the 80s and 90s play out in real time, Worldstar style. Maybe not as violent but just as mean spirited and f*cked up.
For however overly offended later generations are due to over-medication and media / academic astroturfing, it's also that generation's overreaction to the Boomer-tier above-it-all attitudes that a lot of Xers had or have. Newer gens have less in terms of actual social connections and experiences that aren't reliant on technology or transactional social dynamics. They probably feel like they have less to look forward to, less stability. So anything critical of what they do have or are into, it just comes across as that much more threatening to how they see themselves. It's annoying and dysfunctional, maybe a bit psychotic. But there are reasons for it.
As a Gen Xer born in 1968, I remember as a kid in the 70's sliding all over the place in the back of our station wagon....no seatbelt, large back window down...it was awesome! I also remember sometimes being the unlucky one to have to deal with the hump in the middle part of the back seat. Oh and no air conditioning in the car.
I also WALKED to elementary school....ALL BY MYSELF.
All true, Elaine. All true. Did you have the station wagon back seat that faced in reverse? I sure did -- that was my little private domain on long trips. 😀 We devoted an entire episode of our weekly podcast to passing time in long car rides back then, so give it a listen if you have an opportunity: genxgrownup.com/car-rides
😂 we use to call that the back back. Our parents sat in the front, little kids in the back, and us big kids were in the back back.
Born in 68 and yes, my 3 brothers always forced me to sit on the hump! We ask mom to take sharp corners so we would fly all over the back of the station wagon, we were on our hands and knees so we’d go all over the place. Also rode in the back of dads truck too.
I remember riding in the bed of a pick up 😳
Another '68 baby here... we had a Ford pickup, me, my brothers and sister would ride in the back, on the freeway. We would ride bikes all over tarnation till after dark... our parents were trying to kill us all!😂
“You couldn’t just hide behind a screen and pretend to be something you’re not”... Excellent quote!🤘🤘🤘
Thank you, Sean. I'm not sure anyone has ever explicitly called out that line from the video, but it's something I really believe!
I mean, you COULD pretend to be someone you are not in real life, but was a bit more complicated and with real world consequences
Actually I pretended I was Chuck Norris saving MIA’s from Vietnam! All I needed was a stick and 3 or 4 friends. Game on!
It was still a time when you had to be real but the music wasn’t
I like to THINK THESE DAYS??-- PEOPLE if SOLID??= like Paul McCartney & Wings...Kiss!!-- Rush of the 70s.." NOTORIOUSLY REALLY tight GOOOD BANDS LIIIVE!!--- then. There were bands like The CARS-- awesome in the STUDIO kinda " duds" live....Good PEOPLE BETTER " LIVE" SCARED/ FAKE PEOPLE BETTER " STAYING IN THE STUDIO"-- AKA " STEELY DANNING OUT"-- IIN THE 1970S...I KNOWW UMM WAAAY BETTER AND BEST OF ALL!---" LIIIVE" VERSIONS!! 👍
As a Gen-X-er I can’t handle the current generation and their inability to SPEAK to people. I work in tech support and I sometimes ask my staff to call a customer to work something out. They would rather email or text or use any other form of communication rather than actually SPEAK to a customer. I pride myself on my customer service skills and I’ve sometimes resolved the worst of situations by calling the customer, listening to their concerns and working out an agreeable solution. Kids today are scared to speak with people and I think it’s one of the most valuable skills that I grew up learning.
Loving the comments, especially this one. 💯
Yes a very large majority of them are socially inadequate
I tend to "freak people out" when I show up at their cubical to ask questions about an email they sent me. I prefer to talk to you face to face. -(I'm 56)
Force my 19 year old to do his own returns and talk on the phone when he needs customer service for the very reason you said. He is good at it.
Also in tech and have kind of a super power in that I can actually talk to people and also describe complex topics in layman's terms.
Born in ‘66. Rode my bike everywhere without a helmet. Walked 4 miles to hang out at the mall and play video games like Astroids and Space Invaders. Knocked in my friends doors to see if they wanted to come out and play and spent zero time inside the house. Miss those days.
I had it very similarly, D William, except born in '69, and we would sometimes end up in the house playing Atari ro D&D. 😀
We would just stand outside house and yell for friends to come out,good times.
All that is great, yet somehow we survive without emojis.
Born in '70. Loved riding my bike the the convenience store to play Dig Dug and Asteroids...and the guy working there would sell us cigarettes ; )
it feels like i was always outside as well, but i know i read so many books, watched so many tv shows and VCR movies, played board games and cards, took stuff apart, cooked my own food and did plenty of chores too....
Although I would love to be younger I would never trade my childhood for any other generation. Growing up in the 80s was rad.
Like totally.
RAD is also name of most awesome movie ever from 1986
exhibit A as to how indeededly RAD the 80s were!
Tubular
Bradshaw yep
Totally!
I remember in the 70s trick or treating for hours in the dark with my friends all over the neighborhood. There weren't any adults with us, and we'd ring doorbells and knock on doors of complete strangers without fear.
You're right when we were kids we would knock on doors until people would either try to Run us off or not answer because of it being extremely late in the night
Saddest part of your comment is now in 2023 is when the kids knock on the door they just get shot through it
@@jamesbias1200 Yes. 😔 *Sigh*
Yeah. Walking around at night, our only instructions be back by blah time, and do not eat anything till mom and dad inspected everything.
As a Gen X, I deeply value the independent nature of my generation, especially looking back on all the times I struggled and had to pull myself out of a rut on my own. I know so many millennials that are still living off of mommy and daddy. That dependence cripples them.
Well said.
Boomers did this to Millennials. Gen Xers were the last generation to actually have a childhood.
It’s education and housing costs compared to wages that are keeping them dependent. They have it harder than any previous generation by a lot.
@@brykit1972 This! Not the way they were raised.
@@KratostheThird I'm an early Boomer who raised an early Gen Xer. Boomers did not ruin Millennials; maybe very late Boomers did to some degree, but technology ruined almost everyone. It drastically changed a world that was no more in a very short period of time so that the parents had no way to prepare their children for it. Boomers were not prepared for the world we inherited also because of technology, but it happened more slowly. I'm 75 and all 4 of my grandparents were nineteenth century (1900, 1900, 1890, 1881). Think about my parents being raised by them and how that would affect their Boomer offspring.
Resourcefulness-taking a cassette apart, using pencils to wind the tape to the twisted, damaged part, cut that section out, use cellophane tape to reconnect the broken pieces, and gluing the cassette case back together.
"It's not all about you. Especially if you're a kid." Parents didn't ask where you wanted to go out to dinner, what movie you wanted to go see, where you wanted to vacation, & you never even considered that they would've done so. You went where your parents decided you were going & most of the time you were ok with it. If you weren't, too bad, you went anyway, and you didn't throw fits about it, because it wouldn't do any good, anyway. You were going.
"Do you know my mother?" When I was in elementary school in the early-mid 70s, a good 30-40% of kids wore house keys tied around their necks with a dirty white shoelace so they wouldn't lose it. Which was important, because when they got off the school bus, they had to let themselves into their locked, empty homes. Otherwise, they would need to find a neighbor's house in which to stay, when their mothers finally returned, approx 3-5 hrs later.
This was not a good thing, because it meant the child hadn't done their homework, fed themselves a snack, set the table, perhaps started dinner, or completed the myriad of other chores they were required to do in the afternoon & was considered, "immature," "inconsiderate," and "lazy."
"Go away, go outside, find something to do somewhere else." Parents expected kids on weekends to do any chores they had & after that, GTFO and leave them in peace or to do chores in the home without you underfoot.
Just be sure to come back from wherever unknown place you went, unsupervised & without a way to contact a parent, by the time it started getting dark.
"A trophy was for actual winners, not participants." These items were rare & valued, because few were given & you really had to excel in whatever you did, to receive one. Showing up & participation was expected from everyone competing, not some great feat deserving of recognition.
"I don't want you hanging out w/ so and so, anymore. They're not a good influence."
You were furious, but you did it, because your parents were in charge, & they meant what they said back then & had actual convictions.
I pity anyone that didn't have this as a child. You were robbed. Something to think about, when you have kids of your own, if you guys are still doing that, in the future.
Thanks for those in-depth, thoughtful comments, Dianne. Maybe I need to start preparing a "Part 2" of this video to take into account some of the great comments & suggestions I've gotten on this video; yours included! 😀
what hell hole did you grow up in? You poor thing. Let me know if you need to talk
Super glue was faster and stronger than cellophane tape. Many tapes had screws that could be removed tio take them apart. BTDT.
I was one of those kids who got off the bus and let myself into an empty house. I might start dinner but I rarely did homework. The lack of supervision was not a good thing. And I remember seeing a talk show bemoaning the fate of "latch key kids" one afternoon before my mom got home from work and thinking, "Oh my god, that's me!"
The independence we got from being able to just go off with friends and explore was great though. We had to make our fun, develop social skills, and be problem solvers.
You have absolutely hit in on the head, my dear fellow GenX-er!I grew up having to figure out how to deal with real-life people around me in real time, how to problem-solve using my brain and limited resources I had if any at all, rather than effing google it and - first and foremost-how to never give up and stay patient and how to clench my teeth and keep going whatever it takes-against all odds!And we never got bored like those sorry pathetic snowflakes, who feel entitled at every turn and give up hope every time sth goes wrong or just turns out to be contrary to what they planned or expected...With brain power having been outsourced and replaced by those ubiquitous cellphones, how can the modern- day generation think for themselves and learn how to harness their brain power?Happy to have grown up without all those screens flickering around me, feeding me data and throwing soundbits and images at me!I can crack an actual book or a manual open and stay focused without losing my concentration for an hour and much longer, which for most of the snowflakes is plain unthinkable of!Go, GenX!Love you, guys!
I was born in 1970 I remember when I was a teenager in the 1980s I had the freedom to get on the 10 speed and ride 30 plus miles all over the place
Lol I remember those 10 speeds..I was born in 76 and I had to stand and pedal ..legs were too short ..
Its funny back then things seemed so advanced and ordinary for the time it’s pretty amazing how different things actually were compared to now
Me and friends always rode around together on bikes, we were like a junior biker gang. 30 plus years later I'm in a bike club. I sure miss the 80s.
I was the bike mechanic of my circle of friends. I made money fixing flats. My tubes were full of patches. I noticed now days when kids get a flat, the bike is immobilized for a long while. Lol.
I'm a teenager NOW and oh God I envy you so much. Theres tight control nowadays
1967. Remember seeing your parents on weekday mornings and then talking to them again when they came back home from work? I never worried about not hearing from my parents all day. They expected me to be responsible and take care of most things myself.
Patience. I miss people being more patient. I noticed that sales clerks are so happy when they help me and thank me for being patient.
What I miss the most are my grandparents' and great grandparents' generations. They were very practical and had so much common sense. I loved hearing them talk about their lives.
We're right there with you, Librarians! By the way, we did a follow-up to this video recently that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html 😀 Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
You will be that same said great or grandparent!
The Lost and the G.I. generations...
Like GenX and Millennial.
Born after 1900 or before 1900, those born after were more favorable to society.
Remember "Baby on Board " signs?
A Nation at risk...🤔
1966 here
Gen X. Our bicycles were freedom. Garden hose is how we stayed hydrated. Confrontation was face to face. We built things, forts, treehouses, from scrap.
My exact experience
Facts
This is what learned
1. Strike first strike hard and never stop.
2. Don't take shit from anybody.
3. If you don't have a quick comeback, well you better.
4. Don't be a slave like your parents were.
5. Better to be alone than in bad company.
Eric, it sounds like you grew up as a member of Cobra Kai! 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
6. Put em in a body bag?
Typical american ... well lets just say the rest of the world had different experiences......from another GenX (1960)....
@@dockingtroll6801 which country were you from?
@@jackjack4412 Why ??
The fall of the Berlin wall, the Challenger tragedy, when MTV actually broadcasted music videos, when you envied your friend who had cable TV😃 Proud Genxer, born 1971!
Hey, Pitbulls, welcome! It's funny you mention all of those together! We just recently did an episode of our weekly podcast where the topic was memorable TV events, and all of those you listed made the list. genxgrownup.com/bt_tv_events Check it out if you have a chance -- if you like our UA-cam stuff you just may dig the podcast too! 😃
@@GenXGrownUp
I worried when they tore down that wall all the commies would escape. And they sure did.
1971!
I remembere watching the Challenger in 5th grade. We watched in class. After we said the Pledge. When my dad got Hbo it was the best. We would have to go to the neighbors before that to watch any big sporting events.
‘68
The biggest thing that I learned growing up gen X, is that a college degree ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT guarantee a job.
Or a good salary. My spouse outearns me big time and I've got all sorts of degrees lol.
What do you expect if the number of degree courses offered exceeds the jobs that require them. They’re worthless unless it’s a useful subject and you’re top of the class.
I know quite a few successful (Nor "rich", but doing fine) people who never went to college at all. My "B.I.L." is a plumber and believe me. He's doing alright!
@@jamesslick4790 I believe it, yeah. I have a relative that didn't get a degree like I did, but he went to school to fix A/C units and he's doing pretty damn well for himself.
So much this! My dad convinced me that all I needed was a degree, and I could “write my own ticket.” Maybe true in the 60’s, but 20 years later, not so much. I do regret going to college.
We are truly the last people who will remember what life was like pre-internet, while utilizing it fully, in adulthood, as well. THAT IS A UNIQUE & VALUABLE PERSPECTIVE FOR SURE....Fleeting as well - once we are gone, so is that perspective. Gen X truly is a magical generation to have grown up in. ❤️❤️❤️
This made me tear up...
I had that even though I m a very early millennial 1981 .I didn't really use it till college .
I miss going to the library to figure something out. Especially when a librarian helped you, it was like they were a gatekeeper of information. You felt special figuring it all out in there.
Or just being out in the local woods with your friends, building a tree fort that took months to complete. Having to leave the fort to be home before the street lights were on.
This all rings true for me, as well. Thanks for watching.
YES!!!!! Have you ever been in a rare book room? Omg.... heaven. I hate my kindle 😂😂😂
I can to this day still climb a tree like a monkey
I remember we stole beer and ciggies from someone's grandparents and went to the woods. I don't think it ended too well lol.
I was a very popular young Storytelling School Librarian in the '80's, and early '90's: Very much enjoyed and identified with Gen -Xers. First student taught 4th graders born in '72. (1982).
I sometimes piss people off because I don't feel the need to constantly check my phone for messages or answer the phone when people call. Growing up, you had to actually had to be home to answer the phone. Now people expect you to always answer or get back to them.
GenX is known for being very adaptable -- being young when tech was primitive and learning to master it as we grew -- but you're right, Valerie, we don't all feel the same compulsion to be instantly connected like younger generations.
Remember how badass you felt when you told your friends that you had an answering machine? Or a VCR? :-)
I have my phone set on music in me earbud, it sits in my personal tool box drawer. If I check it, it's too see if my teen age kid needs anything. If not I dont use the darn thing
People: Don't you answer your phone?
Me: No, not when I'm living life in person.
Exactly, sometimes you just don't feel like talking to anyone.
Gen X kids had to have patience. Like having to wait a whole week to find out if The Fonz succeeded in jumping over those 14 garbage cans. That was the longest week of my life!!!
Not to mention jumping that shark, Double E! 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
Gen X, there was no such thing as "Spoilers".
Well, there were, they just weren't called "spoilers." Just ask my buddy who didn't get to go see Empire when it opened with the rest of us, and he found out about Vader/Luke by overhearing us talking the following Monday! 😜
GenXGrownUp Man, that's harsh! 😢
I'm a GenXer and hated having to have patience so I caught on to the streaming thing as soon as it came out. I don't have cable anymore and rarely watch anything that can't be binge watched. I let shows build the entire season and wait until after the season is over to watch them all. Since I didn't have it as a child, I would moan when I realized something was a two-parter but have the show on the next week to catch the conclusion.
We were the last generation to have some semblance of control over our emotions.
Yep. We learned to control our emotions, because actions have consequences...usually a fist to the nose.
We learned stoicism without knowing what it was.
We should be proud of that.
Paddles in every classroom
Stop crying or I'll give you something to cry about
Your cruising for a bruising
Don't tell em what we called each other in high school
When we mail ordered something we had to fill out the order form beg somebody to drive us to the post office for a cashier's check, snail mail it out, then wait 4 to 6 weeks for shipping. Now that's patience. We appreciated the package and was sooo happy when it came in the mail!!
Testify!
Yes dead on right!
Yeah, it's so true. I remember checking the mail for months until it finally arrived. The point wasn't even the thing we ordered itself but the fact that we would be the only one in our gang to have one.
And it didn't get stolen by the punk who delivered it!!!
4-6 weeks?!
We had to wait, 6-8 weeks!!!
One of the things I loved growing up when I look back at it(I was born in 75)There was no photo evidence of all the debauchery my friends and I got up to lol. Aww the days of no smartphones or phone cameras.
Check your high school yearbook. 😈
A person's past yearbook pictures are ABSOLUTELY NO comparison to the countless, FOREVER- OUT-THERE, modern day cellphone pics, videos & messages, documenting, seemingly, EVERY single second of today's, and, to a big degree, now, yesterday's, youths reckless, immature, lives, whatsoever! Also, many young, freaky, people, in days of yore, lol, totally skipped extracurricular school activities & yearbook pictures, as well. Seriously, I feel bad for kids & young people today because of THIS, just because one's youthful indiscretions, past, &, often, bullies, can & will follow them throughout their lives, & getting OFF of social media, is, unfortunately, a real hindrance to job & legitimate social opportunities and out of the question for MOST. Life is, and WAS, hard enough without that constant scrutiny, judgement, & pressure, IMO.
😂🤣😆
Thank god. (b.1975)
THIS!! I was the “good one” but that’s only because there was no pictures or video!!
Also, having parents standing with their kids waiting for the school bus is something we never had to deal with.
For sure. I used to have to walk a mile to the bus stop at 6am, and everybody was cool with it.
I remember, we didnt even bus if you lived within 3 miles of your school. You were a walker! now? you live a mile away and they send a bus😳
Absolutely.
@@jaymatt6725 I was a walker to middle school in every type of weather. 5 degrees F in the morning? No problem.
@@map3384 hahahaha🤣🤣🤣 i member that! I swear days were colder back then. Your jeans would freeze!
Yesterday the internet went out in our neighborhood, and while on my evening walk; the park was full of kids of all ages. It was like a throw back to the 80’s.
We enjoyed giving our kids everything we never had, we just forgot to give them what we DID have ✌️
Poetic, and accurate, Todd. Thanks for watching.
@@The-Nightwatchsometimes
Heavy sigh. Unfortunately you’re right.
Good point. I will say one thing I didn’t give my kid that I grew up with is emotional trauma.
I broke the cycle.
Yup. You're right. We had a longing to be an adult back then because we lived in an adult world. Everything was "when I grow up" because we were not spoiled. Deprivation spawns resourcefulness and creativity. The whole world is a fantasy land for kids today so why would they ever want to grow up at all? We didn't have that at all. There were no kids toys in stores except Toys R Us. Regular stores had that really tall ball rack of shiny, colorful, bouncy balls but they weren't for us. There was also a rusty old merry go round outside the store with paint chipping off it and was embarrassingly bad. I don't know who those bouncy balls were for because they were always full. I think they were put there to make us feel more deprived than we already felt. There was a gumball machine by the exit and that was the best we could hope for haha That deprivation spawned out creativity nature and we made our own games.
Resourcefulness: Using the Dewey Decimal system at the library to get resources for my English paper ...no Google or Wikipedia here folks!!😁
Callie, would you believe we just did a whole podcast specifically about the Dewey Decimal System?! You might enjoy it -- check it out: genxgrownup.com/bt_dewey_decimal_system
Going to three different libraries and then waiting for a week to get requested resource material that was at other libraries. Now I can do the same thing in 5minutes with Google. I would have been able to get a lot more sleep in college if we had the internet in the late 1980s.
@@epistte absolutely!!😊
I remember the time that I found google mystifying bit could use the Dewy Decimal no sweat!
Anyone else use a suitcase for getting text and resource books around College? Or a Bad back from carrying all those text books around hanging off one shoulder?
If you've ever used a pair of vice grips to roll up the window, you're in the right place..
Yes! Yes, indeed! Steven, I have definitely used vice grips in my old pickup (first vehicle I ever had). 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
How about the busted strap on your Adidas bag you carried you school stuff in? Didn't get a new one until you broke all four of the mounting points for the straps. Lugged it around with the busted handles until they all ripped off... and still used it for weeks after.
Haha true
Not that. But the flat head screw driver was the key to the trunk. LOL
Anyone remember giving your Nintendo cartridge a BJ?
One of my favorite memories as a kid was being able to go outside without someone constantly watching over me. Freedom to do things without being so-called monitored by either an adult or a camera that was being recorded 24/7. The one thing I truly laugh at today is when the power goes out in a neighborhood. People panic & don't know what to do cause they are always on an electronic device playing games, texting their friends across the table from each other, or watching TV. Outside was my favorite place & our creek in the backyard was my sanctuary, where I created many great memories. I wasn't warping my mind on video games, spending all my quarters or hanging out at the malls. I loved cardboard sliding, catching frogs, or tadpoles in ditches or creeks, swimming in the ocean or taking apart my bike/skateboards, then trying to put them back together. I wanted adventures in the great outdoors & in my neighborhood, I had everything I needed to have fun. The neighborhood kids would all play hide n seek, kick the can, twister on neighbors front lawn or building bike ramps, so we could ride our bikes off them. It's when my generation actually interacted with each other, not texting from across a table as kids do these days.
I started a paper route in the 5th grade with my friend 5 houses up from me. I kept that paper route thru my junior year in high school. In today's world, kids are mostly on the internet & social media, playing violent video games that control kids' lives & not in a good way.
It breaks my heart when I hear on the news that a little boy or girl at the age of 6, 9, or 11 feels they have no other answer than to commit suicide cause they were being bullied by kids at their schools or in their neighborhood. People these days don't feel comfortable enough to sit quietly, read a book & use their imagination while reading that book. I used to read books for hours & create a movie in my head from what I was reading.
I never had to have the $100 shoes, jeans, or major clothing labels. I had hand me downs from my older sisters. It was a huge deal to be able to get a Big Mac at McDonald's & would only have them when there were coupons in the weekly newspaper. My parents raised 4 of their own children, 3 foster boys & adopted me. I had powdered milk for life cereal or corn flakes, & sugar was definitely out of the question. I appreciated eating home-cooked meals & eating dinner at the table with everyone.
Your Channel is awesome Bro! We Gen X-ers need to stick together, we are a rare species today.
Xers rule, we are the best.
We are a great generation. Full off experiments....I remember to mix music by modifying tape deck.
Boomers are skipping us to promote younger kids.
THE WAY
Spoken Truth brother !
@roadkill2075 we're the Chuck Norris of generations
Great video. 👍🏻
Playing all day until dark is one of my favorite memories.
Throwing rocks on cars off the bridge over the freeway is mine. That and ripping the clothes off my sister's Barbie.
yup, playin' road or ice hockey. baseball, hide'n seek and gone ALL day on saturdays, on the bike with a sandwich, fishing rod, pellet gun
Come home when the street lights go on.
I remember Bro, Telephone pole to telephone pole street football and hockey, sidewalks were out of bounds. When the lights came on it was time to head home.
Fellow gen x here... My kids come in when's it dark once the weather allows. They love it
I clearly remember the bicentennial of 1976. The best family barbeque ever!
leazzel7 My mom bought a Bicentennial Datsun that was white with red and blue pinstripes with red interior. The most tackiest thing ever. Still love it.
I remember how we all went to school on a specific day that year in period clothing. It was a school-wide project at my elementary school. So, I had the whole outfit - tricorn hat and all! LOL!
John No, that car is long gone. I guess when I said “ Still love it” I meant in memories.
Being fortunate to have an aunt and uncle living near D.C., we visited them for the Fourth. And watched the Bicentennial fireworks on the National Mall. We went super early with a picnic basket and folding chairs, along with everyone else. Sat at the opposite end of the reflecting pool from the Washington Monument, and watched everyone else who brought firecrackers and sparklers. Then the real show started, and it was fantastic!
i remember going to the freedom rain in 76
We didn’t have to read books about how to live in the moment, we were too busy living IN the moment🎉
I totally agree!
As a gen x gal. I just love this! I miss the 80’s! The freedom was awesome! Going to the park by myself! Tinkering to make things work again! Taking to people in person. Tech stuff is nice and I do enjoy them but give me a radio and a book and solitude and I’m happy
Hey there, GenX gal! 😉 I'm glad you found my video and enjoyed it. I couldn't agree with you more!
I miss mtv for the latest update on your fav songs or singers,etc. now if I’m not even sure who people are
If Millenials want to see who Gen X'ers were all they have to do is watch Stanger Things or Goonies. I really miss the 80's way of life and am really disappointed the way the country is right now. It's like everything is subpar now. Movies, music, sports etc.
funny thing is, our grandparents said the same thing in the 80s lol
Movies and music, definitely.
Actually, I would say fast times at ridgemont high. That was pretty much exactly like my high school experience.
Joe Schmoe:Tried to watch Stranger Things but could not stomach Winona Ryder’s overacting.
@@keybored67 maybe I got lucky but my grandma and pa were pretty hip. Especially my pa. He was a military man who loved Pink Floyd, Beavis and Butthead, Ren and Stimpy, South Park, and had an incredible crush on Sheryl Crowe and Halle Barre.
I came into the world in 1970, and I can remember corporal punishment by the principal of my elementary school being a thing. I knew several kids who "got sent to the office" and returned to the classroom rubbing their backsides.
Yeah, Jennifer -- I was sometimes one of those kids! Thanks for watching and commenting. 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
I'd have hit the fucker back!
Then my dad would have.
Dude, I was 12 and busted by the principal..he took my cigarettes and threw them in the garbage.
I made him give them back to me.
No 💩.
New Jersey
Same here, kindergarten through 3rd grade we got our asses wooped for acting unruly!
@@GenXGrownUp Watched and commented! Thanks, Carey.
Oh those were the days! Rebellion and disruptive children did not rule the school! I went to a private school and I can still remember that paddle that had holes in it! I almost got it but lucky me the principal went home sick that day, I thanked God and never did wrong again!
Oh man how did I miss this video? Fantastic, Jon. You captured it. I'm 56, so right there with you. Number one is SO TRUE!
Thank you for a good presentation.
Thanks, Brian. Glad you enjoyed it! 😀
Yes, I agree with #1. At times, having a conversation with a stranger is better than having a conversation with someone that you already know.
This guy is right on all these points! I was a kid in the 80s and a teen in the 90s. those were the best if times. I remember my best friend would come over to my house on weekends and he would sleep over. and we would just go out and be outside and do stuff, bad shit at times, but we were out there, being creative with everything. When we were even younger, my friend, my sister and I would go out on the block and explore places, like once we went under the patio of this restaurant and we found nothing but money from people.dropping it through the cracks and we thought we were the shiznit. We went over to the other patio and went under the deck to find forks and knives and more money. it was the best experience we could possibly have in our small world, but in our minds it was HUGH! As a matter of fact, we called these patios Money Base 1 and.Money Base 2. I'll never forget those awesome memories !
Thanks for watching, Cuthbert. If you can relate to this kind of GenX nostalgia, I would invite you to check out our weekly audio show:
genxgrownup.com/pod
Being born in GENERATION X, I remember...
It took time to write a letter and excitedly check the mailbox every afternoon for a week for a reply.
Playing with other kids outside who we didn't know.
Sending text messages to friends in class written on a tiny piece of paper and passed down the line by classmates.
Making personalised mix-tapes by recording songs off the radio as gifts for our friend's birthdays.
Rewinding the mix-tapes on the end of a pencil to save battery power on our Walkman.
Watching Greatest American Hero every week to find out if he will ever learn to land.
Working summer jobs to earn money to buy what we wanted.
Asking a person out on a date in person.
Having to line up against the wall with our siblings so our mother could snap the last two photos so she develop the roll of film.
Waiting until the next day for the roll of film to be developed.
Fast food was a treat, not a lifestyle.
A bag of chips was full.
Board games were fun.
Dial the radio station on a rotary phone to be the first caller with the correct answer to win pizza.
There was no redial on a rotary phone.
When left at home alone, parents would call home on the landline, hang up after two rings, then call again as a code to answer the phone.
Things would be repaired, not replaced.
A hiding was warranted for misbehavior.
Kids learning basic survival skills.
Boy Scouts was a thing to envy.
Chores around the house was a requirement for living under your parent's roof.
Farting on your sibling's head was funny, not assault.
Falling off the jungle gym was usually our own fault, not the fault of the manufacturer.
Music was music.
Getting a Penthouse magazine created instant friends.
"Snake" was the best video game ever!
"Aqua Rings" kept us entertained for hours.
Rolling down the car window was air conditioning.
Finding a book at a library to study was like searching for lost treasure.
Being on a phone call and stretching to reach for something but can't quite get it because the phone's curly cord wasn't quite long enough.
Bad actions had consequences.
Losing a competition meant no medal.
Constantly calling the video store to find out whether anyone has returned a copy of the latest release of the film that was completely rented out.
Browsing at the video store.
A dollar bought a bag of candy.
The family ate dinner together in the same room.
Slamming down the phone was the most satisfying way to end an argument.
"Trick-or-Treating" with no fear.
MTV had music.
The best time to grow up.
Wow, thanks for watching and taking the time to share so many great memories! 😀 I hope you will subscribe and check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
GenXGrownUp Subbed! 👍
Getting 2 quarters and then you and your big wheel gang riding down to the local liquor store and getting a candy bar AND a bag of candy.
Halloween, my Sister and I or I and my friends would be out till midnight going from block to block filling up our pillow cases. We did not come back unless it was full. If we still had time, we would empty our pile on the floor in our claimed spot then go back out. First time I took my two older nephews out, after a block the oldest one (1991) says, why can't we just eat the candy grandma bought? Doh! The kid may be a fuddy duddy but dammit Jim, he is using logic. Kid may have some Vulcan blood in him.
My Dad was a juvenile diabetic so sweets in our house came three times a year. Easter, Halloween and Xmas. We did not have sodas. We had Tab because my Dad could drink it. Not real though. My Mom had to experiment then for sugar free. I grew up asking is this real or fake? Real = sugar. Fake, I would not touch.
And I repeat, older millenials had this SAME childhood.
This list made me 🙂. Est. 1976
You know what, though we are worlds apart (I'm from Singapore), born in 1964, every point you made in this video, it's relevant to my "world" in Singapore. Thank you for making this video. If I would to add, I would say that we are a generation that appreciates our parents, despite their imperfection. We understand that we do not live in a perfect world, and we have to make tough choices, and those tough choices "is the best we can do" and we live by it. Sure our parents "could have..." and "should have..." but we know they had to put food on the table. And I think we invented the phrase "there's no free lunch" we learn the virtue of working for our own money early. I started working for my own money at age 14. I hope these points resonates with you. Again thank you for your video.
I know I'm with you from Louisiana. and I remember having to go street-to-street door-to-door to see if someone wanted their grass cut
so I can earn enough money to get my first pair of boots. that took me six months to get. Sure do miss my first pair of boots 😢
I love your comment, but we were definitely NOT the inventors of that phrase. Still, while every generation blamed and resented previous generations to some extent for some things, you're right that all along we always recognized that those generations had most things harder and we respected them. Today I have not yet seen much respect from the younger generations as they have been essentially taught such lies about us and our history, so they have inky formed negative perceptions about us. Maybe, someday, they will come to realize some truth about us and even those before us. I don't want this for us. I want it for them.
Was born in 1978, I remember writing a letter to my cousin that lived in a different city. Then waiting a week or two for her letter back. Or phoning a friend on a landline just for her mom to tell me she's not there and she'll give a message. No cellphones, no instant messaging...you had to wait😂. Dang that pencil and cassette tape took me back!!!❤
I'm a Gen X grownup....dude you rock with TRUTH! God Bless you & Generation X.
#4. Resourcefulness- Replacing radio antenna with a coat hanger.
Heh-heh. Yep, certainly did that! 😀
Or breaking into your car when you locked yourself out!
Jonsey 1969 Been there, done that.
@@adamhonestyanddecency5054 1969er also. Saturday morning cartoons, tv dinners in foil trays, being alive for the introduction of the microwave and getting excited over microwave popcorn. atari kicked off home gaming yet we still played pinballl at the corner candy store. good times !!!
Adam Honesty and decency
Spoken Truth ! Aluminum foil rabbit ears ! Haha
Great vid! I’m a gen Xer from 1969. We had the last great “normal” generation, imo. Having ‘hands off’ parents was awesome, it built character and independence. No participation awards for me, thanks!
We're exactly the same vintage, Jonsey! I'm a 1969'er as well. Thanks for checking us out! 😀
I'm also a Gen Xer, but this comment kind of annoys me. The millennials didn't give *themselves* participation trophies.. we did that to them. I think because we were all latchkey kids we overcompensated and became helicopter parents. We should own up that the boomers taught us independence, and we kind of screwed the millennials out of that. (Of course I don't mean you and me, I obviously mean the other gen x'ers :) ).
@@misterkite I was born in 81 so Im not X and some millennials see people my age to old for them and we didn't have trophys for second place and we also played on the streets untill it was dark without supervision, no internet, no modern technology other than maybe Nintendo or Atari
As a vintage late '70, I pined for other generations, the '50s & before, beach movies &c. Being able to buy a used Super Eight for $100.... Having the skilz to rebuild same....
Was sore at Boomers for taking away Normal. Got driver's license on my own. At college drove a $200 LeSabre for a semester, took test on friend's Mom's '88 New Yorker. Could go all family disappointments, they had their reasons, in addition to pure flakiness.
Part of the problem is that while we “didn’t care” and were “independent” as kids, as parents we tended to make up for that in disempowering our kids by letting them be hyper-vigilant, hyper-connected virtually, and at the same time disconnected IRL. Let’s be honest! We are the parents of most of the Gen Zers out there. We need to care enough to recognize that we reaped what we sowed.
We most definitely opercompensated!
Some of our generation as parents overcompensated for the lack of guidance and parenting by our own parents (it’s 10pm. Do you know where your children are?) by becoming helicopter parents, hovering over them every second of the day.
If you can't remember when dog poop used to turn white in the sun, I don't want to talk to you.
Doesn't it still do that? 😝
@@GenXGrownUp No. There's been a change in the dog food, an ingredient was removed.
@@CraftyZanTub Huh, I was today years old when I learned this!
Oy!!!!...
Back in the 80s my mother would have me pick up the dog crap in the backyard. I'd wait as long as possible because I had better things to do. But when I did I'd scoop up the hard turds & spray paint them different colors and put them back.
I feel like we Gen X’ers are like the middle child growing up in a family with both older & younger siblings. We are not talked about as much; it’s like the mainstream media focuses mostly on the Baby Boomers and Millennials. We are like that forgotten middle child. But everything the guy says in the video is true. Especially being very resourceful, because we lived in both the analog & digital world. So we know how to manipulate both worlds, when it is needed for our advantage.
That's a nice analogy, BlaccTony69. 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
Excellent perspective! 🙌
haha! The Jan Brady of generations!
Wait until the millenials are the ignored between us and the GenZ, that should be amusing to see
That's why we're Gen X. We were forgotten about, and for a long time, were unknown. I like that.
I was born in 74 and let me tell ya, gen xers had to deal with fact we are not special snow flakes and we had to learn to be self reliant.
I think we were the last of the no-seatbelt'ers too. There's something comforting when rebering you could go through a windshield at any moment. ;)
this is true in which case I have actual experience of accidently being dropped at the age of two on to the
floor board of my parents car in 1977. Still have the scar on my forehead.
In the early 70s, my dad's jeep had no doors, seat belts and he drank his can of beer(s) while driving. Great time...plus he let me drink and drive. Miss those daze!
Ha. Yeah, because our parents weren't around.
yess, I remember I had to come home from school and baby sit sisters and brothers and do chores.
I'm 50 just turned 50 and I think one of the things that I absolutely love the most about the fact that I grew up in the 70s and the 80s is that all the stupid stuff we did is not immortalized on a phone somewhere
Born 1968...When I was a kid we used to get refrigerator boxes, fill them with leaves, climb a very tall tree and jump into it, so much fun. We put cards on our bicycles with clothes pins to hit the spokes to sound like an engine. We made cars out of cardboard, wood and skateboards. We rode our bikes 60 miles a day on adventures back when Vegas was just a desert. We did everything for ourselves, and we were never in doors, never. We skateboarded, BMX Bikes, chewed tobacco, drank beer, smoked cannabis and watched a lot of classic movies when they first came out like Top Gun, Earthquake, Risky Business, Ferris Buellers Day Off, Gremlins, Monte Python Movies...etc. We lived in a great time, and I really miss those days a lot. Now I'm 50 and have to try to cope with this new world, it's not working out to good so I've decided to leave it all for off grid living & more adventures for me like hiking, camping, fishing, boating...being outdoors meeting people. Life's too short to spend it in a building or small cubical working and being a slave to societies ways of today of good credit, nice house, nice bank acct, cars, boats, cycles..etc. To get those things you need to jump through all the hoops to get there...and I flat out refuse to be a slave to get it. I've downsized BIG time...life's simpler, happier, have more time and I'm less stressed. Something for you slaves to think about. Success in my world is not about gaining material wealth, it's about all the great experiences in this life and what you do with your time and money and who you share it with that's important...GO ON ADVENTURES...LIVE...WORK LESS...LIVE ON LESS...LIVE!!!
I'm glad you haven't gone so far off the grid that you can still find out channel, THE WAY. Welcome! 😃
interesting how you analyzed the simple things in life the way it was growing up GenX, and juxtiposed it against modern society. Marketing and social norms that baby boomers injected say keep up with the Jones' , buy a house, buy cars, buy insurance, buy name brands, basically be a consumer with brainwashed babyboomer bullshit. you spend, spend, spend, and eventually you die, just to be replaced like a worn out battery into the system. GenXers are skeptical about government, higher ups, organizations, rules, etc. and being skeptical about society is no different. We can find a different way to live out our lives in a manner more independent, more experiential, more in tune with those simple things that made us happy. GenX certainly has the creative capacity to figure this out and lead the way for others to follow.
AD L, i really appreciate your comment. it's excellent food for thought. i relate 101% to everything your comment incorporates - I just need to figure out how to live more happily without having to rely on the slave system and I haven't done it yet : (
THE WAY, I love, love, love, love your comments. Yeah sure lots of people loved your comments, I know, but I am in awe of what you have been able to accomplish for yourself and would really love to get some pointers from you. My sister just turned 50 and she is married with kids and doing the whole normie thing and sometimes she seems happy and other times not so much. I am 47 and still haven't found what I'm looking for but have definitely learned by now, the more simple I keep things, the happier I am. I need very little to be happy so it's speaking volumes to me that I am so unhappy as I am. I am burnt out from corporate America and just can't do it anymore - not getting any younger and even though I try to stay fit & feel good enough most days, age does catch up and this ball & chain is starting to get heavy.
I desperately desperately desperately want to go in the direction you have gone in but I don't even know where to start. Thank you for any input. I love nostalgia and love thinking back to growing up in the 80s, but it's bittersweet only because I am not happy in my present life so I must change this scenario.
THE WAY, your one point is EXACTLY where I am - it is not working out too well for me, either, this trying to adjust to a new world. I am at the point where I can't even stand technology. I never got into facebook, I don't use twitter and could not care less, i don't take selfies and anymore, half the time i don't understand the expressions and abbreviations/acronyms people use and am sick of having to stop and look this stuff up. i am happiest outside and disconnected from the techie rat race - but how to make a living, enough for the basics, nothing fancy.
Good for you for being able to have done what you did. I hope I can one day, too. Life is short and I am sad for this time I am wasting being unhappy and stuck in a place I am not happy in.
51 now and miss the anonymity of the 80’s. Great video by the way, really enjoyed your insight. When I want to disconnect for a bit now I go for a bike ride. Makes me feel young again :).
did all our stupid stuff before the immortality of facebook heh
I love this. You are dead on brother. I think we are the last generation that can actually state: “Jack of all trades, master of none”. Thank you for a blast to the past today.
Thanks, Derek, both for watching and taking the time to comment! 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
Truth
100% agree. The young ones only want and expect NEW stuff. We fixed everything.
I'm a GenXer myself and this was really a cool vid. Thanks a lot for all you've mentioned, it conjured up some nice memories.
And yes, fully agree with you, we're way more resourceful and independent (or independently thinking) than the younger generations. What I despise today is the 'typing instead of talking' mentality in younger people. Don't get me wrong, I also love my PC or phone, but when I want to connect with someone, I just want to talk. I don't want to type a message and not hear the other person. The personal touch is being completely lost. That's one of the bigger changes I've noticed in the form of communication today and not necessarily for the better.
I agree about the communication thing. My boss is 10 years younger than I, he texts or emails me questions. I told him to call me and ask me, because I only check my email once a week if, unless I am expecting something, and a phone was made to talk on, I do not text. Took him a while, but he got it.
Proud Gen-X'er here, born in 1972! Ours is one of the smallest generations numerically, probably due to The Pill and Roe v Wade, although I can't quantify that. And ours was the generation that witnessed the birth of no-fault divorce. So many of us were latch-key kids growing up as a result.
1972 here too 😊 I was a Latchkey kid, but not because of divorced parents. Both of my parents worked. They left the house before the school day started, and didn't get home until a couple hours after the school day was over. We had to learn how to take care of ourselves at a young age, and I definitely think we were better off because of it. Proud to be a Gen Xer! 😊
Gen X was the first generation to really get ravaged by legalized abortion, contraceptives, and no-fault divorces.
I often refer to Gen X as the "Practice Children" because so many of us ended up being discarded with the first marriage, whereas a lot of Millennials benefited from the fact that their Boomer parents had, by the time they were born, 'settled down' and finally put up their Boogie Shoes
'72 March, Aries! If there's a problem, YO I'll solve it.... U kno the rest...
My mom was “stay at home “ and so many people I met in college thought I had grown up privileged - in that sense... I guess I did.
We are the generation they keep taking years from to move the other ones around to fit whatever current theory they want to peddle. Since abortion was available for the Millennial generation I do not see that as why Gen X is less. Millennials used to be called Echo Boomers because a lot of Baby Boomers opted not to have kids in the 70s but later in life.
I remember looking at the Sears, JcPenny, & Montgomery Ward Christmas catalogs for hours on end, A Walkman was the best invention on earth & one of my classmates demonstrated how to reload shotgun shells in speech class.
In speech class?! LOL! I'm right there with you on the catalogs, Terry. That's how I wrote my Christmas list every year! 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
My mom kept the Montgomery Ward catalog from the year I was born. It's one of my most valuable possessions.
You mean the bra and panty section of those catalogs. Good times
@@TheSodog8 It wouldn't be proper to look at just at the toys right?
@@MikeGFY That's really neat she did that. Kind of a window in time sort of thing.
In my lifetime, I have called friends on rotary phones and rewound cassettes with pencils. And waited 6-8 weeks for delivery for literally EVERYTHING I ever damn ordered from anyone.
...and then by the time it arrived, half the time I forgot what the hell I'd ordered!
Remember the movie "Big". The entire plot revolved around how he had to wait months to find out where the Zoltar machine would be next! If he could just google it, the story could have never played out the way it did.
Emceemur .... I remember ordering something from the television and paying the C.O.D (cash on delivery) to the mailman once he delivered it!.
Born in 74 rotary dial went out of vogue when I was 10. I couldn't stand my grandma's lime green rotary phone. I begged her to get push button. I did stick pencils in a cassette tape if it unraveled and I had a hard time figuring out the rubik cube.
Emceemur And you witnessed the very first cell phone and now use the latest ones. Probably have a laptop, navigation, etc. we have witness the old and new.
I was born during those last boomer moments/first gen x moments (Dad fought in WW II) It's been a great perspective moving through life with a foot in each world. I've got a deep appreciation for and identification with both.
Another thing about our generation too, is I think we grew up in an era and currently live in one that gives us a very broad cultural literacy. If you think about it, when we were little kids, our grandparents' entertainers were still very much a part of our lives. Bob Hope Specials, Bing Crosby at Christmastime, "I Love Lucy" reruns during the day. Plus, we grew up right during the Normal Lear era of television, where we would regularly observe characters like Archie Bunker and George Jefferson engage in hilarious diatribes on subjects where televison will no longer tread. Yet at the same time, the Huxtables showed us that no matter our race or socioeconomic status, all families really are the same. Then we adopted our own musical tastes, which depend on which wave of Gen X you're from, yet so many of those stars we listened to died prematurely. And now our children's music is what we're regularly exposed to. I think this has given us an open-mindedness on entertainment that I don't know that we share with other generations. Steroetypically speaking, I think Boomers are still into their entertainment, and be prepared for the blank stare you get by saying the name Bob Hope to a millenial.
I tend to agree, Rick. And it's funny you mention all of those TV shows, as our very next podcast is reflecting on GenX era sitcoms! If you are interested, maybe check that audio companion to our UA-cam channel! genxgrownup.com/pod
We are right in the middle so Gen Xers can appreciate the old old world of the WW2 generation and Silent Generation , The Boomer world and all pre-digital era entertainment. I have to laugh to myself (and out of no disrespect just humor) when a Millennial co worker and friend of mine did not who Richard Dawson, Lee Majors, Tom Jones, Raquel Welch (yeah really !) was until I told them. And they are nearly 30 years old! Millennials are knee deep in technology and that is understandable. And most can't conceive of a non digital world. Being raised in an analog world and seeing the beginnings of the digital unfold in school years and blow up in young adulthood is a blessing. Millennial acquaintances and co workers of mine get a kick when I tell them I did not have a home PC until the year graduated college, my parents did not want to pay for cable and we did not get it until I was in HS. and I did not purchase my first cell phone until I was in my late 20's because...I did not really need it! It is all about perspective and where you come from.
In the mid 80s I inherited some wine boxes of 78s c1905-50 Latin, Hawaiian, Argentine, Light opera, classical, several flavas of Swing. Permawarped musical taste.
That is when you take out your phone, go to youtube and bring up a comedy routine of Bob Hope's.
@T Mox Exactly! Remember when "Designing Women" had a client contract them to plan his funeral because he was dying of AIDS? Television shows used to tackle subjects that current PC hysteria no longer makes possible.
I remember in the 90's when the family's VCR broke and the family took it to get fixed at the local video store. Well, me and my brother knew how to fix stuff simply by watching someone the first time.
We had asked the guy if we could watch, and him not knowing how smart we really were. He let us watch him.
We learned our VCR belt came loose and learned how to clean the heads. Our Dad also wanted us to "go in theback", cause he knew we were smart and employees wouldn't think twice that we could fix things by only watching something get fixed one time.
This in turned saved our Dad money, because when the VCR broke, we knew how to take it apart and fix it and clean.
We even learned how to tear apart the TV and replace the fuse whenever the picture started fading and shrinking.
Our Dad saved a bunch of repair money by his smart kids learning how to fix stuff.
My Dad wasn't dumb either as he worked for the military teaching the troops how to survive during a chemical and radiation outbreak. He was just smart in his finances and knew people wouldn't think twice that two little kids could fix a TV, VCR and vacuum cleaner.
Sounds like were set! 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
I was the same way. When we got a computer and it broke i watched the repair guy and fixed our own computers after that 😂
One bad thing about growing up gen x is that I have to remember where I put my phone. You did not have to do that when it was connected to the wall!
We did have to start remembering where we put the cordless phone during the 80s but at least we knew it was still in the house. The cell phone could be anywhere.
I remember before cell phone's when you Talked on the phone it came in crystal clear as if the person was standing next to you. Now you almost have to text because the phone's break up drop calls or too distorted most of the time.
Right you are. Life was easier back then. You didn't talk to your friends on Facebook back then. You actually saw your friends.
To your SO in the same room..."cant find my phone, call me"
Call waiting !!! Waiting until your brother was off the phone, teen lines
Great video! I am homesick for those better X times. Thank you!
Anything associated with the 80's will always get a thumbs up from me.
Following that policy, we've got a whole UA-cam channel full of thumbs-up worthy videos for you! 😁 Hope you stick around and check out much more, Jaygo!
I am a gen X,r born in 1966. This is all true! Great video!
Thanks, Mark, and welcome to the channel. We'd love it if you subscribed and enabled notifications, because we produce new content every week that you might enjoy! 😃
Gen X born November 65.
@@carlh429 You about a month older than me.
I'm a 66er, as well. I think we're regarded as the "older" gen x'rs, but hey, I'm ok with it.
Or December 1966 😁😁😁😁
I'm a 78er, former latchkey paperboy video store rat who was biking solo all over the city by age 12. Motherless, rudderless, alienated and endangered ...but free! Despite agreeing with all the advantages mentioned in the video, I (and many Gen Xers) have a lot of anger and cynicism, too. Both the Boomers and the so-called Greatest Generation were a lot less than "great" in the world we grew up in. I think that's why so many of us have turned out to be helicopter parents -- we're trying to give the protection and love we feel we missed out on.
You draw a very interesting line between our experiences and the kind of parents we became, Shadeplant. Millennials have had the experience they do because of us!😀
I agree shade plant, I was born 1971 and had freedom, freedom to run into kiddy fiddler old men and be groomed at 13. im a helicopter paranoid parent because I know the dangers out there from experience.
Your right, hellicoptering was your big mistake, made invalids outa yer kids.
You could have gone the other way - realized your parents, their parents were shit and caught in a repetitive loop cycle ... and OPT out of the whole fucking thing. Never get married, never have any kids, end the family tree.
Hazza - welcome to #MGTOW
@Shadeplant 👏👏
G.I. Gen. Aka " greatest " cost the younger generations much.
Think of the movie Cocoon. 🤔
One of the best things about gen X was growing up around the depression era generation who were resourceful and level headed and practical and optimistic. Their memory gives me comfort in todays dysfunction.
Hey I’m glad to have found this place. I’m playing it out loud so my GenZ son can understand what I went through growing up. I was attacked for being GenX and said we’re to blame for the way the world is along with the Boomers. I’m like, ‘Hon, all of our generations including yours, will have good, bad and ugly. We are the generation taking care of you catering to your needs, and taking care of our Boomer/ earlier generation parents.” I finally just blocked because there was no way she understood what I was telling her. I love being GenX. It’s what I am. Thank you all for the warm welcomes to the discord server!
We're glad you found us, too, JoJo! 😁
I remember ordering something from the television and paying the C.O.D (cash on delivery) to the mailman once he delivered it!!
I once sent physical quarters in an envelope in reply to some commerical. They sent me a ghost buster glow in the dark freezbee! I still have this in my garage lol
Yes! My "Freedom Rock album! 4 Vinyl Records", Still have!, Actually was listening to a few hours ago!!!....
80's and early 90's for me. Gen X is the best.
We are the youngest and last vestige of gen x
Thanks for the insight Jon, I couldn't agree more! Today's generation is engaged in their phones/tablets at all times. Tech is good, but so is being able to have freedom and independence, especially at a young age. Some of my best memories are of riding my BMX across town, to meet up with friends at the local arcade👍
Ooh the patience thing - yes! I remember when Def Leppard’s Hysteria album came out. I was 13 and obsessed with it and wanted to learn the lyrics. I saved my allowance and went to all the music stores until I found a guitar book for Hysteria which also provided the lyrics for the ridiculously expensive price of $16 but I was desperate!
Ouch! You got me right in the memory! I had to order, wait for, and then purchase song books for The Alan Parsons Project because I wanted to try to program the music to be played by my Atari 800!
Thanks for watching, Scoopy Pants! 😀
proud to be apart of GENX!
Same. And proud to have you on our channel. Welcome, Maryann! 😀
This was awesome! A great way to inform about our generation without demeaning others! To add to your MacGiver it point, I think that we tend to be more careful with our stuff back then because we knew that if we broke it, it might not be repairable... and having another shiny new toy was out of the question! Nowadays is really easy to just order a new one! Great video and keep up the good work!
Thanks, Dan. This one has resonated with a lot of viewers; glad it did for you too!
Genxers coined the term "Macgyver it". My kids use it and arent even aware of the reference to the show.
That sense of independence is so, so true.
I was working at a place a few years ago and some kid was so happy he turned 21, and was happy about all the things he could finally do. And then followed up with stating the best part of it all was that he didn't have to move out from his parents or grow up or be responsible for himself for another ten or twelve years. I wanted to so badly slap him until my fingers started bleeding.
I was raised that when you graduate high school you get out in the world and take care of yourself and figure stuff out. Even before that I was independent and could take care of myself before I became a teen. And then when I became a teen and wanted money I got a job.
as a gen y I can say I admire gen x. They are like an older sibling who knows how to talk to your parents (boomers) when needed as translators
This made me smile, JH. Thank you for watching.
Born in the mid 60’s, no play dates, no staying indoors on a computer, worked as a teenager, eating TV dinners, no supervision, walking or riding a bike for miles to get somewhere. If the teacher called your parents you got your ass kicked and the school was not threatened by a lawsuit. Adults were addressed as Mr. and Mrs. Going to rock concerts at 13 with my friends and no Parents. Best time to grow up.
The younger generations will never fully grasp how f*in awesome we are! 😎👍🏼
I fully agree with the independence part. I was a latchkey kid since the 3rd grade (my older teen brothers were supposed to watch me after school, but were too busy out getting high with their friends), so I was a self taught cook, and everything else. I used to babysit my sister's babies/toddlers since age 8. Funny, because nowadays my parents would've been in jail for leaving me at home. Lol
I have a family member who was alone at 8. It was what it was. They didn't answer door or telephone until parent arrived home.
Born in '75, so yeah, this is spot on. Might suggest one more: self-reliance which is related to but definitely separate from Independence. I see so many younger people now who have no idea how to do (often simple) things that we learned before the age of the internet. Doing things on your own like changing a flat tire, fixing a leaky faucet, etc.
Great video!! My mother is so awesome! She actually boxed up my bedroom, saved my bedroom furnature and I have it all now in my house in a spare bedroom...right down to my prom dress and letter jacket hanging behind the door. Care Bear glasses, Lite Brite, latch hook wall hangings, Fashion Plates and 4-H ribbons and even my boom box are all out for me to touch, look at and enjoy!! It has spilled over into our second living room/ bar area which is super vintage with all of our albums, 45's and cassettes which...yes...we listen to all the time. In said livingroom we have an older box tv with a VCR (& a wall of VHS movies), pong, Atari and a Nintendo! Frogger is still super fun and our friends and family think it is awesome and we are crazy! It is like stepping back in time and with the world the way it is...it is pretty nice to do once in a while! Born in 70...partied in the 80's...still living it all today! Btw...gave up all social media in Feb 2018...best thing I ever did!
Childhood freedom is what I cherish most from growing up Gen X. Given responsibility by parents made you be responsible. So much less trust today. Concerning technology, Facebook has ruined the reconnect with friends and family. I mean if you already know ever detail of their daily existence.. what do you talk about face to face? It kills the excitement of "catching up". My FB is now deleted.
I get you, Brent. I stopped a bit short of deleting my FB account -- I know there are just too many friends that I may never "catch up" with if I don't do it online. My closest and dearest friends, of course, but there just aren't enough days in the year to travel to and sit down with all the people I care about. Thanks for checking out the video, and I did a follow-up to it on our channel as well that you might enjoy. 😀
Freedom was a good thing but there were things I went through that I would have been protected against had an adult been around.
I agree with you on the social media thing. People think if it’s on Facebook everyone knows. I don’t have social media if you want to tell me call me on the phone like adults do. Lol
I'm convinced that Facebook is a plot by millennials to destroy our generation.
Kidding. But in all seriousness, I could never understand the appeal of Facebook. It's very, very fake. I'm glad to see people getting away from it now.
I've still got my FB, but I use it to stay in communication with the family that I NEVER see. I think I've seen my niece once in five years.
@@CraftyZanTub - Yeah, Facebook is also good if you have family all over the world and its an inexpensive way to keep in touch with everyone (Filipinos that work overseas or families that emigrated elsewhere). Skype is also pretty great and inexpensive too!
Truth!!! You pretty much nailed it. You can't forget that we learned how to use a card catalog at a library. I don't think my kids could even use a phone book.
"Dad, what's the Yellow Pages?"
*Subscribing to your channel*
Hahaha! Firstly, Stay Street, thanks for watching, commenting and especially for subscribing. Great to have you here. Secondly, it's hilarious that you mention the card catalog. Just a few weeks ago we dedicated an episode of our weekly podcast to the Dewey Decimal System -- give it a listen maybe: genxgrownup.com/bt_dewey_decimal_system 😜
Gen X was the independent generation - we were always taking care of ourselves. Yes, we rode our bikes everywhere! We are in great shape (I was a gymnast) still. We were the generation to see computers and video games. Working by age 15 at the local theater, and working long, long hours. We are the hardest working generation!👍🏽
I totally agree!
As a Gen-Xer, I learned that Carbon was a common element essential to life, and not a reason to tax the masses. I learned that good fences (and Walls) make good neighbors - and we actually spoke to our neighbors rather than texting... and I learned Real history, as opposed to deconstructionist garbage.
How do you know you learned real history?
@@johngalush8790 EXACTLY, mostly ludicrous, easily PROVEN false conspiracy theories, no doubt, that the TRUE sheeple, whom call ALL of the basically, educated, rational, historically accurate, overall, truth-believing masses, whom don't buy INTO such infantile, conspiracy-crack-headed, NONSENSE "sheeple,"...IRONY🐑🐏
BOOOOOOOM
@@johngalush8790 From Grandpa who was there, USA Signal Corps, ETO. Carbon paper was a fun toy, out of grandma's office trashcan, also the PCH stickers. A cigarette lighter shaped like a Nehi soda she was defensive of. Only years of her passing, learned she was a secret smoker, 1923-2012. Bought a Nehi bottle lighter at the Morro Bay Bottle Show, partly in her memory, and to finally touch and explore it! As an unpaid gardener, I fit in as a digger now.
So great! What really confuses me is how quickly many of my generation, born 1971, have seemingly FORGOTTEN ALL OF THIS.
Sad but true, Jennapher. (awesome spelling, btw) Surround yourself with GenX'ers who haven't forgotten! 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video recently that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
I totally used the pencil on my tapes. Lol. 💜
Amen, sister! 😋
Or a pen. "Totally" .. and so much more. We truly are "stuck in the middle", but want to encourage every one of you, we can fix anything!
Remember putting cellotape over the edge of cassette so you could record in it, then spending Sunday evening recording the Top 100 music charts, pausing i between each track when the DJ spoke !
Or a bit of tape if the string broke, and then everytime the cassette would reach the tape there was this weird kgkgkg sound haha
I did too !!
I love being disconnected from social media and everything else we now have that connects us instantly to anything. I leave my phone on my charger more often than not, and keep myself busy doing household chores, reading a book, etc. I honestly miss the days before all this technology. My kids and I will go out to dinner, and leave our phones on the car or in our pockets. They don't get set down on the table. We actually converse with each other. We look around the restaurant and frequently see couples or entire families completely ignoring each other, with their noses in their phones. So sad.
I enjoyed this video. I appreciate all the new tech and connectivity but I'm grateful I grew up in the 80s.
You said it, Tylord. I feel lucky to have been born into analog and then grew up into digital. It creates a unique perspective.
I think everyone feels that way; however, I often think about the tech I may never live to see, most importantly health and transportation technology.
Tylord Stevenson, amen to that!
I find gen X'ers don't have the self esteem issue, that the previous and prior generation.
Your not the younger group trying to live up to unrealistic expectations.
That grew up w and were bombarded w online as children, which prob has some effect on am individual or groups as a whole.
But were also not the older generation trying to remain relevant in a rapidly changing complicted time in history.
I also believe gen X may have better critical thinking skills.
Unlike the older generation they're not super stuck in their ways.
Or try to demonstrate they aren't by over compensating.
But gen x unlike the younger groups, from my experience don't subscribe to group think to the same extent .
Gen x was taught to question the norm and status quo.
Where the younger groups have almost had that literally removed from their existance. The mere thought of individualism in the the eyes of some are literally considered scary amd even traumatic in some circles.
Long story short were basically surrounded by crazy people on both side of our generation, they're both crazy just in different ways, for different reasons.
Hey, ObiShaun, thanks for watching and especially for sharing your experience. 😃 By the way, we did a follow-up to this video that you may also enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/uQLNxH7uiIM/v-deo.html Glad you found us and hope you'll subscribe to check out much more of our GenX-inspired content!
See that clock on the wall, notice how the hands only move in one direction? In in a few years you'll be over, compensating, and stuck in your ways. The younger generation will consider you irrelevant and crazy.
If true, that's your destiny as well, David.
It's all our destinies, unless you're ready for the alternative.
I'm happy to still have crazy people on my Mom's side of the family.
My cousin, whom I lived with many years as a child, had later on in life had accidentally cracked his head open and doctors said it was an injury he shouldn't have survived. But he did survive and his basically perfectly fine now.
Had told some younger people this, then said my cousin is so hard-headed and stubborn he didn't know he was supposed to die.
They gave me the most god awful look. But my cousin thought it was funny when I told him.
I can't imagine what it's like not to be able to just go play outside or surf till dusk. It was such a fun childhood. We would gang up and play stickball, ride bikes, or whatever.
Preach!
You nailed it. I learned as a child that adults are unnecessary to much of life. They could drive, which was handy, but then again, there was always the bus, or bicycles, or just walking. Friends and I walked from one town to the next to see a movie because ours didn’t have a movie theater. Of course, an allowance was handy, but they forgot to give it to us sometimes, so you thought up things to do for free.
I learned that life involves getting hurt and if you hurt yourself, you were just dumb or unlucky and you learned better next time. I never broke a bone as a child and I always felt like I’d missed a rite of passage. If you had a cast, you got attention and could share the gory details and have your friends all sign it.
I learned frustration and boredom are a part of life, rather than things that had to be fixed. Halfway through Summer vacation and you’ve run out of things to do? Sucks to be you. Read a book, invent a game, teach yourself wood carving or sewing or carpentry. Don’t know how? Hope your local library has a book on it. Or most likely, just see if you can figure it out and keep band-aids handy. Neighborhood kids and I wrote and acted in our own adventure movie one summer. How the older kids got the money for film and a movie camera I’ll never know- this was before VHS or even Betamax.
And being without a phone and out of contact was a mixed blessing. If I needed help I had to find a pay phone and make a collect call, but then again, if I was out at all hours getting into all sorts of trouble with friends, my parents had no idea and they would hear from me when they heard from me. Sure, I’d probably get in trouble later- but carpe diem, baby, carpe diem!
1976 here. Thank you for this great vid! I think we should be a very grateful generation. Many of the comments brought back many good childhood memories. Like how I envied my school friend because he had an own TV set in his room and had seen the space shuttle Challenger crash live on the news, while I had to go to bed at 7 or 8 pm and missed it. (Living in Germany then.) Or having to go outside the house even thou it was raining, because my parents wanted to have some sex, and then figuring out what to do next, alone in the rain, of course build some sand castles! Or not having any wrist watch, and walking up to a police officer to ask for the time, and him answering politely.
I was born in 77... 1986 the space shuttle wow sad time.
I was born at the tail end of Gen-X. Great Video. I just found your channel.
I'm a Gen-Xer from the UK, and the resourcefulness thing is true. Know lots of people who squatted buildings and they were some of the most resourceful people I've ever known - making living spaces out of abandoned buildings, hooking up power, finding legal loopholes, constantly fixing, repairing and making stuff with basically no formal know-how - just their brains
Sounds resourceful as all hell. Thanks for watching!
I am still listening to The Smiths.
All of this is so true! I’ve noticed in other comment sections millenials, and gen z always blame each other or boomers for their failings, but never mention gen x, almost like we’ve done nothing to offend them, and we just sit back and watch them argue thinking they’re right about everything and getting very defensive.
You got a new subscriber!
Ps love the pac man munch sound before every point 😂👍🏾
Glad you enjoyed, and happy to have you as a new sub. Thanks, Tay!
Actually. I discovered that they tend to not mention us only because they don't know we exist. Only recently have some of them discovered there is a whole generation between the Boomers and Gen Y. They think we are the Boomers.
Be sure to include one of the big differences between Gen X and Gen Y is that our parents gave us this directive . “ When you turn 18 you’re no longer a child.”
My parents never gave me that directive, but I did go on to college at about 20 and never lived at home again.
David Smythe that's true you were expected to do something with your life.
When you turn 18 you’re no longer a child, but you're still a kid. ^_-
I was kicked out of the house at 18 (mother’s new husband), but I could afford to live on my own then. There is no way I could do that today. And these poor kids come out of college with the equivalent of a 30-year mortgage student loan debt, which is why so many live at home longer.
In Iceland that age was 16, when I turned 16 I became a full time seaman on boats and trawlers and that was my occupation for the next 12 years, if you left school you better go and get a job and start making a living, slacking at home was a no no.
(1968 ) my parents never knew were I was until I came home because I was hungry . Loved it .
I'm a gen x'er and remember when it was cool to have a really long phone cord and then after a few years I would be on the phone with friend and be like ," guess where I'm talking to you from", and the answer was ," dude ! I'm on my porch! ", and that's when cordless phones came out..lol.. Of course they didn't have but 20 feet range from the base unit which was always at a "phone station ", that had the phone books and pen and paper to jot messages on and that phone station before cordless was always near a living room or kitchen which means your parents could hear every word ... So we had to be crafty and use code when talking to friends about a party or what not. Sorry to be so long winded but I felt it necessary to explain....lol...
Sounds like you ought to listen to our podcast on rotary phones, sir. :) genxgrownup.com/backtrack-rotary-phones/
GenXGrownUp -- and I will.. But did ya hafta call me sir? Lol.. Now I feel like a baby boomer.. Ha. !! I think I will also subscribe..can you do a thing on the 90's ? I was born in 71... Ahh it don't matter I'm about having fun either way ," and my 20's were in the 90's ...
I'm GXG - George and I was also born in '71 (Awesome year obviously!) What type of thing would you like on the 90's ... Video, Podcast, Website article? What would be the subject? We're always happy to take requests.
GenXGrownUp - hey thanks dude ! I'm going to have to give it a little thought, my b-day was yesterday and I'm a bit hung over..lol.... Or I mean Blahhh.
GenXGrownUp --- what's up fello gen xer ! I'd like to give an idea for a video like we talked about. If that's ok..