We’re Not Gen-X, We’re Gen-Reagan

6/7/04 | Cinnamon Girl

[Cinnamon Girl]

We’re Not Gen-X, We’re Gen-Reagan

This is for everyone who was raised to believe that our young lives would soon end in a nuclear war, of mutually assured destruction, quivering under our school desks with President Reagan to thank for making the pink and gray tile on our classroom floors the last thing we would ever see.

This is for those of us raised in the post-graduate, post-doctorate suburbs where Volkswagens and Volvos taught us that we “can’t hug our children with nuclear arms” and that “war is not healthy for children and other living things.”

This is for the generation that grew up watching “Welcome Back, Kotter,” “Laverne & Shirley,” “Cosby Show” and hundreds of bad impressions of President Reagan as a shellac haired cowboy buffoon who didn’t have a thought in his head, followed by impressions of Dan Quayle as a simple minded bad speller who attacked the beloved “Murphy Brown” for having a baby and no husband, followed (in our adulthood) by monkey-like caricatures of the ignorant and stupid cowboy-war-monger President Bush.

We know who we are. We accept the moniker “Generation X” and we don’t even know what the heck that means. It might have something to do with being jaded and feeling crappy about dolphins in canned tuna, and about the tragic death of Kurt Cobane. It probably refers to a specific group of people who saw every John Hughes “teen” movie and point to “The Breakfast Club” as a virtual documentary. It has never signified the Generation that grew up feeling good about America because of President Ronald Reagan.

Our generation went from an early childhood of Jimmy Carter, a droopy peanut farmer with big teeth and a hostage crisis, to a happy, energetic, powerful and confident Republican president who suddenly made politics interesting.

I remember watching a Carter/Reagan debate by myself one night when my mom was out. There was no doubt in my mind that Ronald Reagan would be president. He was irresistible, and he made America sound like an exciting, attractive place.

I remember collapsing on the couch in the family room, feeling as if I’d been punched in the stomach, the day President Reagan was shot. It was in middle school. There was no discussion of the event by teachers or even the principal. My happiness that he would survive was a quiet and personal event.

While family friends and neighbors continued to wring their hands, and angrily mock what they called “Reagan’s Star Wars fantasy,” I remember him saying “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” He just seemed really gutsy. And my neighbors, who said “Visualize World Peace,” and meant it, seemed passé. Action, not words. That was hot.

In high school, I remember a school assembly before Reagan’s re-election. Nobody in our debate team wanted to be on the pro-Mondale side. Reagan’s second big win was a done deal and everyone knew it. Even before we could convincingly articulate our reasons for supporting President Reagan, and long before we could vote for him, we knew he was great, and that he was helping us.

In college, I waited in a long line of other students at USC to vote for President Reagan’s then Vice President, G.H.W. Bush. When I finally got to a voting booth, inside the small house of a Mexican-American family, I noticed on their mantle, a big framed photograph of President Reagan. That’s right. That is right.

When his second term was over, President Reagan came to speak at USC. Somehow, I managed to get a seat in the fully packed auditorium to see President Reagan in person. The standing ovation, when he took the stage, was 11 minutes long. And he was dazzling, of course. We were all riding the high for a long while afterward.

The first time I went to the Reagan Library, I was most impressed by the big chunk of graffitied Berlin Wall sitting outside, above the valley. I knew what that was about. That was a part of my growing up memories.

Tonight, I plan to go again to the Reagan Library, to pay my respects to the man who had a greater influence on my generation than any other person the media or the pundits bring to mind.

Thank you, President Reagan. G-d Bless you. And G-d Bless America.

[netmilsmom]

>>You're a Tweener<<

My girls watch that show on tv. ;-).

[SAJ]

It is contrary to Jewish custom (possibly Jewish law, too, but I'm not able to comment on that) to refer to the Creator by a ''proper'' name, hence one sees 'G-d' and occasionally 'Y-hw-h'. I'm sure our good friend the Rabbi over at Jewish World Review can supply you with full details.

This has nothing to do with PC or the ACLU; it is a traditional sign of respect. Probably stems from Moses' episode with the burning bush in Exodus, but that's a guess.

[Trinity_Tx]

Thank you, Cinnamon! I love it!

Maybe we could even do our own "ReaGens" bumper stickers, lol.

Bookmarking for follow up. : )

[Alkhin]

Cinnamon_Girl, I wrote to Rush Limbaugh. I really think he should see this.

I am so glad you wrote this. It is how I have been feeling for some time, but couldn't put it into words.

[HungarianGypsy]

I was 7 years old when Reagan was first elected. I didn't know squat about elections or politics. I did notice the nice looking man with the brown hair was the one I wanted to win, rather than that scary looking old man he was running against. LOL! When I was 11, I was really happy that Reagan won a second term. When I was 12, I remember listening to the radio at school reporting about how Reagan was bombing the heck out of Ghaddafi (sp?). I remember a little about Star Wars. I remember Bruce Springsteen complaining about how it was Reagan's fault the farmers were poor. I still have the newspaper article my pen pal from Argentina sent me about President Reagan attending the memorial service for the Challenger astronauts. I remember at 14 writing a letter to President Reagan and getting an answer. I remember the Berlin Wall coming down. I had/have a pen pal in Germany so thought a lot of him when that happened. Especially since my letters were now addressed to Germany instead of West Germany.
That's about all I have.

[tiamat]

Sometime after 20 June.

DH wants time to install new carpet in Caitlin's roo, and Pergo in the kitchen.

( this lady has CARPET in her kitchen! With the way I cook, it will look like crap before Christmas if it stays! LOL! )

[xp38]

[weegee]

We accept the moniker “Generation X” and we don’t even know what the heck that means. It might have something to do with being jaded and feeling crappy about dolphins in canned tuna, and about the tragic death of Kurt Cobane. It probably refers to a specific group of people who saw every John Hughes “teen” movie and point to “The Breakfast Club” as a virtual documentary. It has never signified the Generation that grew up feeling good about America because of President Ronald Reagan.

The term "Generation X" predated our generation (Billy Idol was in a band with that name in 1977 and he was in born in 1955, squarely in the post war Baby Boom).

"Generation X" is the generation that followed the Baby Boom (aka the "Baby Bust" because it is also dwarfed by the next generation, Baby Boomers' kids).

We are Reagan youth and that is not a bad thing (while some on the left may try to draw allusions to Hitler Youth). I would credit Ronald Reagan with the upswing of "young" (under 40) conservativism. We grew up with President Reagan (and Carter before him, with some memories of Ford and Nixon). We saw what a good thing we had. We also saw the way the press treated him.

We are united as a "block" known as "Generation X" by the lack of our numbers. That's it.

We are united as "Reagan youth" by our culture and upbringing. It does more to define us than tv or movies.

It will forever be Reagan's American legacy (the collapse of Soviet communism being his global legacy).

If not for Reagan, the Republican party would probably be the domain of the Rockefeller Republicans. Social conservativism would be out and it is doubtful that the younger generation would have picked that up later. Global socialism is already creeping into the Western World. If the Soviet Union had not collapsed, they would still be an unseen agent in the spread of socialism.

I won't say that America would be under Soviet rule but the US might more resemble some parts of Europe.

[Paul_B]

Great job, CG. Gen-R, indeed. What a blessing you navigated your way through that maze.

[djreece]

Great essay.

We need T-shirts: "Proud member of Generation Reagan!"

[jdege]

[Cinnamon Girl]

No, you weren't. I had a TOTAL crush on Duwayne.

[StoneColdGOP]

WHERE?

[Cinnamon Girl]

Wow, thank you.

[Rays_Dad]

I'm seriously thinking about putting my Bush/Cheney '04 bumper sticker on my car. Who's in?

---
Way ahead of you - got it on both cars.

Chip

[Looking4Truth]

Sto-o-p It! I've got to have THAT t-shirt too. Here I go again. Do you own that site or something? :)

[cupcakes]

It probably refers to a specific group of people who saw every John Hughes “teen” movie and point to “The Breakfast Club” as a virtual documentary
____

LOL, bingo;-)
____

[cupcakes]

Tonight, I plan to go again to the Reagan Library, to pay my respects to the man who had a greater influence on my generation than any other person the media or the pundits bring to mind.

____

I should have added an "Amen" to this. I was age 10-18 during the Reagan presidency. He was and is an inspiration and his optimism exemplified what I remember as a teen. It's amazing how kids/teens really look up to and exemplify their generation based on the character in office. We had Reagan and I can remember it wasn't that bad a time to be a teen--I remember things being very optimistic for the most part. Compare that with the likes of a Clintoon and what you can aspire to...

[Rome2000]

I Hate hate

You hate up and down - you hate hanging 'round
You hate here and you hate there - you hate everywhere
You hate this and that - you hate where you're at
You hate near and far - all you hate is all you are!

Why hate the life you live? Hate makes waste - I'm positive
Why waste the life you live? Life's to love - I'm positive

You hate one or two - you hate life and you
You hate A to Z - you hate the world and me

Why hate the life you live and hate yourself on top of it?
Why hate the life you lie? Life's to love - I'm positive

I hate hate! I hate hate! I hate... hate!

Is life a losing war? There's no need to fight no more!
You don't have to lose no more - there's a way to win the war!
Stop loving hate and hating love - when the fighting ends the war is won!
Stop loving hate and hating love - when the fighting ends and all is one!

I hate hate!
-Reagan Youth

[cupcakes]

I'll second that. My hubby is right there in that niche too--born in 61.