I know I did some dumb shit when I was a teen, but not really anything that would rise to the level of "wildly horrible".
At worst it was "irresponsibility risky to self", or "annoying to others".
Humans are pack animals, susceptible to tribal trends. For whatever reason, my atypical brain made me mostly immune, at least when I became an adult. I don't want to belong to a team, tribe, or whatever else you want to call it to validate my existence, ot the human race in general. I make my own decisions, due to my mistrust of group think and mistrust of authority. This makes some people dislike me immediately. I don't care. Think. Decide. And live with the consequences.
It was a long time before I even learned (from reading what others had to say about their teens and early 20s) that a “normal” person was trying on lots of identities/subcultures to see where they could be coolest and most liked and also that they were looking around for specific cool people they wanted to be like and copying them.
If I try to think who was cool whom I could have wanted to be, I don’t really think of anyone. Maybe I had a strong sense of myself, or maybe I wasn’t around people I thought that highly of, or maybe I was just very certain I was never going to be cool so I shouldn’t embarrass myself by trying.
Born between 1961 and 1981, we are Generation X - the original latchkey kids, the feral generation that came of age without cellphones, internet, or helicopter parenting. By 16, we had the life experience of 30-year-olds, and that gritty wisdom still defines us today.
We grew up under the looming threat of nuclear annihilation. "The Day After" was our introduction to the fragility of our world. Yet, we also witnessed momentous change: the fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the dawn of a new era of peace and possibility.
We saw the excesses and failures of the Boomer generation, but we charted our own path. We reject their ideals and march to the beat of our own drum. Apathy is our armor, authenticity our creed.
We are the generation of grunge and metal, of raves and vaporwave. Plaid shirts and ironic detachment are our trademarks. We're tech-savvy, resourceful, and fiercely independent.
This sub welcomes GenXers from all corners of the globe to share links, photos, graphics, memoirs, memes, commentaries, and stories that capture our unique journey and outlook. Whether you experienced the Cold War from the US, UK, Soviet Union, or anywhere in between - if you identify with the GenX ethos, this is your tribe. Let's celebrate our shared experiences, historic milestones, and irreverent spirit that set us apart from any other generation.