Gen X Cultural Mythology
Canada’s Times Colonist has published an article today by Kim Gray in which Gen Xers contemplate their place within the Gen X cultural mythology. Here is an excerpt:
Thanks to Doug, I’ve spent the last 16 years trying to decode what it truly means to be generation X,” says the 43-year-old with a laugh. He penned a book in response to Coupland’s Generation X called Chips and Pop in 1998.
“I wanted to set the record straight. Coupland may not have intended this, but there were lots of negative stereotypes in that book. Even the label ‘X’ has a negative connotation. It’s usually employed to show a wrong answer or as a signature for an illiterate person…
It’s a worthwhile question, don’t you think? A myth is a traditional story accepted as history. It serves to explain the world view of a people. Where is your place in this mythology? Were you over-educated, underemployed, underachieving? Were you a slacker? Do you overparent now? Do you still suffer from failure to launch?
As you contemplate your place within the Gen X cultural mythology, what story emerges? Are you still full of wanderlust? Do the embers in your belly still need stoking?
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