121: Is GenX Stuck in the Past or Are They Misunderstood?

Roula (00:00)
Here we are again, continuing the last two episodes that we started, and we're going to talk about Gen X.

I mentioned, Rosie, in the previous episode that millennials and Gen Z, probably more millennials, are blaming Gen X for ruining so much for them in terms of environment, society, work, et cetera. What do you think? You're a millennial.

Rosie (00:37)
Mmm.

Roula (00:40)
Where do I stand with this opinion from the reality?

Rosie (00:43)
Yeah,

I don't think I've ever blamed Gen X. If I'm guilty of anything, it's probably blaming the Baby Boomers.

because they're a different generation, right? Yeah. Yeah, that was my parents' generation, I think. Were they baby boomers? What year were baby boomers?

Roula (00:56)
Yeah, they're my parents.

Yeah.

50s, 60s?

Rosie (01:06)
Okay, yeah. So my parents would have been at the tail end of that. Dad was born 59, Mum in 58. So I think they count just. But that was me as a very judgmental teenager. I don't think it's fair to place blame like that. I'm sure there was some very influential people who consciously made very destructive choices about things. But on the whole...

Humans have good intentions. I don't think your generation of baby boomers or anybody in general set about to make life more difficult. Why would someone do that? So I don't think I blame you, but I think a lot of millennials do. It's like this us versus them. My generation's better than yours. You should have done better. You traumatized me. You know, my upbringing was awful and you did it all wrong. There's a lot of that.

that's thrown around and I don't think it's helpful.

Roula (02:09)
Baby boomer, if we want to talk about baby boomer raising Gen X, baby boomer came after the world war too. Now my parents are not baby boomer. They were born in the thirties. Okay. So, and having the trauma of the war and then raising their kids, there were that, that, that I remember a documentary from Arnold Schwarzenegger talking about his parents.

Rosie (02:17)
Yeah.

Okay.

Roula (02:38)
It was such an eye-opener how the generation after the war was so damaged and traumatized and destroyed that they've been so harsh on their children. There's a lot of trauma in that time of these two generations. Millennials who come from Generation X, I think Gen X wanted to do better, but got stuck.

Rosie (02:53)
Mmm.

Mmm.

Roula (03:07)
in the I don't know what era I should call it I'm sure there's a name for it Gen X got gotten stuck in the times of working a lot and where mom started working also

Rosie (03:24)
Which was a positive change, right? Mum's starting to work. Like, what a huge step forward for society, don't you think?

Roula (03:25)
And because of that,

huge step forward for society and it wasn't it's not as good because women worked outside of the house and in the house and raising the kids kind of overwhelming so moms were yes

Rosie (03:46)
So there were consequences that we didn't

foresee. But I think you should own that. Your generation helped make that happen. And I am thankful for that. Not the part of overworking and all that. Okay.

Roula (03:58)
This is deeper. need to think of it.

Yes, I think that Gen X wanted to have equality and only now we're seeing that equality must look different. Equality is not doing exactly the same as the other person and 10 times things more to show. And this is also a very another deeper. To go back to our topic.

Rosie (04:07)
Mmm!

hehe

Roula (04:27)
that I'm wondering if millennials blame GenX, so you're saying, not really. But if we look at the work floor.

Rosie (04:35)
Yeah.

Roula (04:36)
I think that millennials are resisting these long hours. Okay, I'm not talking about the people working for Google and Apple and these companies that are just going crazy. Majority probably. How much we felt blessed to work from home with COVID. At the same time, it was also lonely, so the balance is important.

Rosie (04:42)
Yeah.

Hmm.

Yeah. Yeah.

Roula (05:04)
So

what do you think millennials are struggling with? sorry, Gen X are struggling with?

Rosie (05:10)
What Gen X is struggling with. It's almost like you, perhaps your generation is stuck in limbo. You you grew up, so much has changed. If you go back to your childhood, so much has changed in society from then to now. But you're raising a generation who, it's probably quite confronting, that even more progressive than you were when you were growing up. And you were fucking trailblazers. Gen X were like, damn.

You know, I think you guys did a lot and then here you are, you've raised millennials.

or in your case, Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

And maybe that is confronting, that living a life that perhaps you would have wanted. Maybe there's a bit of envy. I think it's hard. I think it's hard. Am I near the truth?

Roula (06:08)
think you

have saying like nuggets of beauty and wisdom. It's so insane what you're saying. I have not looked at it this way, but hearing it from you that Gen X envy millennials for wanting to be laid back, for wanting to resist the whatever we implemented for them that wanted want a change.

Rosie (06:11)
Heh!

Roula (06:34)
Millennials have lot of freedom indeed. mean, if we look at the LGBTQ plus community, millennials are thriving and are blooming, not Gen Z. Gen Z is, yeah.

Rosie (06:45)
excluding the US.

They're an exception right now, but yeah.

Roula (06:50)
I don't know who's listening, but there are a countries I would not visit and that is also US at the moment. yes, Gen Z, no, we're not going to talk about Gen Z. I don't have enough information despite that I have my daughters, but the only thing I can say, they are not trailblazers. They're conservative and they're not where we work so hard for millennials to be.

Rosie (06:52)
whole other topic.

Definitely.

⁓ no!

Holy... ⁓ gosh, that needs to be a future episode. That surprises me... that you say that.

Roula (07:22)
Yeah.

And you know, at work, for example, when I'm surrounded by millennials, I feel they feel for me like fresh air.

and then suddenly someone farted.

Rosie (07:46)
Sounds awful.

Roula (07:48)
But today we're talking about GenX, why am I putting GenX is like a fart and then there was some fresh air.

Rosie (07:50)
⁓ Gen X is the fart.

So we're what you need. You need that fresh air. ⁓ and I wonder, like, has your attitude to life changed? Were you more fiery and out there and controversial in your younger years compared to how you are now? Do you think you have got more conservative with age?

Roula (08:18)
No, no, no, I'm born like this. I'm born this way. But I'm now even more controversial than I used to be. Because, you know, at 50 you stop giving a fuck.

Rosie (08:21)
this way. Baby, I was born this way. Mm, okay.

Ooh, ooh, I like that. That just threw my theory out the window. I was gonna say maybe as Gen X is getting older, they're becoming more conservative and in a way, maybe turning into their parents a bit more, but you've just gone, no, you're discovering yourself.

Roula (08:43)
Mmm.

No, think I really from from all the Gen X that I see and I read about them and in communities that are participating in to get more information. I find that Gen X are so stuck, so stuck, as I mentioned two episodes ago, they want a change. They just don't want to do the hard work. They're so stuck in their thinking and they feel if they change their mind on stuff to sounds or look like millennials, for example.

then they're putting their guards down.

Rosie (09:17)
and maybe that betraying the rest of the people in their generation.

Roula (09:22)
Could be, could be. Yeah. No.

Rosie (09:23)
Maybe. I think it's really psychological. And I don't think we should be blaming other generations. I think

we all do make mistakes and in 20 years people are going to look back and there's going to be so much hate for millennials. Definitely. Every generation is going to suffer from that. It's just the way things are. But I think why can't we have more empathy? Why can't we celebrate all the different generations? Acknowledge the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful.

Roula (09:50)
Yeah,

yeah, yes. Celebrate and also like have a new mindset. So Gen X, they need to have the mindset of what we were doing is not working anymore because the times are changing. We need to ⁓ start learning. Very important thing is that when my daughter started with their social media. Our parents all. ⁓

Rosie (10:15)
Mm.

Roula (10:18)
supervision was that the phones should not go with them to the bedroom and whenever they watched something funny or whatever we were outrageous like how etc instead of educating ourselves on this social media they're using so that we beat them at it

Rosie (10:37)
You were being more punitive maybe than joining them on the journey and learning. So yeah, that is a place of fear, isn't it? Parenting from a place of fear.

Roula (10:37)
And we didn't do that. Yes.

And now, yeah, yes.

And now it's where we're getting the fruit of not teaching ourselves enough about social media with the new generation, as you know, with the alpha, my son. YouTube is everything. YouTubers, let's say this influencers on YouTube. And the more we educate ourselves about them, the better, because I'm realizing.

Rosie (11:03)
Yeah.

Roula (11:11)
businesses thriving, growing, is not anymore to become a lawyer, an engineer, a doctor, etc. No, it looks so much different. It becomes engineering, gaming, or a gamer, ⁓ or I don't know. There are so many things, so much science and good stuff he watches. It's amazing. So my thinking, I'm a GenX, but if I didn't have my alpha child, I wouldn't understand it this way. And I think GenX are very far.

from the new generations in getting to know them. I'm lucky I have two generations at home and I have you.

Rosie (11:43)
Yes, that's so true. Yeah,

yeah, this is true. My sister's Gen Z, but I don't have Gen Alpha in my life.

But I think you're right. The generations need to come together. Why can't we be friends?

Roula (12:01)
Yeah.

you're so sweet. We don't want to be friends. I'm kidding. Parents don't want to be friends with their children. Children want to be independent. Yes. Yeah, I think this is a wrap up. I also say we need our listeners' perspectives. I love to hear about this because it's something that keeps me busy.

Rosie (12:05)
I hate you!

Well, yes.

Yeah.

Yeah, and I actually really enjoy having my mind changed or having my beliefs challenged. That's where personal growth is. I love it, which is why love our conversations. We don't agree on everything and we ask the challenging questions. So thank you for this fun conversation.

Roula (12:44)
Ooh, see you next time.

Rosie (12:47)
Bye!