Mike Cunningham

A NOTE OF ENCOURAGEMENT TO GEN X

I am a proud Gen X, raised on television, movie theaters, shopping malls, and arcades. The late 20th Century was a unique time to spend my formative years. The world changed rapidly with the onset of the tech boom, end of the Cold War, and the evolution of American attitudes toward race and gender. There were challenges for my generation, many of which grew up as “latch-key” kids. “Work-life balance” was in its infancy and many Gen X took to cable television the way the Millennials take to their smartphones. MTV was a cultural phenomenon – a one stop channel that dictated the songs we heard, the movies we watched, and the clothes we wore.  For adults who grew up in that age, MTV served as the common ground and served as our “social media.” For the first time, popular culture came to teens and young adults 24-hours a day and a generation viewed the world’s happenings through MTV’s lens. From its campy inception to its musical heyday, to its scripted programming, to the pioneering of reality television, the network was there for pop culture events as well as historical milestones such as elections or 911. The musicians and celebrities featured on MTV took on a more intimate relationship with audiences because they grew up with us in our living rooms. They sparked our debates and inspired our creativity.

Today, I am attempting to write a note of encouragement to a generation that has lost many of its best and brightest at an early age. While the Boomers lost the likes of Hendrix, Joplin, Moon, and Morrison, Xers find themselves in similar grief over the passing of their childhood. River Phoenix, Cliff Burton. Brandon Lee, Easy-E, Tupac Shakur, Selena Quintanilla, Kurt Kobain, and Princess Diana tragically left us in their prime. As the 21st century unfolded, the stars of our youth continued to struggle. As the internet exploded, Xers became accustomed to the latest eulogy of our favorite musicians, artists, and celebs appearing on our morning homepage or news-feed. In recent months, Boomer Icons such as Prince and Robin Williams experienced tragic fates, and today, I heard the news that fellow, Xer, Chris Cornell left us as well. The Grunge Movement of my early adulthood that defined youthful angst had now lost arguably it's two most influential front-men to tragic causes. Cynics will blame the culture for this problem, but I see the humanity past the stereotype. Behind the celebrity and the hype, we identified with them as people who were experiencing the same cultural phenomenon. My heart goes out to Cornell's family as well as a generation who ushered Seattle culture and flannel into fashion.

Xers have defied the odds by shedding our “slacker” label to become hard-working families with work-life balance. In these moments, we need to comfort one another, reach out to the grieving families, remember the positive, offer hope, and remind ourselves to look for and reach out to those we suspect need help. These events do not define us. We must continue to defy the odds and prevent these kinds of tragedies from happening in the future.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/18/arts/music/chris-cornell-dead-soundgarden.html?_r=0