Gen-Xer

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We are the last generation to grow up without the internet , and the first to know how to fix a cassette with a pencil. Born in the analog age, raised on Top Ramen, sarcasm, and the Pledge of Allegiance. Fueled by Saturday morning cartoons, Pop-Tarts, and way too much sugar, we came of age when smack talk was cool and life had no filters. We didn’t care what you ate or where you’d been, we just wanted to Roller Skate, play Hide & Seek, and watch This Week in Baseball or the Disney Sunday Night Movie.

We were thick-skinned, paddle-whipped, and taught to respect our elders. The only “PC” we knew was a Personal Computer. Phones had cords, “leave a message” actually meant something, and if you missed a call, you sprinted to the answering machine like it held government secrets. Friends were made outside, not on a couch. Color didn’t divide us. Politics were private. Water was free, and best from a garden hose. Streetlights were our Big Ben.

We carried boom boxes, lived for the Sony Walkman, laced up LA Gears, rocked Z Cavariccis, and nothing fit like Jordache. A mixtape on Valentine’s Day, The ultimate love letter.

• Lionel Richie said Hello (and I’m sorry).
• Michael Jackson had us Moonwalking and reminded us We Are the World.
• Madonna was Like a Virgin and still had her mind right. 
• Prince broke us when Doves Cried.
• George Michael had us dancing to Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.

We went Back to the Future, joined The Breakfast Club, blew out Sixteen Candles, skipped school with Ferris Bueller, busted ghosts, stuck with our Goonie crew, mastered The Karate Kid, ran with The Lost Boys, Dirty Danced, lived like Die Hard, and owned our Fast Times at Ridgemont High. And yeah, we were kind of like Gremlins: cute until midnight. You didn’t FA to FO.