Gen X Was Born for This Shit

A public service announcement

Will Leitch
Forge

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Photo: Tempura/Getty Images

Remember this CBS News graphic, from last year?

The great joke, of course, is that everyone forgot about Generation X once again. That generation, my generation (I was born in 1975, have seen every Richard Linklater movie multiple times, and am currently listening to Pavement), is the one that got skipped over.

The Baby Boomers are living longer than any other generation and have refused to let go of any of the power, and the millennials and post-millennials vastly outnumber us. Having grown up in the internet and smartphone age, they are the ones with all the buying power that corporate America is obsessed with reaching. Us Gen Xers? People briefly cared about us during the 1990s, the most peaceful decade, in which the only real global controversy was oral sex in the White House — but then Sept. 11 happened, and everybody stopped thinking about us all together.

Until now. Looks like you need us now.

Generation X has long been waiting for its national moment, as presidential candidates in the age group get bounced early (sorry, Beto) and the music of our time has been all but…

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Will Leitch
Forge

Author of six books, including “How Lucky” and "The Time Has Come." NYMag/MLB.. Founder, Deadspin. https://williamfleitch.substack.com