Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,064
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Post by Confessor on Oct 26, 2023 19:57:39 GMT -5
Just catching up with the two recent conversations:
I was never much of a fan of the MCU. I've seen the odd film here and there, but honestly, they're just popcorn, "turn your brain off" action movies for the most part and I hate those sorts of films as a rule (there are a handful of exceptions, of course). GotG was the jewel in the crown of the MCU as far as I can see. I'd much rather read Marvel comics than watch a Marvel movie any day of the week. My non-comic book reading wife is a much bigger fan of the MCU than I am, weirdly.
As for Grunge, outside of "the big two" -- Nirvana and Pearl Jam -- I wasn't really into Grunge at all. I thought that what was going on in the UK alternative rock scene in the '90s (Madchester, Shoegaze, Baggy, Britpop etc) was much more interesting than Grunge.
However, I absolutely love Pearl Jam's first 6 albums: musically, they were like a classic rock band from the 1969/1970 cusp, but it was Eddie Vedder's distinctive vocals and thought-provoking lyrics that really made them interesting, as far as I was concerned.
Nirvana and Kurt Cobain, on the other hand, were something really special. I saw them at a tiny venue in Windsor on the Bleach tour, before they were famous, and although my initial reaction was that they were interesting, but a little too punky/thrashy for my tastes, I kept my ear out for them. I can vividly remember where I was a year or so later when I first heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on the radio: it absolutely floored me and I was a massive fan of the band from that day forward. Kurt Cobain was one of the best and most unique songwriters of my generation IMO.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,064
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Post by Confessor on Oct 26, 2023 20:00:40 GMT -5
Is that the cut-off for Gen X, 1967? It's always been a hazy concept for me. No, I'm Gen X and I was born in 1972. Gen X basically includes anyone born from the mid-to-late 1960s up to 1980. My wife was born in 1982 and she is actually a very old Millenial (don't tell her I said that! ).
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2023 20:22:17 GMT -5
Gen X is actually about sitting back and watching Boomers and Millenials vie for attention. Neither group really cares about us, and most certainly don't "get us", though we'll take an occasional insult from either because it's just nice to be remembered we exist.
Breakfast Club was spot on for me growing up.
As for Nirvana, in my early 90's band we played a number of their tunes, my favorites to play were Lithium, Heart Shaped Box (my absolute fav), and Breed (always really popular when we played frat and sorority parties).
I never really considered them the "voice of my generation", but come to think of it, I hate Boomer political crap all the time, so maybe the total apathy I developed growing up reflects why some of us really did connect with grunge.
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 26, 2023 20:40:13 GMT -5
Yeah, most definitions of Gen-X have it begin in 1965. However, before the name took hold, there were some who referred to the group as Baby Busters, due to a decline in birthrates. The popular use of the name is credited to Douglas Coupland's book, Generation X, published in 1991, so you can see how it is a late naming of the generation. Robert Cappa actually used it to describe a group of young men, growing up after WW2, in a photo essay, in 1952. It was also used in the UK, in 1964, for the book Generation X, by journalists Jane Deverson and Charles Hamblett, writing about youth culture. That book inspired the name for Billy Idol's punk band, Generation X.
The period describes a massive change in society, with rising divorce rates, women in the workplace, and "latchkey kids", plus things like the Vietnam War, Watergate, global terrorism (including the Munich Massacre), the Iran Hostage Crisis, yet another Middle East War, the OPEC embargo and the subsequent increase in gas prices, the post-Vietnam Recession, high crime rates, the Bicentennial, major cities with major economic and social problems (including the city of New York nearly being bankrupt), the Equal Rights Amendment, the original Roe vs Wade Supreme Court decision, the voting age was lowered to 18, but the drinking age was raised to 21, later, the Draft ended, but registration for Selective Service was reintroduced by the Reagan Administration, man walked on the moon, then the space program nearly ended, the Three Mile Island near meltdown, the Love Canal toxic waste scandal, the introduction of the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, the resignation of Richard Nixon, the New Hollywood, the various musical evolutions, the end of the Beatles, the death of Elvis and the murder of John Lennon, Patty Hearst and the SLA, the Son of Sam killings, the rise of the anti-hero in films (especially urban vigilantes), the near death of the Walt Disney studio, educational mandates on Saturday morning cartoons, Schoolhouse Rock, Saturday Night Live, the Norman Lear-produced socially relevant tv shows, the MTM-produced comedies......
Personally, I kind of felt that Gen X was the first generation, as a whole, who had to learn to fend for themselves, which informs the large number of Gen X entrepreneurs, and our tendency to adapt to new technology, while still being able to function without it.
But, like I say, when you go to either end of the demographic, there is a big gulf in the changes. We earlier members experienced a greater percentages of those changes, while the later members saw those changes as more the everyday lifestyle.
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 26, 2023 20:49:10 GMT -5
Gen X is actually about sitting back and watching Boomers and Millenials vie for attention. Neither group really cares about us, and most certainly don't "get us", though we'll take an occasional insult from either because it's just nice to be remembered we exist. Breakfast Club was spot on for me growing up. As for Nirvana, in my early 90's band we played a number of their tunes, my favorites to play were Lithium, Heart Shaped Box (my absolute fav), and Breed (always really popular when we played frat and sorority parties). I never really considered them the "voice of my generation", but come to think of it, I hate Boomer political crap all the time, so maybe the total apathy I developed growing up reflects why some of us really did connect with grunge. I don't know, I found the Breakfast Club to be a bunch of whiners. Maybe it is a rural vs suburban thing. I still can't wrap my head around Saturday detention, as we had no such thing; but, several people I know who grew up in more urban or suburban areas said it was a thing. None of our teachers were going to give up a Saturday to discipline kids. They did it before or after school. Gen X is kind of the Middle Child of the adult generations, just kind of doing our own things, neither like our older Boomer siblings or the younger Millennials; we don't get the attention, so we just kind of suck it up and get things done, without buying into a lot of the BS (consumerism would suggest that Gen X wasn't immune to advertising, though maybe a bit more cynical than the older and younger generations). I still say my cynicism is due to my morning cartoons (Space Angel, Rocky & Bullwinkle and Friends, Underdog/Tennessee Tuxedo) being interrupted by the Watergate Hearings, and going from stuff like Jonny Quest, on Saturday morning to things like Yogi's Ark and endless Scooby Doo variations (and preachy Super Friends). Dang it, I remember when Batman and Robin could hit people in their cartoons and then, suddenly, they weren't allowed to directly touch anyone, in the Super Friends. No wonder I was rooting for the Legion of Doom, when they came along!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2023 21:18:28 GMT -5
Gen X is actually about sitting back and watching Boomers and Millenials vie for attention. Neither group really cares about us, and most certainly don't "get us", though we'll take an occasional insult from either because it's just nice to be remembered we exist. Breakfast Club was spot on for me growing up. As for Nirvana, in my early 90's band we played a number of their tunes, my favorites to play were Lithium, Heart Shaped Box (my absolute fav), and Breed (always really popular when we played frat and sorority parties). I never really considered them the "voice of my generation", but come to think of it, I hate Boomer political crap all the time, so maybe the total apathy I developed growing up reflects why some of us really did connect with grunge. I don't know, I found the Breakfast Club to be a bunch of whiners. Maybe it is a rural vs suburban thing. I still can't wrap my head around Saturday detention, as we had no such thing; but, several people I know who grew up in more urban or suburban areas said it was a thing. None of our teachers were going to give up a Saturday to discipline kids. They did it before or after school. Gen X is kind of the Middle Child of the adult generations, just kind of doing our own things, neither like our older Boomer siblings or the younger Millennials; we don't get the attention, so we just kind of suck it up and get things done, without buying into a lot of the BS (consumerism would suggest that Gen X wasn't immune to advertising, though maybe a bit more cynical than the older and younger generations). I still say my cynicism is due to my morning cartoons (Space Angel, Rocky & Bullwinkle and Friends, Underdog/Tennessee Tuxedo) being interrupted by the Watergate Hearings, and going from stuff like Jonny Quest, on Saturday morning to things like Yogi's Ark and endless Scooby Doo variations (and preachy Super Friends). Dang it, I remember when Batman and Robin could hit people in their cartoons and then, suddenly, they weren't allowed to directly touch anyone, in the Super Friends. No wonder I was rooting for the Legion of Doom, when they came along! The Breakfast Club wasn't so much about Saturday detention despite the setting, it was all the dysfunctional parent relationships. I knew every one of those kids growing up, heck, I was one. To me it's not whining, there are real and very deep scars. Boomers let a lot of us down, and they're still proudly virtue signaling to this day. Sorry, I know that's some pretty spicy language, but the politics on this board are beyond offensive at times and it's touched a raw nerve. I'm not going to delete my account this time, but I'm just done with it. I will say this much though, you're absolutely right that we did suck it up and get things done. And that's something to be proud about.
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 26, 2023 21:28:21 GMT -5
I don't know, I found the Breakfast Club to be a bunch of whiners. Maybe it is a rural vs suburban thing. I still can't wrap my head around Saturday detention, as we had no such thing; but, several people I know who grew up in more urban or suburban areas said it was a thing. None of our teachers were going to give up a Saturday to discipline kids. They did it before or after school. Gen X is kind of the Middle Child of the adult generations, just kind of doing our own things, neither like our older Boomer siblings or the younger Millennials; we don't get the attention, so we just kind of suck it up and get things done, without buying into a lot of the BS (consumerism would suggest that Gen X wasn't immune to advertising, though maybe a bit more cynical than the older and younger generations). I still say my cynicism is due to my morning cartoons (Space Angel, Rocky & Bullwinkle and Friends, Underdog/Tennessee Tuxedo) being interrupted by the Watergate Hearings, and going from stuff like Jonny Quest, on Saturday morning to things like Yogi's Ark and endless Scooby Doo variations (and preachy Super Friends). Dang it, I remember when Batman and Robin could hit people in their cartoons and then, suddenly, they weren't allowed to directly touch anyone, in the Super Friends. No wonder I was rooting for the Legion of Doom, when they came along! The Breakfast Club wasn't so much about Saturday detention despite the setting, it was all the dysfunctional parent relationships. I knew every one of those kids growing up, heck, I was one. To me it's not whining, there are real and very deep scars. Boomers let a lot of us down, and they're still proudly virtue signaling to this day. Sorry, I know that's some pretty spicy language, but the politics on this board are beyond offensive at times and it's touched a raw nerve. I'm not going to delete my account this time, but I'm just done with it. I will say this much though, you're absolutely right that we did suck it up and get things done. And that's something to be proud about. I didn't mean to rub a raw nerve, as I was just saying I couldn't identify much with those characters; but, I also grew up in a small community, where everyone still kind of looked out for each other, especially when the child-parent relations weren't good. Sorry to hear that it reflected your childhood.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2023 21:36:25 GMT -5
The Breakfast Club wasn't so much about Saturday detention despite the setting, it was all the dysfunctional parent relationships. I knew every one of those kids growing up, heck, I was one. To me it's not whining, there are real and very deep scars. Boomers let a lot of us down, and they're still proudly virtue signaling to this day. Sorry, I know that's some pretty spicy language, but the politics on this board are beyond offensive at times and it's touched a raw nerve. I'm not going to delete my account this time, but I'm just done with it. I will say this much though, you're absolutely right that we did suck it up and get things done. And that's something to be proud about. I didn't mean to rub a raw nerve, as I was just saying I couldn't identify much with those characters; but, I also grew up in a small community, where everyone still kind of looked out for each other, especially when the child-parent relations weren't good. Sorry to hear that it reflected your childhood. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean you hit the raw nerve, that was more a general comment on some of the Boomer political talk. Fully respect your experience was different, and none of my other comment was meant to be directed at you other than agreeing on Gen X resourcefulness. I appreciate all of your comments actually. Just some general frustration coming through tonight, I’m going to leave it be.
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 26, 2023 21:50:45 GMT -5
On a totally unrelated note, I just had a bit of a...well, not fright; but a sort of startling event. I thought I heard glass hitting the floor and thought I had a broken window (it happened once, when some mowing was happening outside and they kicked up a piece of a tree limb and sent it flying through my bedroom window). I heard it once, went and looked at all of the windows and just finally assumed it was from outside (the windows are open, as it has been unseasonably warm). I just heard it again and the cat bolted out of the bedroom. I heard more noise, hit the light and then spotted beads dropping off a necklace or bracelet that had belonged to my late wife. The damn cat chewed through the string and the beads were dropping off, one by one. That cat is a feline wrecking crew, made more troublesome by the fact that she is young and full of energy. The older cat mostly steers clear of her, as she likes to jump on him.
She's the one blocking Batman, in my avatar (and she would, too). My wife named her Aja, after a Steely Dan song. I still say she is named Aja, after Japanese women's wrestler, Aja Kong, as she terrorizes the house in a similar manner.
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Post by berkley on Oct 26, 2023 22:07:37 GMT -5
Personally, I've never identified with any particular age group, although by the year of my birth (late in 1961) I suppose I would be classified as a "Boomer" - and I admit that a lot of my pop culture tastes probably reflect that, since the music, tv, etc I was exposed to in those impressionable years did indeed leave an impression. But I've never seen things through an "us Boomers vs everybody else" framework. I don't think I've ever disparaged or even really categorised another person as a Boomer or Gen X or etc, etc. I don't find those tags all that useful, except perhaps when talking about pop culture, and even then only in a limited way.
As for politics, it's with us whether we like it or not so I do think about it and I have my opinions on the Ukraine war, the Israel/Hamas/Palestine crisis, and so on. But it isn't something I would talk about here or, these days, anywhere online, really. You're never going to change anyone's mind, people have to figure it out for themselves. Is there a lot of political discussion here? I haven't noticed it, though I suppose occasionally a political opinion will be implied in some other comment. But I think that's inevitable.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2023 22:33:33 GMT -5
I probably confused and possibly offended some people here as well. My comments were intended to be around the discussion on what was Gen X and whether or not Nirvana was the “voice of a generation”.
I’ve got strong feelings on it no doubt, and I hold by them. Sorry to bring up politics again here, but you guys do sprinkle it in with little jabs here and there. Most seem fine with it so I’m probably the outlier. I’m not even political by nature, I just hear things that sound really judgy on occasion, and it seems kind of one-sided.
Probably should have stayed out of this thread, sorry.
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Post by berkley on Oct 26, 2023 23:14:29 GMT -5
I probably confused and possibly offended some people here as well. My comments were intended to be around the discussion on what was Gen X and whether or not Nirvana was the “voice of a generation”. I’ve got strong feelings on it no doubt, and I hold by them. Sorry to bring up politics again here, but you guys do sprinkle it in with little jabs here and there. Most seem fine with it so I’m probably the outlier. I’m not even political by nature, I just hear things that sound really judgy on occasion, and it seems kind of one-sided. Probably should have stayed out of this thread, sorry.
I'd sincerely like to hear what it was that you found upsetting. I won't be offended if it was something I posted. I say all kinds of dumb things all the time, in spite of what I hope are good intentions. Maybe there's something about my behaviour that I need to change, it isn't always easy to see these things one's own self.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2023 23:35:26 GMT -5
I probably confused and possibly offended some people here as well. My comments were intended to be around the discussion on what was Gen X and whether or not Nirvana was the “voice of a generation”. I’ve got strong feelings on it no doubt, and I hold by them. Sorry to bring up politics again here, but you guys do sprinkle it in with little jabs here and there. Most seem fine with it so I’m probably the outlier. I’m not even political by nature, I just hear things that sound really judgy on occasion, and it seems kind of one-sided. Probably should have stayed out of this thread, sorry.
I'd sincerely like to hear what it was that you found upsetting. I won't be offended if it was something I posted. I say all kinds of dumb things all the time, in spite of what I hope are good intentions. Maybe there's something about my behaviour that I need to change, it isn't always easy to see these things one's own self.
It wasn’t anything from your posts (honestly), but now I feel bad because I didn’t mean to call out anyone specifically. I’ll just say something was mentioned about the Reagan years and it set me off (even though again, I don’t care about the politics of that or pretty much any era). But I appreciate you clearly caring enough to ask, and genuinely wanting to understand. That says a lot. Again, sorry guys, I just have a lot of lifelong issues with my parents’ generation.
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Post by tartanphantom on Oct 27, 2023 0:00:28 GMT -5
I probably confused and possibly offended some people here as well. My comments were intended to be around the discussion on what was Gen X and whether or not Nirvana was the “voice of a generation”. I’ve got strong feelings on it no doubt, and I hold by them. Sorry to bring up politics again here, but you guys do sprinkle it in with little jabs here and there. Most seem fine with it so I’m probably the outlier. I’m not even political by nature, I just hear things that sound really judgy on occasion, and it seems kind of one-sided. Probably should have stayed out of this thread, sorry.
Certainly no offense taken here. I believe in living life on my own terms within (and sometimes outside of) the veneer of somewhat civilized society, but in the end the only one responsible for me is me. I also tend to hold political tribalism in very high disdain, and I've never been a lemming supporter of "the latest thing" no matter what it is--material, social, political or otherwise.
As an example of my "trendiness" awareness level, I couldn't identify a Taylor Swift or Cardi B song if it bit me in the rear, and to me Instagram sounds like the name of a multivitamin. While I'm not a complete Luddite, the terms "hot", "new", "improved" and "better" mean very little to me if I already have something that works the way I need it to work.
Besides, everybody knows that Billy Squier was the "voice of a generation"... not Nirvana. At least until the point he shot that video for "Rock Me Tonite"... it was all downhill from there. But I suppose that's what you get when you hire the guy that went on to direct the film "Newsies".
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Post by The Captain on Oct 27, 2023 5:14:39 GMT -5
I'd sincerely like to hear what it was that you found upsetting. I won't be offended if it was something I posted. I say all kinds of dumb things all the time, in spite of what I hope are good intentions. Maybe there's something about my behaviour that I need to change, it isn't always easy to see these things one's own self.
It wasn’t anything from your posts (honestly), but now I feel bad because I didn’t mean to call out anyone specifically. I’ll just say something was mentioned about the Reagan years and it set me off (even though again, I don’t care about the politics of that or pretty much any era). But I appreciate you clearly caring enough to ask, and genuinely wanting to understand. That says a lot. Again, sorry guys, I just have a lot of lifelong issues with my parents’ generation. Well, seeing as I’m the one who specifically mentioned Reagan and the 1980s, I’ll take the blame here. I meant nothing political by it, just using it as a point of reference, but I do apologize for any distress I may have caused you, as that was not my intent in the slightest.
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