genxs-blog1

[genxs-blog1]

The Today show is now officially anchored by GenXers! Both Savannah Guthrie (46 years old) and Hoda Kotb (53 years old) are GenXers. Well okay, Hoda missed GenX by a few months, but she has a baby who isn’t even 1 year old yet, so I’m claiming her.

[genxs-blog1]

Happy 42nd birthday to GenXer Tiger Woods. Like so many of us, he killed it at life early on then fucked up big time. But he’s still out there, grinding away every day on the golf course. I hope he wins another championship.

[genxs-blog1]

Happy 48th birthday to NFL legend and GenXer Brett Favre. He set a lot of records, but my favorite is 297 consecutive starts. Very GenX, to show up for work every. single. day. and give 100%.

[genxs-blog1]

Kickass GenX musician PJ Harvey is 48 today. It’s also a perfect Monday to dust off Rid of Me and reclaim that power you felt when you were a Riot Girrrl back in 1994.

[genxs-blog1]

Do you control your destiny or are you controlled by it? I found this interesting test online that assesses your locus of control orientation, which is a belief about whether the outcomes of our actions are contingent on what we do or on events outside our personal control. Locus of control has a significant impact on motivation, expectations, self-esteem, risk-taking behavior, and even on the actual outcome of our actions. I scored pretty well but it was lower than I expected, which means I have more work to do!

[genxs-blog1]

Happy birthday to GenXer Alicia Silverstone, who turned 41 today.

[genxs-blog1]

On this day in 1995, OJ Simpson was acquitted of murder. The OJ Simpson trial was the most watched trial in history, transforming Court TV from an outlier cable channel into a household name. Gen Xers will always remember this iconic photo, with each major player in Simpson’s legal team showing very different emotions. 

[genxs-blog1]

Jack and Diane was the new #1 song on this day 35 years ago. The oldest #genxers were the same age as John Cougar's fictional Jack and Diane back in 1982.

[genxs-blog1]

Happy 48th birthday to #genx actor Zach Galifianakis.

[genxs-blog1]

The real reason GenX are helicopter parents

The next time your baby boomer parents criticize you for being a helicopter parent or too soft on your kids, kindly suggest they read this book.

Dr. David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, uncovered strong increases in all forms of maltreatment from the mid-1970s into the 1990s. After a brief plateau, abuse declined in the mid-90s to today’s relatively low levels. 

The number of women my age who tell me they me they were sexually abused as children is staggering. I know it’s anecdotal, but it’s about half. HALF. Most of it happened at home at the hands of relatives or caregivers while parents were at work - a tragic legacy of latchkey childhoods.

I’m grateful that Dr. Finkelhor quantified what I’ve always suspected, that GenX is depressed and extremely watchful of their children because of childhood trauma. If you were a victim, get help! It’s not just you, many of us are in this together. <3

[genxs-blog1]

RIP Shannon Hoon. He would have turned 50 today.

[genxs-blog1]

Just in case you ever wondered why half the GenXers you know are named Mike or Jennifer. 

[genxs-blog1]

Sooooo many GenX birthdays today: Scottie Pippen (52), Will Smith (49), Catherine Zeta Jones (48), John Lynch (46) and TI (37).

[genxs-blog1]

Boyz II Men's End of the Road dominated the charts in 1992, spending record breaking three months at #1 from Aug. 15 to Nov. 14. This was their first big hit.

[genxs-blog1]

Thanks to immigration, GenX is larger than you’d think. These charts compare U.S. immigration populations to native born. Look at the swell in immigrants aged 35-50. The numbers don’t totally make up for fewer native GenX births, but it makes GenX larger AND more diverse than people think.

[genxs-blog1]

Happy 36th birthday to GenXer Katie Lowes, who plays Quinn on Scandal. Quinn is one of my favorite Scandal characters and I can’t wait for Oct. 4 when the first episode of Season 7 airs!

[genxs-blog1]

Of course there's the obvious reference in the name that makes me want to listen to Smashing Pumpkins in the fall, but there's something else. Siamese Dream sounds like back-to-school optimism, like a new apartment lease and $800 worth of textbooks. It makes me want to smoke a bunch of seedy brick weed and go buy a mandala tapestry to hang above my bed.