[Millee]

I remember how looongg the summer was in 1980 wondering Who Shot J.R. Greatest cliffhanger in history!

[cripplecreek]

I just turned 41 myself.

[RSmithOpt]

Those from that gen have Jimmy Carter to bond with?

[guitarnick40]

"When they all go, they may be the last entertainment icons shared by an entire country.

How true that is.... Gee, ya mean the whole family wont be gathering around the plasma tube 15 years from now watching over and over again the classic "Snoop Dogg's Christmas Special from Rikers Island?"

[PaulaB]

The biggest threat to the American way was disco, and we shouldn't forget what a serious threat that was or how many lost their dignity and hair styles in that battle.

I'm only 34 but remember getting a good laugh as a young kid when it came to Disco

my teen years were full of hair bands and hairspray... I have a special nostalgia for that ;)

[mad puppy]

(43)

SNL, the original stuff with John B and Dan A.

We also had the Iran hostage deal.

[Mr. Jeeves]

I'm 41. We had Ronald Reagan...and right when most of us were first starting to think about politics.

That's better than all of the other "shared experiences" the author cites put together. ;)

[StrictTime]

Remember waiting all week for Saturday morning cartoons?

No longer a special thing, now that cartoons are 24-7...

[Incorrigible]

Cutting edge Gen X bump

[js1138]

Those of us in the Vietnam generation are divided by our common experience.

That's a joke, son.

[laceybrookesdad]

"runs around the house in her lingerie, calls you master, wants to grant all your wishes"

Hmmmmmmmmmm...........

[caver]

This guy must have watched TV the whole time he was growing up. All of his icons are TV related. I tend to think more of the music in my youth. I'm close to 50 so my music is the 60's & 70's, the best music there is.

[Spruce]

Girlfriend with feathered-back hair. Yamaha YZ-80. Atari 2600. Dungeons and Dragons. First VHS in the neighborhood. That was how I spent the early 80s

[johnny7]

Still living @ home?

[Clemenza]

By contrast, for kids in the'70s and early'80s, life was pretty easy; no war, no civil unrest. The biggest threat to the American way was disco, and we shouldn't forget what a serious threat that was or how many lost their dignity and hair styles in that battle.

He left out Herpes and "Free to be You and Me", those other scourges of the 1970s.

[LibWrangler]

Definitely the first TV generation, which seems to believe their lives are one giant soap opera. They thrive on drama.

[Melas]

I'll be 42 next month, and truer words were never written.

[Born Conservative]

I just turned 42 this summer. One of the most profound influences on me was that of the Jimmy Carter presidency. Remembering back to extremely high interest rates, high gas prices, and high unemployment, I can safely say that I will NEVER vote for a liberal for ANY office.

[WhiteGuy]

I guess the author has forgotten about The Ramones and The Rocky Horror Picture Show...................

[MoochPooch]

What about STAR WARS? I'll never forget the long lines.

In spite (or maybe because) of the decadence, the 70s was a great period creatively. Hollywood gave us Spielberg, Lucas, Scorsese, DePalma. The music industry exploded with LP wonders. (Remember LPs?

Punk rock, anyone?

I believe America began its cultural decline in the early 80s. By then, I no longer cared about any shared icons.

[Publius6961]

What's a JR?