- published: 14 Aug 2011
- views: 470445
Generation X, commonly abbreviated to Gen X, is the generation born after the Western Post–World War II baby boom. Most demographers and commentators use birth dates ranging from the early 1960s to the early 1980s.
The term Generation X was coined by the Magnum photographer Robert Capa in the early 1950s. He used it later as a title for a photo-essay about young men and women growing up immediately after the Second World War. The project first appeared in Picture Post in the UK and Holiday in the U.S. in 1953. Describing his intention, Capa said "We named this unknown generation, The Generation X, and even in our first enthusiasm we realised that we had something far bigger than our talents and pockets could cope with."
The name was popularized by Canadian author Douglas Coupland's 1991 novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, concerning young adults during the late 1980s and their lifestyles. While Coupland's book helped to popularize the phrase Generation X, he erroneously attributed it to English rock musician Billy Idol in a 1989 magazine article. In fact, Idol had been a member of the punk band Generation X from 1976 to 1981, which was named after Deverson and Hamblett's 1965 sociology book on British youth, Generation X—a copy of which was owned by Idol's mother.
All the crap I've seen and how you're running things
I'm not surprised
You're reading for an early grave
And with a smile we lower you down
And now we see the industry is losing it's grip
It's a dog eat dog world in this magical wild world of the web
Step into the game
Generation of the past
Rejected from the fame
We will see how long you'll last
Don't blame your misery on me
You're the on that's out of touch
It's time to change the history
'cause you want too much
You know all the good things must come to an end
You've been riding high on your lies
And now you're going down with the burning ship
Step into the game
Generation of the past
Rejected from the fame
We will see how long you'll last
Step into the game
Generation of the past
Rejected from the fame
We will see how long you'll last
The rise of new technology
That kills the economy
It's an infectious disease
Don't blame your misery on me
You're the one that's out of touch
It's time to change the history
You know all the good things must come to an end
We're all disposable players in the wild world of the web
Step into the game
Generation of the past
Rejected from the fame
We will see how long you'll last
Step into the game
Generation of the past
Rejected from the fame