Portrait of a man. Photo: Hans Neleman (Getty).
Society has asked me to pick a side based on how old I am. For the last couple of years, a cold war between Generation X and Millennials has brewed, and the sides have spat fire at each other to no end.
For Gen X, they complain the younger generation is full of bratty man-babies who complain about everything. For Millennials, they see the older generation as being a privileged bunch of a-holes who fucked it up for everyone else.
Of course, these groups aren’t all about those things, but chances are you’ve heard some of it across social media or in casual conversation. I know I’ve been there.
The truth is, it’s been difficult picking one side over the other. Being born in the early 1980s, some have marked me on the X side, while others have categorized me as a child of the millennia. Personally, I’ve identified with both groups because I enjoy things like watching the original Speed Racer cartoon as a kid (Gen X), yet today I find myself engulfed in tech stuff and taking the occasional selfie (Millennial).
If you’re like me, I’ve got some interesting news for you: You and I might be part of a very exclusive club.
Too Young For Gen X And Too Old For Millennials? You’re A Xennial
According to a professor at the University of Melbourne, people born between 1977 and 1983 are part of a micro-generation he called “Xennials.” The group shares traits of both generations, but doesn’t solely identify with one. Even better, this range of time is the exact same as the years the original Star Wars trilogy came out.
Photo: RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post (Getty).
The professor, Dan Woodman, broke it down a little more in an interview with Mamamia.com.au:
The idea is there’s this micro or in-between generation between the Gen X group – who we think of as the depressed flannelette-shirt-wearing, grunge-listening children that came after the Baby Boomers and the Millennials – who get described as optimistic, tech savvy and maybe a little bit too sure of themselves and too confident.
So basically we’re pessimistic, while at the same time overconfident. Also, when I was your age, I didn’t have a cell phone to talk to my friends, but I sure as hell have one now, so step out of frame while I take this Snap.
If you find yourself sharing these traits, now you know what to say the next time someone asks which generation most describes you — both.
h/t Maxim
