'Remember having pen pals?': Gen Xers weigh in on the things that make their generation stand out

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  • 01
    What is THE most Gen-X thing?
  • 02
    Masonsknob. Video arcade. Before Gen-X, graphics weren't good enough, and after Gen-X, you'd play the games on your own home console. No other generation claimed them like we did.
  • 03
    star-67 Crank calls
  • 04
    Ok_Mycologist_5569. Pong, space invaders, being the last generation to have to walk across the room to change the tv channel, being able to fix the tv by pounding on it the right way, getting the brown box for the tv and there only being 3 stations. Also being totally forgotten about by the other two generations. Like door mice.
  • 05
    Di McGrumpy whatever
  • 06
    HoopOnP I'm just on that border between Gen X and the oldest Millennials but my sister is 8 years older than me. We would call the local rock station to request a song then sit there with a tape at the ready to hit record as soon as they played our song. Repeat that about 10x and you've got a nice mixtape.
  • 07
    Additional-Olive-405. Columbia house collect notices
  • 08
    UnluckyChain1417. Reality Bites and Singles. Record stores.
  • 09
    thurbersmicroscope Shorts over sweats. I never did understand that.
  • 10
    hyenaatemyface. Watching mtv headbangers ball Saturday morning, ready to rec on the vhs when my favourite bands came on.
  • 11
    stucon77 Mixtapes. Actual cassette tapes recorded on a boom box from songs on the radio. Bonus for Ramones tunes as part of the mix
  • 12
    Suspicious-Sleep5227. Massive CD collections neatly stored in binders for easy access.
  • 13
    codered mountaindewd. Grunge music: Working with a handful of Gen- Xers and the only music they can consistently agree on is the Pearl Jam station
  • 14
    rednose52 Mix Tapes
  • 15
    JU TikTokTin Man. Being old enough to remember (and appreciate) life before the Internet and cellphones but being young enough to transition into that world without a hitch.
  • 16
    Being the last unreachable generation. There were hours where no one knew where we were and our parents has zero way to contact us.
  • 17
    Raspberries-Are-Evil. Garbage Pail Kids
  • 18
    labretirementhome. I said-a hip, hop, the hippie, the hippie To the hip hip hop-a you don't stop the rock It to the bang-bang boogie, say up jump the boogie To the rhythm of the boogie, the beat...
  • 19
    SuvenPan Blockbuster on a friday night
  • 20
    GboyFlex Parachute pants..the noise was deafening in the halls between classes!!
  • 21
    No-You-5064 Breakdancing
  • 22
    Mostly Overrated 77 Trapper keepers
  • 23
    dirtyoldmikegza Calling up the rock station to request songs and then taping them.
  • 24
    sumpnrather Using a payphonett to make a collect call with the intent of the call being declined. It's a messaging system that notifies your ride that you're ready to be picked up from the movies where you watched back to the future. Or from the arcade where you just blew a roll of quarters on super Mario bros.
  • 25
    [deleted] Music videos on mtv. 335 Share Thunderfoot2112. I remember when MTV didn't yet exist and we had Friday Night Videos on ABC.
  • 26
    HarveyMushman72. Analog childhood, digital adulthood.
  • 27
    i4get98 Be kind, Rewind.
  • 28
    lordph8 Remembering phone numbers
  • 29
    starksaredead Telephone conversations. Like, calling up your friend and chatting for hours
  • 30
    No-Brush-5002 blowing inside nintendo cartridges
  • 31
    Jeynarl B-52s, Duran Duran
  • 32
    Pour_me_one_more. Valley Girl culture and talk.
  • 33
    kenghoong IRC > ICQ -> MSN Messenger
  • 34
    NO_Cheeto_in_Chief. Aquanet hairspray. ↑ 141 ↓ Share Annoyed Duckling. Ah yes. The unsung hero of the late 80s/early 90s pouffy feathered bangs. Those were the days. Our class went to Yosemite for a week once and they had banned aerosols so we had to bring pump hairspray instead. Nobody looked right that week lol.
  • 35
    sis-mertsock To remember having penpals.
  • 36
    Swimming Badger760. Oregon Trail
  • 37
    MorrowPlotting The most Gen-X thing is not f talking about Gen-X things. Go back to arguing about Boomers or "kids these days" or whatever. Leave us out of it!
  • 38
    ReaglBeagl Building ramps to jump with your bicycle
  • 39
    death_or_glory_ Going to the Mall.
  • 40
    atlantachicago The fact that our generation was kind if passed over. When I started my career, they wanted us to be deferential to older more experienced co- workers, "pay your dues and wait your turn!" As soon as we became more seasoned, they were like, look at all these amazing millennials and their great ideas! We're like the Jan Brady of generations.
  • 41
    dtrickk Calling your girlfriend's house and hoping that her dad does not pick up. Kids will never know this fear.
  • 42
    Outside-Flamingo-240. Being able to entertain ourselves for hours. This came from being latchkey kids. I didn't mind the covid lockdowns too much at all.
  • 43
    star-67 Sun-In for hair. Feathered bangs. Blue eyeliner. Loves Baby Soft. Jellies.
  • 44
    mykaleidoscopeeye. up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A and Start

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