My Generation Is F***ed
Major props to Gen Z for getting this right
Boomers and Gen X love to tell Millennials and Gen Z everything they are doing wrong, how easy they have it, and how lazy they are.
I have to chuckle when a Boomer righteously exclaims, “We respected our elders!” conveniently forgetting they were the generation who said, “Don’t trust anyone over 30!”
There’s some truth to the entitlement and work ethic criticism they dish out, but I’ve been questioning the societal expectation to take a job you hate, work 40+ hours a week, and numb yourself all weekend to make it back to Monday since I was a teenager.
That’s an old machine that I never wanted to be a cog in.
Funny, but the Boomers were the first generation to challenge that notion.
They sought to expand their minds (legally and otherwise), questioned the establishment, protested the draft, and made some of the best music in history.
Unfortunately, they jettisoned many of the traits that made them great.
They’ve become the cranky “get off of my lawn” generation that all generations do.
Bob Dylan once said, “The times they are a-changin,” but the more things change -you know the rest.
I must give credit to Generation Z (born 1997–2012).
Only about 18–20% of Gen Z adults of legal drinking age report regularly consuming beer, wine, or spirits, approximately 20% less than what Millennials consumed at the same age.
Boomers and Gen X should probably focus on their own declining mental and physical health and not worry too much about the younger generations and their “entitlement.”
The clock is ticking.
Put down the bourbon, turn off FOX News, cancel the DoorDash, and hit the gym.
Besides, does anyone else see the irony of older generations chastising younger ones?
The question I always ask is, “Who raised them?”
If your reply is “Well, not my kids, I raised mine to be….”
Ok. Maybe not you. But your generation did.
No one ever blames their own generation for doing a shitty job of parenting.
I love many things about my generation (Generation X), but most involve our legacy of art and music. The operative word is “legacy.”
Today, it’s hard not to look at many of my peers and come to the conclusion that we’re a little fucked up.
Or…a lot fucked up.
I’ve had at least a dozen close friends die of alcohol abuse in the last 5 years, all of them in their late 40s to early 50s. Most of them were married with children, responsible community members (mostly), and held down good jobs (for a long time).
If you knew my whole story of debauchery and decadence, you might be quick to point out how hypocritical this sounds. I drank my share and did enough drugs to wipe out a herd of healthy cattle.
But that’s my point. My binge drinking was always out of control, so I was an outlier when it came to severity and consequences. I was the person you hoped you wouldn’t end up like.
Now, in many ways, I feel like the last man standing.
I acknowledge, almost daily, that it easily could have been me who didn’t make it this far. This isn’t about me judging or pointing fingers — just pointing out the truth that most people don’t want to hear:
As a generation, we are fat, drunk, and mentally unhealthy.
I’ve been all those things, so they are easy for me to recognize.
I grew up worshipping the rock gods who came before I was born—Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jerry Garcia, etc. These artists greatly impacted 90s music; they were only one generation removed.
My sons, currently ages 17 and 13, love 90s music. My eldest picked up the electric guitar because of it. He’s presently learning Alice In Chains, Nirvana, and Soundgarden, and it warms the cockles of my Gen X heart to see him playing an actual instrument.
As he plays me what he’s learning, I like to give him the history of the artists and the era, and he’s always enthralled. Unfortunately, the story usually ends the same:
Many of the artists are dead, primarily from alcohol and drugs.
I grew up learning about the ghosts of Jimi, Janis, and Jim, and he’s growing up learning about the ghosts of Cobain, Cornell, and Staley.
But there’s hope for the younger generations, and you can see it happening. Gen Z has watched older generations poison themselves while ruining their marriages and lives with alcohol, and they don’t want to follow in the same footsteps.
My sons are both on the young edge of Gen Z. If all their generation accomplishes is being the first to have a minority of alcohol drinkers, it might be the most remarkable thing any generation has accomplished since WWII.
Yes, they’re hopelessly addicted to their phones — but aren’t we all?
Boomers and Gen X have the added burden of being addicted to alcohol, even the mild to moderate drinkers. It’s been a part of our lives for so long that we consider consuming a carcinogenic, highly addictive poison “normal.”
I don’t know if there’s hope for my generation, but if we can serve as a hard lesson about the destructive nature of alcohol for future generations, perhaps that’s the best contribution we could make.
