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Generation X Diversity

It has been claimed that Generation X has failed to create "an original youth culture" of its own (Gross & Scott, 1990, p. 62). Indeed, many of the elements of today's popular culture have been borrowed from previous eras. For example, grunge music is an extension of late 1970s punk rock, and raves are adaptations of late 1960s happenings and LSD parties. It has also been claimed that Generation X has no spokespersons or heroes of its own. Kurt Cobain of the grunge rock group Nirvana was deeply mourned after his suicide in April, 1994, and some people consider him to be a symbol of the angst, frustration and aimlessness of today's youth. However, in actuality, some young people loved Kurt Cobain and some hated him: "The simple truth is that Generation X is too diverse to agree on a hero" (Giles, 1994, p. 68). Because of these factors, few, if any, defining characteristics set the current generation apart from earlier ones. Nonetheless, as Karen Schoemer (1995) points out in Newsweek, "The temptation is to conclude that there is no Generation X, but we all know in our hearts that's not true" (p. 32). This paper will examine the media image of Generation X, as well as the social attitudes and value systems of the people who comprise it. In this way, an effort will be made to define the generation and to determine what course the future may hold for today's youth.

The concept of "Generation X" first rose to national attention in July, 1990, with a Time magazine cover article on "twentysomethings." According to this article, the new generation consisted of 48 million young Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 (born between the years 1961 and 1972). The article defined the group in mostly negative terms: "They have few heroes, no anthems, no style to call their own. They crave entertainment, but their attention span is as short as one zap of a TV dial" (Gross & Scott, 1990, p. 57). The article also implied that the e...

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Generation X Diversity. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 01:24, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1693042.html