Back when recess insults were encouraged and playgrounds were made of industrial-revolution-grade metal, kids used to be tougher. Gen X was built for knee scrapes, sandlot banter, and the occasional undiagnosed concussion. Perhaps it was the homemade bike ramps or the impromptu games of freeze tag in the vacant lots, but there's definitely a reason that Gen Xers are so nostalgic over their younger years.
Things were just simpler back then and there's something to be missed about being a freeform, latchkey kid.
Although Gen X kids essentially raised themselves as if life was just an excerpt from Lord of the Flies, we learned to have thick skin and even tougher skulls. This inherent strength and independence is what drives that classic Gen X dark humor. When little Billy from down the street couldn't quite propel the swing strong enough to go all the way over, he fell and broke his arm–but everyone laughed anyway. And when the school bully cornered some other Gen X kid, all they had to retort was a witty enough 'Mom' joke and their opposition would be vanquished.
So in a world where things are increasingly more complicated–where iPhone updates change all of your settings, preschoolers are named 'Jeighden', and your younger coworkers use unintelligible slang–the Forgotten Generation just needs to look the world in the face, and say, 'Your Mom!'