It Took a Global Pandemic, But Generation X is Finally Getting Love
Sorry Boomers and Too Bad Millennials — Only One Generation Stands Out as Social Distancing Pros

Generation X has been training for this moment its entire lives. It's their time to shine.

The Baby Boomers were born to the Greatest Generation. They have changed nearly every aspect of society ? by their sheer numbers and their dominant influence. And Millennials have captivated attention for the past two decades ? they demand to be seen and heard.

But there’s something missing — that forgotten generation, sandwiched in between the Boomers and Millennials.

What are they called again? Anyone, anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?!

A few months ago when the phrase “OK Boomer” really took off, my own teenagers tried a few times to pin it on me. In an attempt to completely dismiss me, they would laugh and say “OK Boomer” with that presumptuous eyeroll.

Those cherubs got a quick lesson in the wonders of being a Gen Xer.

There are roughly 65 million of us ? but we are easy enough to overlook. Generation X is generally accepted to have been born in that sliver of time between 1965 and 1980. What my teens didn’t know was that my entire generation has been dismissed from day one, and what’s more we don’t really care.

It seems that it has taken a global pandemic for anyone to sing our praises ? to even call us by name. All of the sudden folks are impressed by our remarkable resilience, our ability to entertain ourselves for hours on end and our willingness to shelter in place without whining.

All hail the forgotten generation ? we’re finally getting the recognition that we deserve.

Gen X folks can actually thrive on solitude and enjoy their downtime, due to our advanced tolerance for boredom. We spent untold hours alone in our homes after school, fending for ourselves, living off Ding-Dongs and macaroni and cheese, as the first generation of latchkey kids.

Social isolation is not only tolerable for us, Gen X requires a regular dose of it to recharge our batteries. So while you might already be flipping out, we are basking in the down time.

We once focused all our attention on making mix tapes. Some of our best products took the entire weekend to create. Now that’s dedication. My first stereo had an 8-track player as well as dual cassettes for just that purpose. In fact, music and fashion are what really bind us together. Our music, while overly synthesized, remains gloriously unfaded. Our fashion choices, however, were tragic and I’m not going to make any excuses for those.

Generation Xers are generally pragmatic, independent and resourceful. We don’t require a lot of hand holding. As Cold War kiddos, our duck and cover drills had more purpose. They were not only to prepare for a possibility of a tornado ? we also needed to identify our nearest nuclear fallout shelter. . . you know, just in case....