If we're all as long-winded and as boring as Jeff Gordinier's book X Saves the World: How Generation X Got the Shaft but Can Still Keep Everything from Sucking, I can see why we don't have time left over to save the world.
I'm 90 pages in already and I can't for the life of me think of one thing to say about this book, or what Gordinier's point is. It's not that it's poorly written, it's just kind of, well, underwhelming. I think the basic point is that X is a generation stuck between the narcissistic Boomers and the hyper-connected Millennials, and it's a generation that can "do the old stuff really well--maybe as well as anybody ever could--but nobody seems to give a shit about the old stuff anymore. And this new stuff? You could do it well, too--you're flexible--if you could only figure out what it is. Because sometimes it looks like selling air." (p. xxx.)
Well, okay. That makes sense. But then Gordinier is off on a first-person tangent (his phrase) and pop culture references*, and I didn't pay much attention again until I got to the chapter where he picks on the Millennials, which I'll admit, I really enjoyed:
"These new kids cared about belonging, they cared about the group. They did everything in groups, they even dated in groups. They moved in noisy little packs, they only read books if there was a book club with which to share them, they networked, they sought out mentors, they kept each other in line. The wanted to connect with everyone; they wanted the world to cuddle up with them on Friendster and Facebook. They were unfamiliar with the notion of privacy. Solitude made them...uncomfortable." (p. 70.)
Well, I think he's honed in on why Millennials make me vaguely uncomfortable.
So I did what any slacker Gen Xer would do: I skipped to the end. Gordinier suggests that all Xers try to keep things from sucking by getting out there and...daring.
See? Underwhelming.
*At one point he compares the music videos for Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit and Britney Spears's Hit Me Baby One More Time. Never having had MTV, I went and checked them out on YouTube--I'm flexible--and must admit I'm old enough to have been a bit shocked by the Spears video. Frankly, I even like the song,** but holy cow, that's quite the four-minute walking, talking definition of "jail bait."
**I mainly like the song because of this cover version by Scottish band Travis.
Or you could be like late-boomer me (not to be confused with the early ones who got the goodies) and say "grow up and deal with it -you're so last millenium".
Posted by: Sarah | 04 August 2008 at 04:18 PM
Here's another reason not to trust Millenials (found via Sarah Weinman's blog): http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/magazine/03trolls-t.html?ref=magazine
Posted by: Sarah | 04 August 2008 at 04:20 PM
Jeepers, Citizen Reader, I would have never picked this one up -- but now your critique has me curious about how I might react to Gordinier, so I guess I will be checking this out. Not sure about reading to the finish, but I want to peruse.
I liked this line especially "they only read books if there was a book club with which to share them". Gee, and I thought that was mostly true of the suburban moms in my neck o' the woods.
*Thanks awfully much for the Travis video clip. Was I the ONLY person in the world not at Glastonbury 2000? New to me and I liked it.
Keep getting sucked into YouTube, especially hot on comparing original tunes to covers -- and kinda (stretching) coincidental, just a few nights ago spent a sinful amount of time listening to YouTube's of "Smells Like..." and my favorite is Tori Amos' version. Hey and she has some commentary on it that all Millennials will ignore -- she sounds like a candidate to me:
of course the finest cover at all -- and now you can clearly see I am an aged boomer, 'cuz this is a gorgeous man with delicious back-up, but damn, NONE of them qualify as jailbait, however his rendition blows Britney outta the water:
How does anybody manage to read anything with YouTube?
your old fogey,
tl
Posted by: The Laundress | 04 August 2008 at 08:54 PM
Oops, I did it again too
-- forgot you can't add links to YouTube on your blog.
check out Tori Amos interview on her cover of Cobain also Richard Thompson, singing "Oops, I did it again".
Posted by: The Laundress | 04 August 2008 at 08:56 PM
Sarah!
Well, frankly, I wasn't much good at the last millennium either. Perhaps because I'm such a slacker. :)
Laundress,
Isn't Travis the BEST? I love them too. Mmmm Scottish accents. I agree that YouTube is a huge, dangerous time suck. The other day I got on a Rufus Wainwright loop, which was VERY BAD for my productivity while working at home here.
Yes, do peruse the Gen X book. It's an interesting one to peruse. I'd like to hear what you think of it!
Also, I think you can add links in the comments, just paste in the URL from the web site and let it stand like that. It may not look like a link in your comment box but once it's posted I think it works as a link.
Posted by: Citizen Reader | 05 August 2008 at 08:17 AM
I'm still sad (for lack of a better word) after readug the article from the NYT magazine Sarah posted. Unbelievable.
Posted by: Venta | 05 August 2008 at 09:29 AM
Venta, Sarah,
The article was a bit unsettling, I'll admit. Hmm. How jaded am I, that I found it unsettling but not unbelievable?
I'll say this: I wish I had HALF of those kids' tech skills.
Posted by: Citizen Reader | 05 August 2008 at 08:04 PM
Thank you for confirming my suspicions about this book. I read the first 15 pages at the library and was slightly curious but concerned, and I fear I would have been equally underwhelmed.
Linking your blog now - it seems great!
Posted by: Brian | 11 August 2008 at 02:35 PM
Brian,
Thanks for the link! I'm glad I could be of any service on this book--it didn't pick up a whole lot after those first 15 pages, sadly. I was disappointed because I was all ready to like it.
Posted by: Citizen Reader | 11 August 2008 at 08:28 PM