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Generation X (or Gen X for short) is the Western demographic cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials. They are the first generation to grow up with personal computers to some extent, thus defining what we now consider tech-savviness.

But in order to find out what it really means to be a Gen Xer, you have to ask those who know it better than others, the Xers themselves. “What is THE most Gen X thing?” someone asked on Ask Reddit and the responses started rolling in, revealing why and how this particular generation is unique.

From traits like quiet quitting to being the last ones to remember life before the internet, these are the surprising things characteristic to Generation X, according to people who gave it a good thought.

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#1

Someone Asks "What Is The Most Gen X Thing?" And 30 People Dive Deep Down Memory Lane Being the last unreachable generation. There were hours where no one knew where we were and our parents has zero way to contact us.

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Danielle
Danielle
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I miss this. People get upset with me now for being unreachable for a bit. I’m not a receptionist.

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To find out more about generational differences and what’s unique about Generation X, we spoke with Lauren McMenemy, a professional writer, journalist, and marketer with a burning desire to tell stories, to shine a light on society, to advocate for better mental health and self-care, who was happy to share some insights into the topic. Lauren is also a writing mentor and coach who runs workshops and training to help people get their words down right.

“I've never really been a believer in strict generational differences - we're all different in different ways! - but I do believe there is something to it when it comes to technology,” Lauren explained.
#2

Someone Asks "What Is The Most Gen X Thing?" And 30 People Dive Deep Down Memory Lane Being old enough to remember (and appreciate) life before the Internet and cellphones but being young enough to transition into that world without a hitch.

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#3

Someone Asks "What Is The Most Gen X Thing?" And 30 People Dive Deep Down Memory Lane I'm just on that border between Gen X and the oldest Millennials but my sister is 8 years older than me. We would call the local rock station to request a song then sit there with a tape at the ready to hit record as soon as they played our song. Repeat that about 10x and you've got a nice mixtape.

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#4

Being able to entertain ourselves for hours. This came from being latchkey kids.

I didn’t mind the covid lockdowns too much at all.

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“Gen X may not have grown up with the internet, but we did grow up with ever-advancing technology. The '80s were all about video games and the welcoming of computers into our homes, and it seemed every year there was a new version of Nintendo to covet. To me, that makes us adaptable and flexible - especially in terms of technology, but in general, too,” Lauren explained.

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Lauren added that “we also had to amuse ourselves much more often - we were the 'latch-key' generation, with parents working full-time - so are less reliant on screens and can think through challenges with logic and precision,” she explained.
#5

Someone Asks "What Is The Most Gen X Thing?" And 30 People Dive Deep Down Memory Lane Remembering phone numbers.

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#6

Someone Asks "What Is The Most Gen X Thing?" And 30 People Dive Deep Down Memory Lane Calling your girlfriend's house and hoping that her dad does not pick up. Kids will never know this fear.

dtrickk , Arnie Kim Report

Final score:
335points
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#7

Someone Asks "What Is The Most Gen X Thing?" And 30 People Dive Deep Down Memory Lane Massive CD collections neatly stored in binders for easy access.

Suspicious-Sleep5227 , Luke Jones Report

Final score:
332points
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

With another box hidden off somewhere with all the cases, because you still need them, but it's better than playing cd case Jenga.

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Moreover, Lauren sees the Gen Xers as a bridge of sorts; “we can take the millennials' ideas and translate them for older generations, and can help smooth communication and ideological differences between them.”

“We're also the forgotten generation, as the two generations on either side of us are such huge cohorts, which very much plays into the ‘slacker’ mentality of Gen X - we can get passionate, for sure, but it takes a lot to rile us up,” Lauren explained.

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She also believes that Gen Xers are also used to be overlooked and making their own way, or being stuck in the middle. “As parents, I think Gen Xers are less ‘helicopter’ parents, more willing to let their kids make their own mistakes (but I say that as a non-parent!),” the writer and essayist concluded.
#8

The fact that our generation was kind if passed over. When I started my career, they wanted us to be deferential to older more experienced co-workers, “pay your dues and wait your turn!” As soon as we became more seasoned, they were like, look at all these amazing millennials and their great ideas! We’re like the Jan Brady of generations.

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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Then the owners saw the work ethics of those hyped millennials and went back to those reliant X's.

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#9

Someone Asks "What Is The Most Gen X Thing?" And 30 People Dive Deep Down Memory Lane Video arcade. Before Gen-X, graphics weren’t good enough, and after Gen-X, you’d play the games on your own home console. No other generation claimed them like we did.

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Final score:
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#10

Someone Asks "What Is The Most Gen X Thing?" And 30 People Dive Deep Down Memory Lane Swatch Watches.

fredfreddy4444 , srgpicker Report

Final score:
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Ches Yamada
Ches Yamada
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Aww, I love these. They had such funky designs! They still do, but I miss the one I found when I was little at a local park. No one claimed it so I got it. It was so cool.

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#11

Someone Asks "What Is The Most Gen X Thing?" And 30 People Dive Deep Down Memory Lane Always having a pencil in the car for the cassettes.

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Final score:
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Alex Frohlich
Alex Frohlich
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Born in 96, but still used these and VCR for a while, for old stuff until about 2014ish. I just used my pinky finger lol

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#12

Someone Asks "What Is The Most Gen X Thing?" And 30 People Dive Deep Down Memory Lane Be kind, Rewind.

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#13

Someone Asks "What Is The Most Gen X Thing?" And 30 People Dive Deep Down Memory Lane Hair crimper, riding bikes with no helmets, buying smokes for my dad at the shop. Putting baby oil on and sunbaking (cause we were literally baking ourselves haha) doing whatever I wanted for one to two hours after school by myself cause parents were still working. Being allowed to roam the streets until almost dark. I forgot to add getting your hair permed curly.

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Final score:
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Ches Yamada
Ches Yamada
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ahhhh. I'd crimp my hair and then, for some readon, brush it out so it was all poofy. Lol

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#14

My kid called me a boomer, and when I told him, 'No, I’m Gen X,' he said, 'No one cares.' I couldn’t argue with that.

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#15

Someone Asks "What Is The Most Gen X Thing?" And 30 People Dive Deep Down Memory Lane The Sony Walkman.

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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Surely that should be a photo of the cassette version? I still have mine, and it works!

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#16

Someone Asks "What Is The Most Gen X Thing?" And 30 People Dive Deep Down Memory Lane Never getting mentioned in the news. It always goes from gen z to millennials to boomers.

my_eternal , Roman Kraft Report

Final score:
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Natalia Rubio
Natalia Rubio
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is why I never remember which generation I belong to 😂😂

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#17

Someone Asks "What Is The Most Gen X Thing?" And 30 People Dive Deep Down Memory Lane What defined Gen X growing up was living under the constant threat of nuclear war. If you wonder why Gen X is defined as 'whatever,' it's because we believed that at some point in our future, we'd end up living, or dying, in a nuclear winter.
The USSR was the 'evil empire,' and watching the succession of premiers being executed or disappeared confirmed that. So much so, that when Gorbachev actually started the process of Perestroika, I didn't believe it. I thought it was some kind of plot by the Russians to make us let our guard down.

The threat of nuclear war was constant. The continuation of human life on the planet was not a given.

I think there are many similarities between Gen X and the current generation (don't think it's Gen Z, but the kids currently going through elementary school). So, another 'whatever' generation growing up during COVID and the whole climate change crisis.

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Ches Yamada
Ches Yamada
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think for me it wasn't that I believed I'd die, but I was tired of living under a constant threat so: "eh, whatever happens, happens - I can only do so much to change the world". You can't worry all the time.

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#18

Telephone conversations. Like, calling up your friend and chatting for hours.

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featherytoad
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yep, we would see each other all day at school and then come home and talk on the phone for hours. My parents couldn't understand it.

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#19

Someone Asks "What Is The Most Gen X Thing?" And 30 People Dive Deep Down Memory Lane Mixtapes. Actual cassette tapes recorded on a boom box from songs on the radio. Bonus for Ramones tunes as part of the mix.

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#20

Blockbuster on a friday night.

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#21

Someone Asks "What Is The Most Gen X Thing?" And 30 People Dive Deep Down Memory Lane Pong, space invaders, being the last generation to have to walk across the room to change the tv channel, being able to fix the tv by pounding on it the right way, getting the brown box for the tv and there only being 3 stations.

Also being totally forgotten about by the other two generations. Like door mice.

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#22

Someone Asks "What Is The Most Gen X Thing?" And 30 People Dive Deep Down Memory Lane Reality Bites and Singles. Record stores.

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Final score:
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#23

The smoking section in a restaurant.

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Tamra
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, I don't miss the smoking sections anywhere. The thought may have been nice, but the reality just meant the entire place smelled like cigarettes.

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#24

Someone Asks "What Is The Most Gen X Thing?" And 30 People Dive Deep Down Memory Lane Staying out until the street lights came on, riding your bike with a playing card in the spokes. Staring at that sweet IROC-Z down the street. First-generation CD players. Cordless phones. Skate City. FINISH HIM!

jbaretta01 , Dmitriy Protsenko Report

Final score:
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My son still plays outside until the streetlights come on, and there’s quite some other kids in the neighbourhood too.

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#25

Quiet quitting. We've been doing that since the '90s, but they just called it slacking back then.

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#26

Someone Asks "What Is The Most Gen X Thing?" And 30 People Dive Deep Down Memory Lane Grunge music: Working with a handful of Gen-Xers and the only music they can consistently agree on is the Pearl Jam station.

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Final score:
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#27

The Crow... Movie and soundtrack.

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#28

Someone Asks "What Is The Most Gen X Thing?" And 30 People Dive Deep Down Memory Lane Beepers. It felt so important to have one, even cooler if you paid extra for the voicemail service.

nousername56789 , nara.getarchive Report

Final score:
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pico diablo
pico diablo
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Michael Crichton (under the name, John Lange) wrote about this in 'Binary'. The doctor who felt this way soon realized it didn't make him important, instead, it was an electronic leash.

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#29

Garbage Pail Kids.

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Mad Dragon
Mad Dragon
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Trading cards that had kind of gross parodies of Cabbage Patch Kids.

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#30

Breakdancing.

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#31

Sun-In for hair. Feathered bangs. Blue eyeliner. Loves Baby Soft. Jellies.

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Hiker Chick
Hiker Chick
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Melting your wood pencil eyeliner with a cigarette lighter and lining the lip of your eyelid, but being careful that you don't scratch your eyeball.

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#32

Trapper keepers.

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Katy McMouse
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had one, once - my dad wouldn't pay out for a Trapper Keeper (I bought my own). To this day, I still wonder how I graduated primary school without it...

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#33

Watching mtv headbangers ball Saturday morning, ready to rec on the vhs when my favourite bands came on.

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#34

MapQuest printouts for road trips.

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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For me it was actually real physical maps. Bought at the bookstore or probably at the gas station. Unfold them to their true huge-a$$ size.

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#35

Using a payphonett to make a collect call with the intent of the call being declined. It's a messaging system that notifies your ride that you're ready to be picked up from the movies where you watched back to the future. Or from the arcade where you just blew a roll of quarters on super Mario bros.

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#36

Blowing inside Nintendo cartridges.

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#37

Oregon Trail.

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#38

Columbia house collect notices.

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#39

Valley Girl culture and talk.

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#40

Bartles & Jaymes. The original White Claw.

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#41

Someone Asks "What Is The Most Gen X Thing?" And 30 People Dive Deep Down Memory Lane Members Only jackets!

abeeyore , wikipedia Report

Final score:
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Mouse
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Members only hypnotizers · Move through the room like ambulance drivers.

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