I'm reading an interesting book called "Generations at Work", written by what sounds like a (diverse) law firm: Zemke, Rains and Filipczak. I'm beginning to think I'd underestimated the impact of news events on the personalities and tendencies of a given generation, compared to the traditional formative influences of family and religion.
For example, Gen-Xrs are said to be skeptical and have a survivor's mentality. According to "Generations at Work" this generation:
...can be summed up by the question, 'Just tell me, is this going to be on the test?'...This generation has developed an almost myopic concern with survival, both economic and psychological. The question really means, 'What does this have to do with my survival?' They sensed early that no one was going to hand hold them, so they must take care of themselves.Religiously how would might this translate? Maybe a Pelagianistic and legalistic attitude. Or possibly a therapeutic view.
Where did this survivor mentality come from? Try growing up in the wake of Vietnam, the only war the United States ever lost, and you'll get a hint. Then, as you're beginning to become politically aware, watch a President of the U.S. go down in flames.
Nixon's resignation...was followed by an oil embargo that, while it simply reminded the WWII generation of rationing, signaled to Xers what seemed to be an advent of a world in which anyone with a grudge could kick sand in the face of this once-respected superpower and bring our standard of living to its knees. In the 1980s, when many twenty-somethings joined the job market, the Japanese shadowboxed heavily over our economy...precipitating storms of layoffs.
I'd long thought the seminal influences on Gen-Xers were David Letterman and Alex P. Keaton of "Family Ties" fame.
Letterman helped give the Xers their love of informality (recall Dave wearing tennis shoes with his suit as if to say "yeah I got to wear this suit but (*wink*wink*) there's no dress code for shoes," as if he'd found a loophole. Letterman always complained about the bosses in upper management, a precusor to the comic strip "Dilbert"?
Alex Keaton appealed to Xers primarily because he was a realist and pragmatist amid starry-eye'd ex-hippies. Was his portrayal as money-obsessed a put-on? Did the viewers think of his over-the-top love for money and status as merely an act and that down deep he was a romantic? I think so, which allowed the viewer to accept his obsession with pragmatism and earning money and still find him likeable.
The book argues that Gen-X begins with those born 1960 or after though it also mentions there is a lot of crossover particularly for those born in the cusp of a generation. And though it's purely anecdotal, it's interesting how my own fraternity experience seems relevant in how it was run by Baby Boomer-types 'in 82, but then run by Gen-Xers a remarkably short time later, i.e. around '86, giving the whole thing a much different feel. You would think a fraternity's culture would linger but it's amazing how quickly ours changed. The new kids were much more interested in studies (i.e. the survivalist mentality) and definitely more laid back. The fraternity became far less about face time, conformity, ritual and hedonism.
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