When were the days when kids got to go for rides in the back of a pickup truck and no helmet on, and nobody cared? That is Generation X, and it is also the era when things called ‘tuesdays’ happened, and it all happened before the internet came along and turned it all into something different.””
However, intergenerational behavior is more than just nostalgia; it is also a time capsule. What might have been regarded as simple enjoyment or “character-building” activities in the past is now finding themselves at odds in today’s hyper-connected and socially aware world of Generation Z. Amid all the changing etiquette norms, escalating levels of mental health consciousness, and increasing “cancel culture,” this gap between both generations is as wide as that of the rotary telephone to iPhone 15.
This listicle explores the quirks, a questionable tradition or two, and outright dangerous practices that Gen X loved-and how they’d spark today’s outraged think pieces and Change.org petitioning.
1. Making Fun of Everything No Topic Off Limits
It is during this time that Gen X comedy rode the waves of roasting whoever and whatever. “Jokes involving someone or something disabled, of color or obese were not uncommon on many primetime TV shows. Back then, this was ‘freedom of speech,’ so suck it up, buttercup. But rest assured that if this brand of humor were spilling out of TV land and comedy clubs of today, it would be ridiculed for its callousness and insensitivity, given the importance of ‘safe spaces’ and ‘inclusivity’ that is trumpeted by our culture of today.” It is reported by the Pew Research Center that “cancel culture” now reacts to public humiliation by viewing it not merely as public humiliation but “as accountability.”
2. Calling Without Warning
For Generation X, there was nothing more natural than simply grabbing the phone to call a “friend” without warning. In today’s world, such calls are intrusive, even intimidating. In surveys, it was found that close to 70% of people aged 18-34 would be in favor of texting as opposed to actually ringing someone. Many today simply ignore the call. For Generation Z individuals, “Can we talk?” was just the digital knock on the door to enter, whereas Generation X’s “friend” calls were simply barging in.
3. Play Outside for Several Hours Unsupervised
For Generation X youngsters, it was normal to be left alone from morning until dinner without a parent or babysitter present. No GPS systems, check-ins. Just a feeling. Now, a parent could end up being staked by child protective services for leaving a kid alone for 10 minutes. Despite the statistics relaying the conditions of childhood as a general indication that the USA is a safer place now compared to the ’70s, society leans toward a culture of perpetual observation, making the Generation X childhood experience seem irresponsible by comparative standards.
4. Simulating Mental Illness
“She’s crazy,” or “He’s a nutjob” was slang humor for Gen X kids. Mental health was hardly ever brought up in general conversation, and there was definitely a stigma against people with problems in that area. The sensitivity that exists todayand is at least partially a result of movements to bring about issues like the ’90s influx of mainstream mental health awareness or what body positivity folks like Sonya Renee Taylor are advocating for in regards to body imageis such that using those phrases would now be considered derogatory and hurtful in today’s discussion and understanding of mental health issues.
5. Using cheerful as an Insult
For those in Generation X, “That’s so cheerful” may have been everything from bad fashion to boring homework. But today, it is completely understood as an insult that repackages LGBTQ+ identities. What Gen Z does with identity-affirming language sums up decades of queer activism, whether it’s liberation or by way of an intersection, for kinds of language that stereotype or demean.
6. Thoughtless litter
Nice fights littering trash, particularly fast food garbage, out of car windows. There wasn’t environmental awareness back in the day, or videos of turtles getting mired in plastic garbage on the internet to guilt people into changing their ways. This environmentally sensitive generation Z has no qualms about “canceling” brands for plastic straws, so littering is an environmental crisis for the generation X group.
7. One-Parent Households Single-parent families can
The rap or rock songs played by the Gen X parents in the car had to be played without any edits as it accompanied the offspring in the back seat. The lyrics, involving either violence and/or making love, became irrelevant. The playlists of parents today consist of kid-edited songs, while explicit songs in school can be accompanied by a suspension threat or an instigating video.
8. Wearing Burnout Like a Badge of Honour
Generation X looked up to worker dedication, existing coffee and deadlines without a thought to how their job-induced stress could influence their health. The working individual of today, in particular Gen Z, rejects this kind of hustle culture for what it is: toxic, and instead advocates for the normalization of work-life balance. The scholarly study of the work environment in the new age of the post-pandemic world shows this to not only be true but that the workers of this new age seek their mental health and their meaning to be more deeply considered than “just getting the job done” in the burn until you break approach of Generation X.
9. Body-Shaming in Teen Magazines
Gen X is familiar with the glossy page spread dissecting celebrity weight, fixating on cellulite, and categorizing celebrities as ‘fat or fab’. Today’s body positivity movement, an evolution from the 1960s, is the complete opposite and has been spearheaded by social media. The idea is that for body positivity to be positive, it must include and not alienate any body types, and those old page spreads can be considered antique and insensitive.
10. Prank Calls with No Consequences
Prior to the invention of caller ID, prank calls from Generation Xers were common, as they would deliver scores of unwanted pizzas to a particular address. Of course, this would never happen in the modern-day society, as people’s footprints online enable a lack of anonymity. Today, this would constitute harassment, as people can now be shamed and even sue others for their acts.
11. Excuses of “Boys Will Be Boys”
However, such an attitude and phrase were carried forward by Generation X to absolve aggressive and/or wrongly directed male behavior, absolving young boys of any true responsibility. All of which is now considered to be a cop-out and something that Generation Z holds everyone responsible for treating others respectfully, irrespective of gender. Social movements have changed the way such justifications were considered harmless expressions.
12. Problematic TV as Prime-Time Entertainment
Sitcoms and variety shows of the Gen X era often ended episodes with gags that relied upon fat-shaming, making love, and racism. “Laughter that was acceptable then is overwatched and cringe now,” said Reid, regarding how Generation Alpha consumers view content from previous generations. Today, the conversation about content from previous generations puts these products into the “cringe museum,” writes Reid.
13. Episode: Hosting Family Drama for the Talk Shows
Genre Daytime television was all about public confrontations: paternity tests and cheating scandals, think Jerry Springer. Today, this kind of public drama is condemned for exploitation, and young viewers may wonder if making a spectacle from personal tragedy is appropriate material for entertainment.
“The ways of GenXers, raised outside of smartphone culture and the pressures of going viral, may not translate well, or even be possible, in this new age,” writes Amy West, “and yet, indicitive of all this change, immediate criticism can follow and seek retraction, since the Internet never forgets.
