On
      more
      than
      one
      occasion,
      |
      have
     
     
      been
      called
      a
      flighty
      person.
      |
      take
      this
     
     
      to
      mean
      that
      |
      may
      appear_to
      jump
     
     
      from
      one
      interest
      to
      sieeihiat
      Fishes
     
     
      quickly.
      Personally,
      |
      think
      that
      it’s
     
     
      more
      a
      matter
      of
      having
      a
      lot
      of
     
     
      different
      stimuli
      in
      my
      environment
      and
     
     
      being
      the
      type
      of
      person
      who
      is
      pretty
     
     
      slow
      in
      understanding
      where
      I’m
      at
      and
      j
     
     
      what
      I’m
      about.
      It’s
      called
      being
      human
      /
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      being
      confused.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      |
      do
      a
      lot
      of
      soul-searching
      (1
      wish
      \
     
     
      there
      was
      a
      less
      drippy
      term
      to
      use
      x
     
     
      than
      “soul-searching”.
      I'm
      O.K.,
      you’re
     
    
   
   
    
     
      O.K.,
      hang
      loose
      everybody).
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Inevitably,
      |
      sometimes
      come
      to
      a’
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      S
      1
     
    
   
   
    
     
      des
     
    
   
   
    
     
      pondering
     
    
   
   
    
     
      oth
     
    
   
   
    
     
      realization.
      Not
      always
      easy.
      /
     
    
   
   
    
     
      And
      although
      it
      may
      look
      like/a
     
     
      molehill
      to
      you,
      it
      seems
      like/a
     
     
      mountain
      fo
      me.
      /
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      latest
      and
      perhaps/most
     
    
   
   
    
     
      monumental
      realization
      I'ye
     
     
      come
      to
      ig
      that
      this
      generation
     
     
      is
      beautifully
      dysfunctional
      and
     
     
      that
      I’m
      part
      of
      it.
      I'm
      speaking
     
     
      of
      our
      generation,
      you
      now,
     
     
      the
      gern,
      70
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      offspring
      of
      the
      baby
      boomers.
     
     
      This
      subject
      cannot
      be/news
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      re
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      job
      opportunities
      and
      a
      myriad
      of
      other
      elements
      and
      events.
     
     
      These
      things
      make
      our
      generation
      unique
      in
      the
      same
      way
      that
      the
      Cold
      War
      of
      the
      1950's,
     
     
      the
      civil
      rights
      rmovement
      of
      the
      early
      1960's,
      the
      Vietnam
      War
      and
      Watergate,
      among
      othe-
     
     
      happenings,
      made
      the
      preceding
      generations
      unique,
      and
      in
      turn,
      they
      had
      their
      pop
      trends
      and
     
     
      icons
      as
      we
      have
      ours.
      Perhaps
      these
      elements
      of
      pop
      culture
      are
      some
      of
      the
      most
      tangible
     
     
      signs
      we
      have
      of
      who
      we
      are,
      as
      compared
      to
      what
      they
      were.
      Rather
      than
      Phil
      Ochs
      in
      a
     
     
      coffeehouse,
      we
      have
      Kurt
      Cobain
      in
      a
      gym.
      Instead
      of
      the
      Jefferson
      Airplane,
      we
      have
      Sonic:
     
     
      Youth.
      Today,
      we
      find
      Jack
      Kerouac
      in
      the
      Classics
      section
      while
      novels
      by
      Douglas
      Coupland
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      TLOW
     
    
   
   
    
     
      for
      te
      living
      ina
     
     
      cultural
      titne
      capsule.
      [The
     
     
      media,
      from
      the
      CBC
      to
      our
     
     
      own
      humble
      X-Press,
      have
     
     
      done
      their
      share
      of
      identifying
     
     
      and
      proclaiming
      the
      state
      of
     
     
      Generation
      X.
     
    

    
     
      |
      admit
      that
      for
      a
      long
      time
     
     
      |
      was
      totally
      opposed
      to
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      be
      sucked
      dry.
      |
      agree
      with
      this.
      Generation
      X's
      pop
      culture
      will
      not
      be
      forgotten,
      but
      perhaps
     
     
      it
      should
      be
      let
      go
      to
      an
      extent
      to
      make
      room
      for
      something
      new.
      This
      “something
      new”
     
     
      should
      be
      empowering
      and
      affirming,
      not
      merely
      in
      terms
      of
      music
      or
      fashion,
      but
      in
      emotion
     
     
      and
      identity.
     
    

    
     
      It’s
      true
      that
      We
      twentysomethings
      an
      no
      longer
      “tune
      in,
      turn
      out
      and
      drop
      out”.
      It's
      been
     
     
      done
      and
      we
      don't
      really
      need
      it
      anymore
      anyway.
      It
      is
      difficult
      to
      predict
      what
      the
      catchphrase
     
     
      of
      this
      Cent
      be;
      maybe
      something
      like
      “oh
      well,
      whatever,
      never
      mind”.
      Regardless
      of
     
     
      its
      future
      legacy,
      I
      believe
      this
      generation
      is
      unique;
      whether
      that
      is
      cause
      for
      alarm
      or
     
    
   
   
    
     
      rest
      on
      the
      il
      Authors
      shelves.
      |
      once
      read
      that
      the
      blood
      of
      a
      pop
      culture
      should
      never
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
     
     
      generational
     
     
      m=Tactor
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      dan
      maccormac
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ee
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Pn
      mee
      -
      —
      —_
      |
     
     
      \
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      whole
      notion
      of
      generational
     
     
      potency.
      My
      cynical
      nature
     
     
      didn't
      allow
      me
      to
      look
      at
     
     
      anything
      deeper
      than
      the
     
     
      crazed
      Nifvana
      fans
      who
      had
     
     
      probably
      never
      listened
      to
     
     
      Husker
      ob
      or
      The
      Ramanes
     
     
      and
      the
      fact
      that
      suddenly
      there
      were
      |
     
     
      fashionably
      dressed
      bohenians
     
     
      everywhere.
      Basically,
      |
      thought
      a
      [
     
     
      large-scale
      fad
      was
      happening
      and
      the
      oe
     
     
      time
      was
      ripe
      for
      iehdreete
      inoe
     
    

    
     
      It
      was
      over
      the
      past
      year
      that
      my
     
     
      contrary
      little
      mind
      began
      to
      dwell
      on
     
     
      the
      whole
      idea
      and
      it
      seemed
      to
      make
      ‘
     
     
      sense.
      This
      generation
      is
      a
      little
      baked
     
     
      and
      it's
      carrying
      a
      very
      unique
      set
      of
     
     
      baggage.
      Here
      |
      must
      tip
      the
      proverbial
     
     
      hat
      to
      some
      of
      my
      friends.
      Many
      a
     
     
      recent
      conversation
      has
      turned
      to
      the
     
     
      subject
      of
      being
      passengers
      on
      a
      trip
     
     
      (no
      pun
      intended)
      unlike
      no
      other.
     
     
      We,
      as
      members
      of
      this
      generation
      and
     
     
      culture,
      are
      the
      sons
      and
      daughters
      of
      a
     
     
      lot
      of
      intense
      influences;
      the
      discovery
     
     
      of
      AIDS,
      the
      arms
      race
      (
      remember
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      celebration
      is
      up
      to
      yourself.
      |
      have
      chosen
      to
      celebrate.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “Day
      After”?),
      wide
      scale
      famines
      in
     
     
      Africa
      and
      other
      countries
      (although
     
     
      here
      we
      got
      the
      news
      via
      musical
      \_
     
     
      moments
      like
      “USA
      For
      Africa”),
      the
      ~~
      _
      i
     
     
      whole
      “Just
      Say
      No”
      hysteria,
      mass
      Ye
      c
     
     
      homelessness,
      the
      Gulf
      War,
      meagre
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “x.press
      march
      fifteenth
      1994
      page
      |7
      _|