I am a member of that quiet group known as Generation X. We’re that unsung demographic that couldn’t compete with the noise being generated by the generations before and after us. Every other generation has had a firm foundation to build on, except us. My generation walked on a shifting bridge that wasn’t yet fully built. I’m not whining, just stating the facts.
While working at my first “real” job in my youth, I remembered listening to my older counterparts talking about the good ol’ days and wondered why I’d been left out. They spoke of security, well-being, longevity, and wealth. They had their compensation packages, their benefits packages, their retirement packages, and their networks. All I had were bills. And when the layoffs started coming, I learned that my world would never be as stable as the world of other generations.
I guess that the path that I walk was predetermined by my lengthy stint as a dependent of the military establishment. I learned that sacrifice was a daily mantra, and expectations were an illusion. Nothing was sacred when it was time to move. Having spent my youth moving from country to country, I never stayed long enough to belong to anything. The military life enforced my solitude, and shaped who I became as an adult. I chose to stand apart from the norm. Not disenfranchised, just disillusioned. Heck, I wore black long before it became the Goth uniform.
Others may see Generation X as the underachievers and slackers, but I lean more towards being the underdog. We were really just trying to rebuild a world that was crumbling around us. The family unit was disappearing, success only happened through nepotism, and the world was changing with the speed of a microprocessor. In all of this instability, we were expected to dress for success while spewing out the mantras of our organizations. Except for the fact that we didn’t want to belong to any organization, much less have mantras. And why would we want to look like everyone else? Our beliefs may not have been in line with the mainstream, but they drove us to push for change. It’s not like the system was even working that well.
I for one am glad that I stood up to the establishment. Sure, my life hasn’t been easy, but I’ve persevered through it all. As a matter of fact, a friend of mine told me that she was so amazed that I’d managed to buck the system while working in such a regimented industry as manufacturing. I was surprised to hear this statement, because I don’t think that I’m doing anything special other than trying to make things work better. If I look back, all of the jobs that I picked were not “normal” for a woman. I worked as a gas station attendant, a washer/waxer of aircraft, a delivery driver, and other jobs that made my parents cringe. They believed in the establishment, while I believed that nothing stayed established forever. I’ve never even thought of myself as a feminist, but an equal opportunist. If I worked as hard as the next guy, shouldn’t I also get the same opportunities that he had? Why was the fact that I had ovaries a weakness? After all, we women do have a high threshold for pain, and can also multi-task.
Generation X is a group that I love belonging to, because uniqueness was highly valued. I’m proud that I’m making my own way in this world using the tools available to me. If I don’t know how to do something, then it’s my own fault. My beliefs have led to my relentless drive for creativity in everything that I do. My thirst for knowledge is who I am. My generation made a roadmap to the new world. This world might not be stable, but it’s a world partially created from the dreams of every Gen X’er. We’re not asking for any thanks. Just accept us for who we are, and let us do what we do best. Rebuild.
