Not just to me...it does, period. The soldiers I served with came from backgrounds as varied as Mexican nationals trying to earn their citizenship to rich kids out looking for adventure, and everything in between. I served with guys from practically state in the union, to include Alaska, as well as Guam, Samoa (sp?), the Virgin Islands, etc. I served with Boomers and Xers alike.
"Where are you located?"
That's easy enough to find out...look at my profile.
"Do you think that there might be some regional differences between the people you run across and the population as whole?"
Yes, there are still some regional differences remaining, but the mass media have eliminated most of them (read: MTV). Students at Western Kentucky University, my alma mater, drive around blasting the latest gangster rap and wearing the same stupid looking "clothes" that kids do in LA or NY. MacLaren's (sp?) Global Village has come true. As my profile indicates, I've lived/worked/been stationed all across this nation, and have visited almost every state, except for Alaska and a couple in New England. Xers are the same nationwide, only their accents are different.
"For every GenXer you know that has the qualities you mention, I can show you one that doesn't exhibit any of that."
Maybe so, but as steadfast as you are in your beliefs about our generation, I am in mine, because they've been formed by real life experiences. Again, I'm not basing my argument on the guys I grew up with or those who live on my block. It's not just the Army, either. I worked as a dining room supervisor while getting through college, and later as a radio station news director, and the Xers I had working for me in both cases were more concerned with where the party was after they got off, what the slut said on Springer that day, or who was nailing who at the frat house. Only once did I have an Xer veteran working for me, but I lost him...he was so disgusted with the civilian world, he re-upped in the Army.
"Does that mean that we could not be mobilized?"
Maybe so, but it's too late for mobilization. Our problems are here for us to face now, and we're not ready. Heck, wasn't 9-11 enough of a call to mobilize? Did we? No! To many of us, 9-11 is just another chapter in the history books. The Baby Boom is ready to hand us the reins of government, so they can go sit on the beach and drink margaritas. But we have no idea what to do with control of the country, because we've been too busy trying to keep ourselves entertained. We have no idea what to do, so we'll fall back on what we've seen those before us do, thus the cycle of failure will continue, and get worse.
For example, you know how Hollyweird keeps churning out re-makes of old movies, turning comic books into movies, turning old TV shows into movies? You know how bands these days are making tribute album after tribute album, covering other people's songs, etc? You know how the major car manufacturers are "going retro", and churning out horrid "updates" of older cars (PT Cruiser, Plymouth Prowler, VW Beetle), and how some cars just plain look stupid (Pontiac Aztek, Ford Focus, Chevy Avalanche)? It's all because Generation X has absolutely no creativity whatsoever, and when it does get a flash of "brilliance", it turns out awful. Rather than putting in the effort and energy to come up with new ideas, ones that work, it's so much easier to re-hash that which already has been done, only it's never quite as good as the original, is it? So when we get around to re-hashing the failed policies of the New Dealers and the Baby Boomers, we're headed for disaster.
Sorry to go on so long, but we Xers have to wake up...pronto! We can't go on deluding ourselves that the rest of our lives will be the cakewalk that the first 25-30-35 or so years have been. While we're trying desperately to hold on to our childhood by watching Brady Bunch re-runs and cruising e-Bay for an original GI Joe with Kung-Fu grip, our jobs are being handed to foreigners by the thousands, illegal scumbag aliens and terrorists by the thousands are pouring into our country across our wide open borders, the Constitution is being flushed down the toilet (thanks to the Patriot Act, CFR, and other criminal government actions too numerous to mention), and we're about to fight a war that could easily engulf the entire Middle East, or even the entire world. Muslim sleeper cells are here in the states, ready to attack on order. Social Security goes bankrupt in 2030, ironically, the year I and all other first-year Xers (1965) turn 65! Do you really think we're ready to handle these problems? I don't, but it's our turn, so we have no choice. God help us.
"Again, logical fallacy."
I really do hope you're right, but I don't think so. Sorry to rail for so long. Be good.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!