Technology
G
enerations. We have The
Greatest Generation, The
Boomer Generation, Gen X
and Gen Y. We’ve come to see
these various generations
“diss” each other regularly, each
saying something similar to, “Well,
back in my day... I had to walk uphill
both ways to get to and from
school.”
As of late, there has been an
escalating battle between Gen
Xers and Gen Y, “millennials” as
we’ve grown to call them. They
bitch and moan about how each
of their respective generations
has it so rough.
“We have to live at home because
we can’t find jobs,” Gen Y moans.
“Oh yeah, well we took jobs we
didn’t want, so we didn’t have live in
our mom’s basement,” retorts Gen X.
A recent Pew Research Center study
calls Gen X “the neglected middle
child.” They consider Gen X those
ages 34 to 49, which I barely fall
into. To me, Gen X is in their 40s.
Talking to a friend of mine in her 40s
recently, it is clear that we are not
of the same generation, at least not
technology-wise. (Though, talking to
a 25-year-old isn’t much better.) Gen
X is not quite my generation. While
I will admit I’m starting to the feel
the pangs of middle age -- my body
is falling apart and I keep asking
myself, “What am I doing with my
life?” -- I didn’t reap the benefits
of the Clinton administration.
Here’s my question: What about
MY GENERATION? We feel much
more like a middle child than Gen
X ever could. What to call us ... the
“Betweeners” until I think of
something better. Wait, Gen XY is
much better. My high school biology
teacher used to say, “You girls are
missing something. That Y
chromosome.” He was one of the
best teachers I had and was not a
chauvinist. Simply a smartass. But
calling us Gen XY definitely fits.
What do I mean by Gen XY? The Pew
study says Gen X is “bookended” by
boomers and millennials. My hybrid
generation, a ‘tween generation
so-to-speak, I’ll consider as people
from the ages of 33 to about 39 —
still children of the 80s, but without
quite so much angst — and not quite
millennial -- we didn’t spring from
the womb with some sort of an
electronic device in our hands.
With each generation that sets
forth, each thinks that the previous
generation had it better than them,
and maybe a little vice versa. But,
really, being in Gen XY is fantastic.
We’re young enough to still have our
wits about us (thank goodness), and
we grew up before the Internet was
known by anyone other than those
who invented it. Our lazy habit of
choice was playing video games on the
first Nintendo and, even then, most
families didn’t have a gaming system.
If you knew someone who did, that’s
where you hung out after school.
Gen XY can still be nostalgic. We
grew up with Saved by the Bell (I
wanted to have a band called “Kelly
Kapowski and the Morrises,” where
I would have had bleached blonde
hotties dancing behind me.), Fresh
Prince, Blossom, The Cosbys, The
Smurfs, Carebears, Cabbage Patch
Kids, Garbage Pail Kids, My Little
Pony, Rainbow Brite. Now, I go into
an Urban Outfitters and see those
things on T-shirts underneath a sign
that says “Retro Tees.”
And the music? Thank you Gen X for
creating the last great era of music.
Some of you might hate Grunge, but
anything is better than all the little
Bieber-types polluting the airwaves
now. We got to listen to Nirvana when
they were still a band, and The Pixies
had a chick in the band that actually
played an instrument and wasn’t there
just to look pretty. Not only that,
chick bands who finally didn’t play pop
music exploded on the scene: Hole,
Sleater-Kinney, Bikini Kill-- True riot
grrrls. Gen Y chicks should praise the
riot grrrls for making it OK for them
to be themselves without apologizing
for it.
Gen Y might have launched from
the womb texting, but they’ll never
know true freedom. True freedom
is waking at 7 A.M. on a summer day,
hopping on your bike and not
returning home until dark. No cell
phones. No check-ins. If you weren’t
home by dark, then your parents
might start to worry. Gen XY is the
last generation to know what true
freedom feels like.
We XYers grew up worshipping the
music and wardrobe of Gen X, and
now envy the tech of Gen Y. Do we
have more tech prowess than Gen X?
Perhaps, if only because started on
computers much younger. My parents
were a tiny bit older than the Baby
Boomer generation -- my siblings are
at the tail end of the Boomers/
beginning of Gen X -- and the fact
that I was working on a computer
at age 5 blew their minds. It was a
topic of discussion at dinner parties.
“Did
you know
they’ve already got Sonja on
computers at school?” my dad would
say. “I never thought I’d see the day.”
I thought it was a big deal only
because they made it one. “I get to
use computers at school,” I’d proudly
brag to my brother and sister. “You
didn’t get to do that.” To this day, I’m
pretty sure my brother has never used
a traditional computer. He does have
an iPhone and an email address now
and couldn’t wait to show me.
“Check this out,” he said as he
revealed his new toy. “It gets Internet
and email.”
“Cool, bro. I had that iPhone. Sean
has the newest one,” I said, thus
unintentionally sucking the wind
out of his sails. So, I back pedaled,
“That’s great for you! Now we can
email each other!”
As I