Friday, March 13, 1998
Generalizing generations doesn’t make sense
GENX Stereotyping misses the point that individuals can be very
different from the group
By Paolo Bayless
As if it were not enough to be labeled by our race, gender,
religion, hair color, etc., those of us born between baby booms
have been recently labeled as members of the lost generation known
as "X." With this label comes a vast number of generalizations,
stereotypes and almost juvenile oversimplifications.
Anyone that believes that it is possible to speak about our
entire generation as a whole obviously doesn’t walk by the north
side of Ackerman during lunchtime. You know where I’m talking about
– that small section of the Bruin Walk which is such a mosaic of
diversity that it makes the cantina scene in Star Wars look
homogenized. Next time you pass by this vast tapestry of Generation
X, try to find a single, unifying theme to the chaos that exists
there. Of course, as with most things, there are no simple ways to
categorize such a large group of individuals.
The reason that we try to name, label and define a generation is
primarily because it seemingly simplifies things. It is quite a
convenient shortcut to try to generalize a large group of people.
This is why we are so quick to stereotype people by characteristics
such as their physical appearance and their family background.
Slowly, we have learned the errors of judging individuals solely on
these factors. Isn’t it just as pointless to judge a group of
people based solely on their generation?
Another reason for you to buy into my theory is provided by the
fact that our generation seems destined to be remembered in a
less-than-admirable light.
In other words, does the term "slacker" ring a bell? Popular
opinion of our generation seems to indicate that we are all pale,
scruffy, David Spade/Courtney Love look-alikes with a twisted
"Fiona Apple acceptance speech" outlook on life. We are believed to
treat coffee not as a beverage, but as a way of life, and
participate in sports only if they have the adjective "extreme"
preceding them. Now I cannot speak for everyone, but I don’t really
want to be remembered in quite this way. Contrary to popular
belief, I don’t spend my weekends riding around in my Volkswagen in
search of abandoned furniture.
In addition, I don’t think that it is possible to characterize
people into these specific time periods. Do you really think that
at the stroke of midnight on Dec. 31, 1979 every American’s heart
instantly filled with greed and self-interest? Sure, this notion
sounds laughable in this context, but we are all aware of the
various stereotypes concerning the decades of the 20th century.
It is not the case that I am without historical consciousness. I
just believe that the generalizations being tossed around about
Generation X are not universally valid, and therefore, not very
useful. Moreover, I think that we would all be better off if we
spent less time concerned with the underlying theme of our
generation, and more time focused on ourselves as individuals.