Canada

The generation that came of age in the peak of the “greed is good” era?

I can't speak for all of Gen X, but speaking for myself and everyone I personally know from my generation: we never liked that shit. That was our parents' bullshit. We just couldn't do anything about it, politically speaking, when we came of age because we were firmly outnumbered by boomers. We still are actually, except now we're also outnumbered by millennials. That's why all the media discussions of this topic are framed as "boomers vs. millennials." Gen X is rendered politically invisible by its comparatively small size.

Some of us are just hanging around with old age looming and no money to afford a house or for retirement. We have to keep working until we die, but no one's going to give us a job until then. The only question seems to be whether death gets us before or after homelessness and starvation.

Normally when I say this someone comes out of the woodwork to say it's my own fault I haven't saved up a bunch of money or bought a house. I assume these people are either young or lucky, because life can take unpredictable and expensive turns.

Politically, being financially screwed after growing up with Reagan and Thatcher, and seeing the globally destructive consequences of neoliberalism playing out over decades exactly as expected, actually kills all doubt that greed is bad and more than ever we need a radical left turn.

Gen X is a mixed bag. While some went cheerfully into corporate management and others are established capitalists, a good number are living lives of insecurity while watching the capitalists destroy the world our children already live in.

The youngest are roughly 45 or so and the oldest close to 60.