Comments on: Generation X Has a Midlife Crisis at Midcourt

By: Diane Negra

Diane Negra — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:14:01 +0000

Great points, Nick — so in addition to a presumptive masulinity in regard to generational identity there would seem also be a presumption of whiteness?

I also struck also by the melancholy character of much Gen X popular culture material, even that from nearly 30 years ago. I don’t think this is a tinge that came in to such material at a later stage, it seems to have been “built in” from the start.

By: Nick Marx

Nick Marx — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 21:30:30 +0000

Yeah, it’s a great point, and there are a lot of different points of discussion. At a broad level, the Gen X ethos has always been characterized as something aggressive (think “Smells Like Teen Spirit”), ruminative (think SLACKER), and/or ironic (think MR. SHOW), qualities that pop commentators don’t often attribute to representations of female transgression, as though Sarah Silverman and Courtney Love don’t really count.

It’s worth pointing out, too, how hip-hop culture is often marginalized in historical accounts of Gen X when, in actuality, it comes from many of the same feelings of disillusionment and anger so commonly associated with grunge.

By: Jeffrey Jones

Jeffrey Jones — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 21:06:39 +0000

Agreed, and good point. We always have Thelma and Louise! 😉

By: Diane Negra

Diane Negra — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:19:35 +0000

This piece sits interestingly alongside Kelli Marshall’s recent blog post “Gen X’s Midlife Crisis: For Men Only?” in which she aptly points toward the gender dynamics of generational atribution. Why is it that we so seldom seem to read female characters/creativity as generationally marked?

By: Jeffrey Jones

Jeffrey Jones — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:25:58 +0000

I don’t know, man. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Nice shot by Rondo. Rock and camera lady are disrupting the game. Doc Rivers X might win two championships in three years, and Phil B Jackson will eventually retire. And the world turns.