Gen X IDGAF Generation: The Truth Behind Attitudes

By Shaun | SHR Media

There’s a reason they’re mad at us. Generation X lives the “IDGAF” lifestyle, and it drives them insane. It is not because we are checked out or indifferent. We just refuse to play the politically correct, passive-aggressive bullshit game. When it’s time to throw down, we do it. When someone is determined to destroy themselves, we’ll gladly step aside and let them.

We are not a “time out” generation. We are not a “let your emotions out” generation. We did not get participation trophies. We were not raised to believe the world owed us a damn thing. We have been grinding since day one because we had no other choice.

We grew up with the Cold War hanging over us, watching the Rodney King riots unfold, and saw the Challenger explode live on TV in our classrooms. We witnessed the birth of political correctness. When it was our time to enter the workforce, the economy was in the tank, so we had to grind harder than the Boomers ever did. By the time we hit the “start a family and buy a home” stage of life, 9/11 happened, and the world changed forever. The War on Terror, the Patriot Act, and then the 2008 financial collapse—every supposed “turning point” was a gut punch for us.

We are also the generation that watched as working with your hands and earning a good living went from a respected path to being dismissed as “what you do if you’re too dumb for college.” Meanwhile, we were told college was the only way forward. So we took on $100,000 in student debt for $45,000 jobs, all while Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac promised they’d “help.” The same people who told us this were also the ones jacking up tuition prices, creating a financial doom spiral they knew we couldn’t escape.

At the same time, the cost of calling a plumber skyrocketed because nobody was going into the trades. Trade schools were no longer “a solid path to success,” they became “where the stupid kids go.” This elitist mentality gutted an entire workforce and created a service gap that we’re still paying for today.

It is no surprise we have a massive distrust of institutions. We’ve seen them fail us repeatedly. Raised as latchkey kids, we learned independence because we had to. We look at the dollar, Wall Street, and the so-called “system” as a joke. We have watched the rug get pulled out from under us too many times. We saw previous generations live the American Dream while we were left clawing just to survive.

Most of us, aside from a few loudmouths like me who vent on a mic for an hour, just want to be left the hell alone. We are not looking for drama, but if you drag us into it, we will throw hands—figuratively or literally. That is the Gen X way.

If the younger generations want to be stupid, ignore us, and think they have it all figured out, fine. Go for it. You are not going to hurt us. We are battle-tested. We’ve been broken and disappointed so many times we are practically thriving on the wreckage left behind by liberal Boomers.

And that’s the part they cannot stand.