Somewhere in 1987, my friend Chuck and I
were hanging out in his unfurnished apartment, waiting for that evening’s
episode of Webster to begin, when we saw a TV news broadcast profiling
“Generation X.” This was a new media buzzword - a label for the upcoming batch
of young adults, who were, as usual, completely different in their values and
priorities from their parents. Gen X, it was said, was a disillusioned bunch.
They had little or no faith in the future, they had an ironic relationship with
our corporate-run culture, and they were emotionally unprepared to cope with
the struggles of adulthood. Rather than becoming the next wave of innovators, Generation
X, they told us, were far more likely to be found watching the Brady Bunch and
thumbing through old comic books. Chuck put down his copy of Richie Rich #118
and looked at me sheepishly.
“Where did this ‘Generation X’ stuff come from?” he asked.
“Where did this ‘Generation X’ stuff come from?” he asked.
