I’m born in 1980. Am I Gen X or Millennial? And Does It Really Matter?
Note: I’ve fallen behind again in these final days to 40. I’m working on getting caught up before my birthday on Tuesday.
Sunday, October 18–2 Days to 40
The perception of Generation X and Millennials are vastly different. When I think of Gen X, I think of Reality Bites, “The Real World,” slackers, grunge rock and logging on to AOL. When I think of Millennials, I think of all the things Millennials are “killing” including Applebees, Hooters, The Home Depot and homeownership.
Generation X is known for being laid-back. Millennials not so much.
I don’t want to offend my Millennial friends when I say this, but I’d much rather be a member of Generation X. They just seem much cooler. And Vanity Fair said “Generation X Might Be Our Last, Best Hope.”
The reason why I feel like I get to decide between these two generations is that the experts can’t make up their mind on which generation those of born in 1980 belong to. Some experts say Gen X ends in 1979, others say 1981. While other experts have given up on us altogether and have given us our own “microgeneration,” saying we have characteristics of both generations and are therefore known as the incredibly hard to say Xennials.
Xennial is defined by Good magazine as “a micro-generation that serves as a bridge between the disaffection of Gen X and the blithe optimism of Millennials.”
Well, now that you say it that way, maybe that is me? Maybe. I hate that name though. But yeah, I’m somewhere in between disaffection and optimism. Or whatever. I don’t care. Adulting is hard AF, guys.
For the record that is the first time, I’ve ever used the term “adulting” and maybe the only time I’ve ever written AF, ever. I just wanted to try to show you that I can blend between my Gen X sense of detachment and whatever it is Millennials do with their AF’s.
I don’t mind being born on the border, and I am totally fine with the experts thinking I’m stuck in the middle with qualities of both generations. It all makes a bit of sense to me. But if I get to choose, I’m choosing Generation X. But also, at the same time, who really cares?
Tim Hammill is a communications professional in the nonprofit sector. He’s turning 40 on October 20, 2020. He’s writing about the final stretch to this milestone age in 40 Days to 40, a collection of stories, thoughts, reflections and whatever else comes to mind each day. In addition to writing a blog, Tim has also decided to donate his birthday to This Is My Brave, an organization he very recently learned about that brings stories of mental illness and addiction out of the shadows and into the spotlight. If you’d like to support Tim’s birthday fundraiser, go here.
Additionally, there are three other organizations that are close to Tim’s heart: Save the Children, Stand Up To Cancer and the Bridgeport YMCA. Click on each to learn more and to support their work.
