Free Republic

The Boomer Age is drawing to its close. When one speaks of this group, it tends to mostly focus on white Boomers (not that others are outside the group, but to such a great extent, it really does mean those of mostly European background, if for no other reason than they have been the largest demographic group). When that age does end, we will see an ever dwindling European demographic majority in many Western nations (Canada and the USA are almost certainly the first, soon followed by a variety of European nations). That significant point of majority will be fading,...

Adults in the United States are dying from colon and rectal cancers at an increasing rate about age 50, when they should just be beginning screenings, according to a new study from the American Cancer Society. Since routine screening is generally not recommended for most adults under 50, the cancers found in younger adults are often in advanced stages and more deadly, said Dr. James Church, a colorectal surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Church, who was not involved in the new study, said he has seen this trend in death rates up close. Last year, on separate occasions,...

Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X is the 33rd season of Survivor (for those unfamiliar with the show, there are two seasons each year). It begins Wednesday, September 21, 2016 on CBS at 8/7c with a special 90 minute episode. References: Official Survivor site at CBSWikipedia article There will be twenty new players - no returning players - divided into two tribes of ten players each, divided by age. Survivor: New Millennials vs. Gen X cast and twists revealed This season will be held in the Mamanuca Islands, Fiji. This is a different place than where Survivor: Fiji was held. The...

Are you sure you want your MTV? On its 35th birthday, a quick glimpse at the network shows it’s hardly what it once was. While change isn’t always easy... it’s not always needed either. What started as a network dedicated to airing music videos and sharing insight on the topic has transformed into a smorgasbord of reality shows that teens who listen to Justin Bieber are glued to. It’s a far cry from the station’s days of “120 Minutes” and “Daria” and Kurt Loder staring into your soul telling you what you needed to know at the top of every...

It’s hard to believe this year is the 30th Anniversary of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the iconic film written and directed by the late John Hughes. In the film, Ferris Bueller is a high school senior and popular and smooth talking con artist who intricately plots and executes a day of hooky from school, while outwitting his parents and arch nemesis, the Dean of Students, Ed Rooney. Ed Rooney… Ferris Bueller, being a senior in high school in 1986 was born in 1968 and therefore a charter member in Generation X. Bueller, his best friend, Cameron, and girlfriend, Sloan represent...

Over the next week, the only opinion people will care about on marriage is the Supreme Court’s. But as more surveys show, the backdrop for that ruling is a country still very much divided on the issue — with one exception: Millennials. America’s 18 to 29-year-olds, raised in an age of LGBT saturation in schools, Hollywood, and social media, are the most enthusiastic about redefining an institution that half of their parents aren’t even a part of. Lately, though, what’s newsworthy isn’t the younger generation’s support for same-sex “marriage,” but their older siblings’ growing opposition to it. wedding photo In...

Submitted again for consideration, Adam Carolla, born as his very cohort, Generation X, was beginning in 1964. Joining him in this chapter is writer Chuck Palahniuk, born in 1962, another prominent Gen X cultural figure. Consider now, as the swath of humanity that followed the boomers reaches full majority, in fullest possession of its powers, how variant Carolla/Palahniuk countercultures confront what we see on the horizon. How will the legacy of Generation X be written from this point forward? How will a generation’s power-players and cultural icons impact, for example, policymaking on healthcare, strategies for dealing with the radical Islamist...

I just have to say how proud I am of our Gen X politicians. It is clear that our country is in good hands and the future is bright. I just want to give a pat on the back the following: Gen X leaders like the following superstars: Governor Scott Walker, Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.), Senator Rand Paul Senator Ted Cruz Senator Tom Cotton Senator Jonie Earnst Senator Cory Gardner Senator James Lankford Senator Tim Scott Senator Mike Lee Rep Steve Scalise Rep Richard Hudson Rep Jeff Duncan Governor Matt Blunt Rep Sean Duffy These poor folks have so much...

One of the great American assumptions — that while individuals and families may rise and fall, each generation will end up on average better off than the one that preceded it — has been the subject of much scrutiny in the past decade. Democrats and their affiliated would-be wealth redistributors have argued that the large income gains enjoyed by the highest-paid workers threaten the American dream of ever-upward generational mobility, while others have worried that the housing meltdown and the Great Recession, which inflicted serious damage on the net worths of many American families, now stand in the way of...

Generation X oil and gas industry workers are in danger of burning out due to a combination of increasingly few mid-career professionals working in oil and gas, family commitments and an ever-increasing workload connected to an expanding energy sector, according to a senior member of the UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Taking part in the Offshore Europe 2013 conference’s final keynote session, Steve Walker – Head of Strategic Inventions for the HSE’s Energy Division – said: "We [know] there’s not enough of Generation X and yet they are extremely valuable, so I think there's a real danger of the...

As the first anniversary of her graduation in eco-tourism and cultural history approaches, Linnea Borjars remains jobless and frustrated. After finishing her studies at Sweden's Linkoping University, the 25-year-old accepted an unpaid, part-time position at Fair Travel, a non-profit group focused on human rights and tourism, hoping it would lead to a full-time job and a salary. But no such luck. Borjars' situation is a reflection of the depth of the European economic crisis. It is not only unemployment but also underemployment - including workers who are overqualified, interns who are unpaid or low-paid and part-time employees who want full-time...

Members of Generation X, the so-called slackers weaned on Saturday morning cartoons, divorce and cynicism, are now in their late 30s to late 40s. And according to a recent report, those born between 1966 and 1975 really do have something to complain about. A Pew Charitable Trust study, titled "Retirement Security Across Generations," examined the savings behavior of five age groups before the Great Recession hit and found that Gen Xers - the group of Americans following the baby boomers and range in age from 38 to 47 - fared especially poorly during the recent economic down swing. As a...

“What’s the matter with Kansas?” syndrome of young people voting against their economic interests. Thus follows the constant courting of the hip and cool Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Lena Dunham, Occupy Wall Streeters, and others who blend pop culture, sex, youth, energy, and fad — almost anything to avoid the truth that today’s teenagers are starting out each owing a lifetime share of the national debt amounting to more than three-quarters of a million dollars. Those who ran up the debt enjoyed the borrowing, but won’t be around to pay back their proverbial fair share.

The past four years have witnessed a battle between different generations of Catholics in public life—Generation X Catholics have taken a very different path from Baby Boomer Catholics and those born before the boomers. Generation X Catholics have emerged prominently in the Republican Party. Many who were mentioned this year on Mitt Romney’s vice-presidential short list were Gen X Catholics—Paul Ryan, Bobby Jindal, Kelly Ayotte and Marco Rubio. They were given prominent spots at the Republican National Convention (Jindal could not attend because of Hurricane Isaac). They continue to elicit excitement as the “future” of the Republican Party and conservatism...

The Economist ominously reports: The struggle to digest the swollen generation of ageing baby-boomers threatens to strangle economic growth. As the nature and scale of the problem become clear, a showdown between the generations may be inevitable. The statistics are frightening: The average federal tax rate for a median American household, including income and payroll taxes, dropped from more than 18% in 1981 to just over 11% in 2011. Yet sensible tax reforms left less revenue for the generous benefits boomers have continued to vote themselves, such as a prescription-drug benefit paired with inadequate premiums. Deficits exploded. Erick Eschker, an...

Paul Ryan's realism about the fiscal cliff is showing signs of appealing to younger voters, a group which overwhelmingly voted for Obama, and which has been buffeted by the economy worse than most other demographic slices. The Washington Examiner reports on the latest Zogby poll: "According to Zogby the Ryan pick helped Romney with younger voters and independents, two key battleground constituencies. "Romney saw a bump in support among 18-29 year olds with 41 percent saying they would vote for the ticket of Romney and Ryan," said Zogby. "More importantly, Romney and Ryan led Obama and Biden among independent voters...

Born in 1970, Republican Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan is the first generation X’er to be on a national ticket. Since the 1990’s my fellow generation Xer’s have been an often overlooked group of individuals compared to the older and much larger generation of baby boomers and the World War II generation. We’ve been called slackers, baby busters, cynical, skeptical, angry and indifferent among other descriptions. However, is this really the case now? Forty percent of generation X’ers are from families whose parents divorced. Many became known as “latch key children.” The Bergen County Record reported in 1995: More than...

As the battle over gay marriage heats up in this election year, one evangelical Christian writer is calling for a truce, fearing that the outspoken opposition to gay marriage among some church leaders could alienate an entire generation of religious youth. . . . A 2011 survey by the Public Religion Research Institute shows the generation gap between young Christians and their elders is large, with 44 percent of white evangelicals aged 18-29 in support of marriage equality compared to only 12 percent of those 65 and older. According to the same survey, nearly 70 percent of young Christians also...

Though everyone seems to be feeling sorry for millennials, who are experiencing one of the highest unemployment rates and boomers, who are delaying their retirement due to the economy, the generation in between, Gen X, deserves their own time in the recession limelight. A Census report released on Monday found that people between 35 and 44 saw a 59 percent decline in median household net worth between 2005 to 2010, the largest drop of all age groups. Those 55 to 64, only saw a 25 percent drop, though they had a larger decline in actual dollar amount.

Young US households — those aged 35-to-44 — lost a stunning 59 percent of their wealth during the recession, a government report released yesterday revealed. That’s the stiffest hit of any age group, said the report from the US Census Bureau. The age group — typically struggling with mortgages, tuition bills and rising tax bills — makes up the backbone of America’s middle class. The losses were mainly due to the drop in the value of their homes during the 2005 through 2010 period, the report said