You don’t hear much about Generation X in pop culture and it’s probably because they’re too busy running everything.
Two worlds
Past generations will push back on tech. Millennials and younger will struggle to function without wifi. Gen X, however, can diagnose an algorithm problem and still read a room.
They grew up learning how to use card catalogs, paper maps, and rotary phones. They’re also the demographic who programmed and popularized the first internet you needed permission from your parents to log into.
They’re able to fix tech issues without letting technology dictate solutions for every human challenge. In short, they’re bilingual in a world that insists on monolingualism.
The catch
Between witnessing huge political corruption, divorce rates through the roof, and the introduction of always-on TV commercials, Generation X learned early how to question intentions.
When a slick, wellness-focused corporate message or a new Facebook craze pops up, you can be sure a Gen X individual has already spotted the fine print. They know how to see past shine cycles and trendy buzzwords because they don’t expect someone else to think for them.
This innate skepticism is an often underutilized superpower that keeps teams grounded and focused on things that actually matter.
Not posted
You probably won’t see a Gen X’er posting about their relationship issues, personal hardships, or worst life moments online for strangers to give feedback and advice. To a lot of them, the internet is simply a tool used to find information, fix things that aren’t working, or communicate with other people. Nothing more.
Private life stays private. Family issues, career failures, etc. are seldom aired out for public consumption. They’re typically shared amongst a small group of trusted loved ones.
That’s also because they grew up before social media was a thing. And, because of that, many Gen X’ers have been able to distance themselves from the endless cycle of online shaming and judgment.
Their lives aren’t documented through thousands of social media posts and comments. They also don’t spend time worrying about what strangers think of them.
They have a level of privacy most of us seem to have lost.
Figure it out
Gen Xers are the original latchkey kids.
They came home to an empty house after school, poured themselves a soda, took care of minor injuries or obstacles on their own (flat tire? broken fence? lost dog?) and worked out problems with other kids without crying “Mom!”
They’re able to apply this same dynamic to their work life. If you tell a Gen X employee to handle something, they will handle it without a play-by-play breakdown of how to do so. There’s no need for regular check-ins or congratulations once they’re done. Why? Because they know how to simply get things done. Problem solved.
After five
Before “quiet quitting” and “work-life balance” were buzzwords, Gen Xers were living it.
They accepted their job as what it is: an exchange of your time for money. They saw their Boomer parents pour their entire lives into a company, only to be unceremoniously let go during major layoffs in the late 1900s.
They learned from that that they would never invest so much of themselves into their career that they’d be devastated if it was gone. So they easily switch off their professional minds at 5 PM, ready to engage with their children, band, or woodworking without feeling like they’re slacking on productivity.
Still there
Gen X friends don’t need to send multiple texts throughout the day, check in with each other’s locations or post pics together on Instagram to feel 100% secure in the relationship.
Growing up without phones glued to their ears made them learn how to trust at a young age. Most likely spending hours playing outside with no means of contacting their friends if they got separated.
They can go months without talking to one another because of hectic work and family lives, but resume right where they left off talking, literally, in the middle of a sentence when they finally catch up for coffee.
No heavy emotional investment means they have an easy-going support system that won’t bleed into their everyday lives.
Laugh anyway
During times of incredible stress or crisis (think 2008 or other financial collapses), Gen X will rarely flip their lid or lose their cool. More than likely, they’ll crack a really sick, morbid joke that’ll shake the whole room.
Growing up with cartoon characters who defied the rules, coupled with a society that largely overlooked them, taught them to find humor even in difficult times.
Re-framing their mindset to find the humor in a negative situation lets them decompress rapidly, pick themselves up, and bounce back to productivity quicker than anyone can yell “stop panicking!”
Sandwich generation responsibilities
Gen X currently supports the entire adult population by looking after their elderly yet fiercely independent Boomer parents while also raising their young Gen Z or alpha kids.
They tolerate rushing between doctor’s visits, college payments, estate lawyers, and playing therapist to two generations of humans without asking for a Trophy.
There will be no YouTube docu-series on how they’re struggling to manage their households. Gen X will not publish essays about their societal position being unfair.
They accept that this is their lot in life and they do the work every day because they know that someone has to do it.
Still physical
Walk into any Gen Xers garage, basement, or junk room and you’ll see shelves upon shelves of CDs, records, boomboxes, classic tapes, band posters, or tool benches.
They’ve never been willing to go fully digital with their interests. They hate the idea that their favorite albums can only be streamed, their favorite films don’t exist physically, or their hobbies can be reduced to algorithms run by tech giants.
They love the heft of reading a physical book, album artwork you can hang on your wall, and fixing things with your hands.
By clinging to these interests they will always stay physical, creative, and mentally tough in an increasingly virtual world.
Show me
Having grown up when corporate jargon and political rhetoric were at their height, this generation has absolutely no patience for flabby language.
With friends and coworkers, your perfectly curated Instagram moments or your knack for dropping trendy academic terms just don’t impress them.
They observe how you perform when it counts, how you speak to the waiter or waitress and if you actually do what you say you will do. This reliance on pedigree and execution allows them to have stable relationships that can be trusted.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
