One thing each generation does well is blaming another for screwing them over. In fact, a Millennial recently criticized Gen X for the financial uncertainty that Millennials face. Of course, Gen Xers not-so-gently corrected the commenter for being clueless about Generation X.
In a recent social media post, Gen Xers were blamed for the job situation their Millennial children find themselves in today. As the post read, “Gen X failed miserably in parenting, bringing up kids in a template that does not fit today’s world. Gen X was the first generation that actually got a college degree in decent numbers, at a time when …everyone got a good paying job which they settled in for 15-20 years.”
Wait just a minute. All Gen Xers got a good paying job and have been at this lucrative job for at least 15 years? As an elder Millennial myself, even I know this is very false.
Gen Xers immediately jumped onto Reddit to set the record straight. As one person wrote, “My job pays ok. Would always be nice to have more, but…I’ll be working till noon on the day I die.”
Another user was incredulous. “Are you kidding me?” the person asked. “Gen X was the first generation left out in the cold because the generation before farmed out the jobs overseas to boost their profits.”
Of course, others pointed out that they know very few people who have ever been at one job for more than just a few years. “I know almost no one my age that has had the same job for 15–20 years. I sure haven’t,” one Reddit user shared. Another person wrote, “The longest I ever stayed at one decent job was 3 years, so there!”
In another part of the “meaningless word salad,” Gen X was blamed for being unable to “make any notable inroads into being leaders and take over politics from outdated Boomers.” Unsurprisingly, several Gen Xers chimed in to share why their generation hasn’t taken over Boomers in politics.
One user shared, “I love that we were supposed to make inroads into taking over politics from the outdated Boomers. Do you think we didn’t try?!?!! There are literally more of them than there are of us and they vote more—that’s kinda how the whole system is set up.”
Other users were just happy to be included in the conversation. After all, Generation X is often referred to as the Forgotten Generation. As one Reddit user shared, “I’m just glad we got a mention.” Another agreed and said, “It’s an honor to be nominated.”
However, some Gen Xers questioned if a Millennial even wrote the post. As one user remarked, “[A] boomer wrote this sh*t to criticize us as parents.” Plenty of others agreed that it must have been written by a Boomer.
As another user said, “Yeah, Boomers are trying to sic Gen X and Millennials on each other, but I don’t think either of us is going to fall for their stale tactics. They’ve literally been doing this for as long as Millennials have existed.”
As someone who grew up in the ’90s, I completely agree with this sentiment. I certainly don’t blame Generation X for the financial troubles that their generation, my generation, or Gen Z finds themselves in. We’re all doing the best we can, and sometimes, it just sucks. But Gen X certainly isn’t to blame.