generation x

The only time I believe in the idea of being "born on the cusp" is when it comes to where I belong in the generational divisions of American society. Born in 1961, the US Census Bureau classifies me as the last gasping tail of the Boomer generation - and certainly there are differences between me and many younger members of Generation X. But Douglas Coupland, who gave the term "Generation X" a huge public push when he published his novel by that name.

As the wiki linked above states, "X" was originally coined by Paul Fussell in his book "Class: A Guide Through the American Status System, and it referred to those who chose to step outside of the class system to pursue their own way in the world - a reasonable enough idea to borrow and apply to our generation. Apparently, up to the point of Coupland's novel, it hadn't occurred to much of anyone that any generation after the Boomers even needed a name. I'll tell you this: I am no fucking Boomer.