"Why Gen-X "Got it" Before the Rest of You" - Kara Post-Kennedy [View all]

[Pluvious]

Reminiscing on that pivotal time after we lost JFK and MLK, and finally ended the Vietnam War...

We have been described as some kind of neglected middle child between boomers and the Millennials, but we are not your mother’s Jan Brady (or our own, frankly). We were the first generation to experience a high volume of moms working outside the home, divorced parents and friends coming safely out of the closet. We were the last generation to have a technology free childhood and to learn patience waiting for Saturday morning cartoons or a favorite song to come on the radio.

We were the first generation to write papers on computers and the last generation to use typewriters. We were the last generation to know a time when a missed call was a missed call and the first generation to play video games. We were the last generation who spent a largely unsupervised childhood on dangerous playground equipment.

We were the first generation to grow up with the diversity of Sesame Street, the lessons in community from Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood and the brilliant bonkers of Electric Company.

We GET IT.

Our unique positioning in history gave us a perspective that some of you are still struggling to understand — and this spans ALL generations, not just those older than us. Because some of you who are younger than we are just don’t get what it was like BEFORE we came along and some of you who are older than us refuse to process new information, So let me break this down for you — we did a LOT of heavy lifting so you all didn’t have to.

https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/life-moves-pretty-fast-why-gen-x-got-it-before-the-rest-of-you-c07cf6c52904