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“I’ve Walked A Lot… I’m Tired”: 76 Posts To Make Gen X Remember The Good Old Days
Generation X refers to people born between 1965 and 1980, which means they grew up during a pretty eventful few decades. They saw Star Wars in theaters and watched the first Space Shuttle launch on TV. They listened to Led Zeppelin and Madonna on the radio. They rocked bell-bottoms before swapping them for acid-wash jeans, and embraced some seriously huge hair along the way.
It’s no wonder Gen Xers feel so nostalgic about those years. So, to bring back a few memories, we’ve rounded up some posts shared on the “Real Generation X” subreddit. Scroll down to check them out and see which ones hit especially close to home.
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#1
So True 👍
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#2
Generation X Learned So Much From These Amazing People
Googoo Gaga 1 week ago
Kindness and empathy have disappeared from this world and it is frightening.
#3
Did You Ever Go To A Keg Party?
Have you ever wondered who decided to divide people into Boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials in the first place? Well, there isn’t actually an official organization responsible for naming generations.
According to Pew Research Center, generational names are largely created by social scientists and researchers, and their boundaries can vary.
The idea of studying generations goes back much further, though. Sociologist Karl Mannheim helped lay the foundations for modern generational research with his influential 1928 essay, The Problem of Generations.
#4
Can You Remember This Smell?
#5
Life Before Google
#6
Coolest Toy Ever
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 week ago
This was the gateway drúg to my entire childhood/lifetime spent playing video games XD
As for Generation X, its original name wasn’t nearly as catchy. It was initially called the Baby Bust because birth rates had dropped significantly after the Baby Boom.
Thankfully, Canadian author Douglas Coupland helped popularize a much cooler alternative with his 1991 novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture. The name caught on, and the rest is history.
#7
Oh Yeah 😉
#8
Do You Remember These?
#9
Do You Remember These?
What is Gen X actually known for? Independence is certainly one of the characteristics most commonly associated with this generation.
Many Gen Xers grew up as so-called latchkey kids, who would come home from school and spend the afternoon looking after themselves until their parents returned from work.
This became increasingly common as more mothers entered the workforce during the 1970s and 1980s, as documented by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. For some kids, that meant learning to make their own snacks and finding ways to entertain themselves from an early age.
#10
Did You Ever Do This?
Elladine DesIsles 1 week ago
I had a whole little hidden workshop inside my desk, where I squeezed white glue into the moulded-in storage recesses, let it get semi-dry with occasional mixing, and then formed it into tiny animal figurines as if it were clay. And again, I somehow made it through school without ever being assessed for ADHD or autism. Being a "high-functioning" girl in the 80s was like having a magic cloak of neurodivergent invisibiity.
#11
Did You Put The Fries In The Top?
Salttypepper 1 week ago
For some reason they seem to taste better when they came like that , all their burgers did !!!! And they need to bring back the McDLT those were the shitt
#12
Does This Ring A Bell?
Interestingly, though, plenty of Gen Xers don’t particularly identify with their generational label. A 2015 Pew Research Center survey found that only 58% of Americans born between 1965 and 1980 actually considered themselves part of Generation X.
So, although it’s fun to talk about the things people from the same generation have in common, these labels don’t necessarily mean much to everyone. After all, your birth year can only tell people so much about who you are.
#13
Did You Like This Ice Cream
#14
Did You Ever Eat Your Cereal Right Out Of The Box?
#15
I Would Say It’s A Fact
Another interesting thing about Gen X is how much technology has changed throughout their lives.
They experienced childhood without the internet and witnessed personal computers becoming increasingly common. Then came the digital revolution, which completely transformed everyday life.
And Gen Xers certainly haven’t been left behind. In fact, Pew Research Center reported that 90% of American Gen Xers owned a smartphone in 2019. That’s quite a change for people who once had to wait until they got home to make a phone call.
#16
Do You Remember?
#17
Fragile Rock
#18
McDonald's Ashtrays
Of course, having experienced life before everything went digital also gives this generation plenty to reminisce about. They remember the excitement of visiting a video rental store on a Friday night and the frustration of having to rewind a cassette tape with a pencil.
Back then, if you missed your favorite TV show, you had to hope somebody had recorded it. These little things might seem insignificant now, yet they were such a familiar part of everyday life for many people.
#19
Did You Have Any Of These?
#20
Could You See The Pictures?
#21
Every Kitchen Had One
Elladine DesIsles 1 week ago
Ours was more of a 70s yellow than 70s green, but yes, we did. I assume my parents got it as a wedding gift.
And there’s actually a reason why looking at old photographs or revisiting childhood favorites can feel so good. Research from the University of Southampton suggests that nostalgia can strengthen our feelings of social connection and help us feel less lonely.
Recalling happy experiences can remind us of the people we shared them with. Perhaps that’s why finding someone who remembers the exact same obscure toy or television commercial can be so satisfying.
#22
It Was Like Watching For The Winning Lottery Numbers
#24
You Think You're Old? I'm Old!!
Giraffe Sitter 1 week ago
I grew up Los Angeles in the late ‘70s. Our grocery stores didn’t give green stamps, they gave Disneyland A/B/C tickets.
Ultimately, Gen Xers have all taken different paths since their childhood days. Some have started families of their own, while others have followed completely different dreams.
Yet there’s something lovely about discovering that a complete stranger shares a little piece of your past. And judging by all these nostalgic posts, there’s certainly no shortage of things for this generation to reminisce about.
#25
Sanford King Size Markers… Ah That Smell
#26
Star Trek: First Contact
#27
We Used To Have To Work For A Cold Drink
Brian Droste 1 week ago (edited)
I remember this and I am a boomer. This was long before Gen X generation.
#28
How Many Know It? High School Flashback
#29
Did You Have One Of These In Your Kitchen?
#30
Did You Ever Play With One Of These?
Colleen Glim 1 week ago
Had one for my children. They were terrified. It got donated shortly after
#31
Jerry Lewis Telethon
#32
Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
#33
Do You Know What This Is?
#34
Remembering The Best Flavor From A Gum That Would Last 60 Seconds
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 week ago
I was weirdly heartbroken to learn that Fruit Stripe gum was discontinued in 2024 :( I wish I'd had a chance to buy one last packet and be disappointed one last time in the flavor that lasted all of 1.5 seconds.
#35
A True American Hero
#36
Spuds Mckenzie The Original Party Animal
#37
Lunch Is Served
#38
In The 70s You Could Go To A Concert For 10 Bucks
#39
Did You Listen To This?
Multa Nocte (she/her 8647) 1 week ago
🎶 Clap for the Wolfman - He gonna rate your record high 🎶
#40
It Was So Much Fun To Go There
VisuallyChallengedPew 1 week ago
I once said to my nieces and nephew, "Yeah, we would climb into a giant, plastic cheeseburger and pretend we were in jail."
#41
Some Of You Are Here Today Because Of The Hard Work Of These 2 Hero's
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 week ago
We do not use the R-word any more. It is now considered an offensive slur and is no longer a proper, accepted term for people with intellectual disabilities. That being said, it WAS an accepted term to refer to those with intellectual disabilities back in the day, and we should not judge the past by our modern sensibilities in that regard.
#42
It's 10 P.m. Do You Know Where Your Children Are?
#43
The Giant Strawberries In The Land Of The Lost
#44
Star Search With Ed Mcmahon .. Agt Of Our Time
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 week ago
My mom wanted my sister and I to go on this show SO badly. She was living her own "missed out on" dreams vicariously through the two us. It was kind of rough, tbh XD
#45
If You Know This House , You Are Gen X
#46
Ready For A Car Ride
Auntriarch 1 week ago
My guess is that wasn't to save the baby from harm in a crash, it was to stop her climbing around and getting in the way of the driver.
#47
Remember This Movie?
#48
Noooooow Here's A Little Story I've Got To Tell
#49
Where My Rivetheads At?
#50
Iykyk
#51
My First Computer
#53
Did You Ever Drink This?
Geoffrey Scott 1 week ago
Pierce the top with a full travel, just barely pierce the other side. The ones we got were the large can though. That and Hawaiian Punch.
#54
Did Any Of You Wear One Of These In The 80s?
#56
Christmas Catalog Dreaming.. What Was Yours?
#57
If This Was In Your House, Yep
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 week ago
Ours matched my mom's wooden salad serving things, which looked like claws and always terrified me XD I would pretend that the giant wooden spoon and fork on the wall were actually a dragon's eating utensils, though!
#58
If You Know Who This Hat Belongs To
#59
Who Remembers These Guys
#60
TV Shows And Movies In The 80s Had Some Memorable And Iconic Vehicles. It's Your Lucky Day, You Have Been Chosen To Use One Of These Vehicles For A Month
Googoo Gaga 1 week ago
A very guy question. The General Lee was a character I watched occasionally, but I am really only interested in Tom Selleck's legs.
#61
Kirby, Not Just A Vacuum It's An Adventure
#62
First Car ?
#63
Who Had One?
#64
I Know Y’all Are Hearing This Theme Song Right Now
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 week ago
My buddy (my buddy) my buddy my buddy, wherever I go, HE goes! My buddy and meeee!
#66
Don't Forget The Gravy
#67
Who Else Still Wears These Socks?
VisuallyChallengedPew 1 week ago
Add polyester shorts with two snaps, a trucker hat, and a whistle and you got yourself a high school PE coach.
#68
Did Your Vcr Remote Have A Cord?
#69
Franco American And The Mile Long Noodle In A Can
#70
No Difference That I Can See
#71
I Am This Old
VisuallyChallengedPew 1 week ago
If I remember right, you needed a PhD to program and operate the thing.
#72
What’s The Oldest Music T-Shirt You Still Own?
#73
It Was Either This Or A Zippo
#74
Ok Guys And Gals, Imagine It's Prom Time!🥂
Googoo Gaga 1 week ago
Phoebe Cates was a best selling poster dream from the bathing suit scene. Brooke Shields was a beautiful child, but she was irresponsibly marketed for someone her age (greedy mother syndrome). I suspect predatory adult men liked her more than teenage boys. Kelly Lebrock was too old to be a prom date and Molly Ringwald was marketed as nerdy. Jennifer Conolly is also very pretty but who remembers her at this age? (I think that's her, correct me if I am wrong). Was Alyssa Milano prom material? Cute, but teenage boy dreamy? Too young back then, imo. Christina Applegate had a slutty character so let's not go there, lol. The rest - meh. Just my opinion as an 80's girl. Don't shoot.
#75
Uncanny X-Men #268
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 week ago
The X-Men have always been my most beloved comic book heroes. I had such a huge crush on Gambit and would cut up mittens so I could have gloves that "matched" his XD I also had pet lizards named Rogue, Gambit, Wolverine, and Jubilee. I even pestered my dad to take me to Pizza Hut one time because they were having a special giveaway for an X-Men comic book you could only get at Pizza Hut. I still have that comic to this day! It has a hilarious ad for Stridex zit pads in the back, where Magneto helps some teenagers fight acne, for some reason XD
#76
Perceptor
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Cerulean 1 week ago
When you come right down to it, the concept of unitary "Generations" is silly anyway. Across class, race, nations, language, gender, etc etc? Doesn't make sense. It's only good for publishing books and getting clicks. But nostalgia is a real force. Homer wrote of it. Some of these things would be nostalgic fir multiple "generations," some of whom encountered them as adults, some as kids, some as "something at Grandma's house."
Load More Replies... Cerulean 1 week ago
When you come right down to it, the concept of unitary "Generations" is silly anyway. Across class, race, nations, language, gender, etc etc? Doesn't make sense. It's only good for publishing books and getting clicks. But nostalgia is a real force. Homer wrote of it. Some of these things would be nostalgic fir multiple "generations," some of whom encountered them as adults, some as kids, some as "something at Grandma's house."
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