The Roman numeral explanation is interesting, but looks like a folk etymology for the term. As listed in the Wikipedia article reference earlier (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_X), the term was coined by a British author in a study of British youth, and subsequently popularized by a British punk rock group. The Gen X phenomenon was/is world-wide, and any suggestion that it has an American origin, based on American history, and (presumably) only of relevance to Americans strikes me as a bit limiting. I hope this post doesn't come off as a "shoot the messenger" kinda thing--I intend no disrespect to anyone over this. However, cyber-space is overwhelmingly dominated by American culture, and this seems (to me, anyway) to be giving rise to an Ameri-centrism that will allow erroneous claims (such as the Roman numeral Gen X thing) to go unchallenged. I just wanted to take the opportunity to set the record straight on this matter, and demonstrate that there's still a big world out there beyond the U.S. - Tim (a proud Canadian Gen-Xer) >>> [log in to unmask] 08/31/05 7:35 AM >>> On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 10:29:51 -0500, Creel, Wesley <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >Good Morning All, >I would like to build on what Deb has said, regarding the definition of >the term "Generation X"...... I remember reading a definition a couple >of years ago....(I think it was an essay in the Atlantic Monthly, that >the letter "X" referred to the Roman numeral X, meaning 10....and the >generation in question was the 10th generation, following this nation's >revolution of 1776...... The term "Generation X" was popularized by the Doug Copeland book of the same name, published in 1991. The phrase reflects the confusion expressed by so many cultural observers who finally noticed that there were all these young people running around who -- gasp! -- weren't boomers. Strauss and Howe in their book "Generations" (also published in 1991) label us the "13th Generation" -- the 13th to know and live under the American flag. Since independence, we're about nine-and-a-halfth, assuming one accepts the generations they defined. Eugene Dillenburg ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). Disclaimer: The information transmitted is intended only for the addressee and may contain confidential, proprietary and/or privileged material. Any unauthorized review, distribution or other use of or the taking of any action in reliance upon this information is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete or destroy this message and any copies ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).