(Generation)'X' Will Mark the Spot Again in 2005

yahoo ^ | 12/14/04 | Ann Fishman

[qam1]

Expert Who Noted Shift in Politics and Society as Gen X Took Leadership in 2004, Sees Emergence of Increasingly Values-Driven Society in the Year Ahead

Ann A. Fishman Available for Year-End News Analysis, Predictions

NEW YORK, Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Stay-at-home moms are "in," and so are genuine heroes. Putting career ahead of family is "out," and so are laissez- faire attitudes toward planning for retirement. These are a few of the important Cultural Trends to watch for in 2005, according to Generational expert Ann Fishman. She says they are the product of a turning point in American society that began in 2004: a shift away from the idealistic, "Me-driven" lifestyle of the Baby Boom Generation, and toward more traditional and results-oriented values of Gen X. Based on Fishman's research into the habits and values of American consumers, Generation X -- the more than 93 million Americans born between 1961 and 1981 -- 2005 will be the year in which Gen X fully asserts itself as the leading force for change in American life.

Fishman said, "The re-emergence of traditional values of stable home life and civic participation that began when Generation X assumed the mantle of leadership in 2004, will continue in 2005 and beyond."

She continued, "Gen Xers have endured divorce, one-parent families, step families, working parents, and latch-key lives. They want to ensure that THEIR children have 'quantity' time as well as quality time, and are concerned with the moral tone and tenor society as a whole." She concluded, "With Generation X in control, we can expect a continually increasing focus on personal and civic responsibility rather than personal rights -- more like Pat Tillman, sacrificing for his country, and fewer like Janet Jackson, "baring it all" on national television for all to see."

As we move into 2005, Fishman believes:

* Genuine heroes are "in" -- Where anti-establishment Baby Boomers created rebels and "anti-heroes," Gen X produced most of the 9-11 firefighters, police and emergency medical personnel, Jeremy Glick and Todd Beamer who brought down the hijacked plane in Pennsylvania, and Pat Tillman who gave up a lucrative NFL contract to join the Army Rangers.

* Appropriateness is appropriate -- and "in" -- and so is minding one's manners -- Xers are the catalyst driving the outrage over Janet Jackson's bare bosom display during last year's Superbowl halftime show and a naked Nicollette Sheridan in a promo for the hit TV show Desperate Housewives. Harvard Business School now offers a course in business etiquette, the Smithsonian offers a multi-week course in manners -- and Gen Xers know they can't get ahead without them.

* Companies will revamp corporate training to accommodate the Gen X workforce -- Xers are steeped in "Internet thinking"... when they visit a chat room, they only know the quality of the idea, not the person's age, religion, color or gender. In the workplace, they expect to be respected for the quality of the idea, even if they've only been on the job for a day. Companies will need to revise training programs to respond to the character of new Generation X employee.

* President Bush's attempt to save Social Security and to revamp the tax code will be a hit with Gen X -- This generation is saving for retirement at almost the same rate as Baby Boomers, in spite of Gen X's relatively young age. Gen Xers value self-reliance. Boomers are better at spending than saving.

According to Fishman, each of these developments reflects the change of course that Gen Xers are mandating for American society: more hard-headed realism, less focus on "Me Generation" values, a greater emphasis on civic responsibility and a practical concern with safeguarding traditional family, religious and societal norms.

She concluded, "As 2004 passes into 2005, it will become clearer and clearer that the big shift in American society is not 'Blue State to Red State' - but 'Baby Boomers to Generation X.''"

About Generation X and Baby Boomers

Generation Xers are "latch-key kids," children of Baby Boomers whose divorce rates were high and who often pursued idealistic civic causes or fast- track jobs at the expense of traditional home environments. Xers had to fend for themselves from an early age and are a generation of practical "survivors" whose attitudes are reflected in their politics, values and consumer preferences.

Baby Boomers are the 79 million Americans who were born between 1943 and 1960. Among other trends, they presided over the relaxation of societal standards in a variety of areas, including the liberalization of rules governing the traditional family, loosening strictures on corporate responsibility and the popularization of the drug culture.

About Ann Fishman and Generational Targeted-Marketing

[qam1]

Xer Ping

Ping list for the discussion of the politics and social aspects that directly effects Gen-Reagan/Generation-X (Those born from 1965-1981) including all the spending previous generations (i.e. The Baby Boomers) are doing that Gen-X and Y will end up paying for.

Freep mail me to be added or dropped. See my home page for details and previous articles.

[Disambiguator]

Now I'm confused. Am I a boomer or an X-er? The dates keep changing. Originally, boomers were born through 1964, now they're saying 1960. If that's the case, then I must be an Ex(X)-Boomer (born in '62). ;)

[Maelstrom]

ping me

[exnavychick]

Stay-at-home moms are "in," and so are genuine heroes. Putting career ahead of family is "out," and so are laissez- faire attitudes toward planning for retirement.
___________________________________________________________

That pretty much describes Mr. Ex and me to a "T". He's 30, and I'm 29...we're pretty solidly Gen-X, lol, as are my brothers. I am so glad to see this cultural shift beginning to gain traction. Not all Boomers are/were selfish hedonists who had children as accessories, but so many were that it made a huge impact on us as a generation.

The funny thing is, that even though younger people are trending towards more "traditional" values than our parents, we are also more tolerant at the same time. I think it's a good combination. Just because I am raising my kids to be God-fearing men one day, doesn't mean I want to raise bigots, either.

[postaldave]

tax ping

as an Xer i am very proud of my class. we know that SSi is failing, we know we have to have our own retirement.

once you start taking responsibility for your own actions you end up having a conservative viewpoint in government.
i thinking the DUmmies of the world think that all they have to do is wait for the minorities to take over and they will be in power again. CLUELESS!
what they don't get is self respect and responsibility go WAY beyond color and race. What they don't get is that the Xers came of age during welfare reform. what they don't get is we grew up DURING the peak of Libness and WE are rebelling.

[Mr. K]

DAMMMMMM!! What did we DO RIGHT???


I was worried about the Xers- but it seems like as they grow up they are growing up.

I suspect as they reach 21 and get out into the world they see no help from their 'me me me' parents, and remember it was like that their whole lives...

[buddyholly]

Interesting that they seem to think that we're on a course back to traditional values. I hope they're right. This country would be much better off if we could somehow keep our families together and teach our children respect for others.

[JenB]

I don't think those of us who are 21 are Xers. I'm not sure what we are. My parents were probably Xers, or on the cusp. Certainly they're not Boomers.

[postaldave]

definition of genX
http://users.metro2000.net/~stabbott/genxintro.htm

[xrp]

I think it is more along your social atmosphere. If you hang with the 40-50 crowd who enjoy late 60s/early 70s music, you're a late-boomer.

If you like late 70s disco/early 80s rock maybe you're an early X-er.

[Syco]

I love this! I was in college when the Boomers started labeling us "Gen X". We hated it at first because they said that we were the generation that "stood for nothing". They claimed that we had no passion, values, or desire to fight for a cause and so they labeled us "X" as in nothing. How wrong they were.

The Baby Boom Generation did more to screw up this country than at least the three generations that came before them. Generation X is so far from perfect it's scary, but we realize that our parents generation was one of the most selfish, destructive, and politically naive generation in recent memory and we're trying not to make the same mistakes. Of course, when you're raised by such a dysfunctional bunch you're liable to have some issues yourself, but I'm confident that we'll do our best to overcome some of their attempted conditioning. And most of us put our kids first, not our jobs or our selves.

I know I sound like I must hate my parents. I don't! I'm not a fan of the Boomers, but I love my folks and many of the people of the Boomer Generation who fought against the most destructive elements of their time. They're great people who sacrificially did their best to teach my sister and I in a culture that wasn't always friendly. And more than anything else, they stayed together and gave my sister and I a good example of what a marriage should look like. Actually they weren't even technically Boomers since they were born just as WWII was ending, but they probably would lump themselves in with that generation more than the one before it.

But basically, I'm just thrilled that Generation X is doing such an awesome job of proving it's early critics wrong.

[Disambiguator]

I like 50s jazz, 60s and 70s rock, and can't stand disco. Rap/Hiphop don't even qualify as musical genres in my book. I guess I'm a late boomer...

[Docbarleypop]

i like the part about survivors, survivors arent victims. i talk about my childhood and its the same as everyone elses in a way, and i hear about my parents' childhoods and it sounds so nice even though they had to live without. they came home to a warm kitchen with homemade snacks waiting and Mom to give a hug to. boomers in my opinion only dwell on what they were lacking not what they received. i wasnt found lacking for much except for not having parents around. luckily my grandma was always around.

[The Grammarian]

I thought I was Gen Y, but apparently they switched my birthdate to Gen X (April 1981)--the very tail-end of it, but still.

I wonder how long before those screw-ups in Gen Y take control? ;P

[CORedneck]

It is kind of interesting. I was born in 1966 and I identify more with Gen-X than Boomer generation. The ones who calls us slackers are usually the MSM and those in charge of Corporate America. I work in Corporate America and I see some of the differences. The older people I know play some of the political games where as people in my age range are not into playing political games. Just come to work, get our jobs done and go home at the end of the day. Work is not our center of life compared to the Boomer set.

It will be interesting on how Corporate America will change as the X'ers take over. Hopefully for the better. We are also the generation that dealt with unemployment of our parents after many years of loyal service and the "thanks" they received.

[Splatter]

As an X'er, I lived the liberal, progressive, nontraditional, "Boomer" lifestyle until I was about 30. Thats how I was raised. Then, after numerous failed relationships, burying friends, dead-end jobs and a bleeding ulcer, I realized that values like "If you only hurt yourself, its OK -- I don't want you to do it, but if you do.. -- It's all good between consenting adults" are big lies.

The truth is, what I do effects my family, my family effect our community, our community effects our society and our society effects the world.

I could have sat in my home, all alone, drinking myself to death, repeating "Its OK because I am only hurting myself". Or I could have continued having unrestrained sex with other "consenting adults" until I had a horrible disease. Or I could have continued "playing house" with women, until it was time to head for the door.

Then one day, I said to myself "Ya know, what I am doing isn't working and isn't right."

I stopped lying to myself, prayed for guidance and took responsibility of my life.

After that, I meet a decent lady, got to know her without playing house, bought my first home, got married and began a traditional family. There have been tough times but the commitment and respect we have for each other strengthened our bonds.

Many X'ers still haven't figured it out, but deep down they know the lies. Still, they don't want to give up the only value system they have ever known. Could that be why so many liberals are angry? They know their value system doesn't work?

Traditional values are "traditional" because they work.

[Splatter]

Work is not our center of life compared to the Boomer set.

That's another big Boomer lie. The "You must to get a job that you love." lie. They are convinced that not job is good unless you like it. Have you ever meet a rooter rooter man who chose his profession because he loved clogs? If you love your job you are lucky. A hobby is something you love, a job is something you DO! Pay me enough and I will learn to like it!

[dljordan]

"Me-driven" lifestyle of the Baby Boom Generation".

I guess all those years of providing for my family and paying exorbitant taxes so the precious little Xer's could get an education qualify as "me-driven".