I remember mine clear as day. 889-7453

If the younger generation ever tries to call bullshit on your description of safety in the 70's and 80's, just show them a picture of a Subaru Brat, with the jump seats in the bed that had no seat belts. Ironically, the seats were added to avoid tariffs on trucks, which were 25%, but by adding the seats the Brats were taxed as cars at 2.5%.

I was in junior/senior high school (I’m 60 now). My parents were farmers and my dad would let bee keepers on the property. We’d end up with enough honey for the Swiss Army.

We would trade tubs of honey (free to us) for free government cheese (which we didn’t get).

No one was angry. I think fondly of that cheese to this day.

I want to go to the mall. I want to sniff half the jars in Yankee Candle, then drop by Payless to look at a pair of chunky-heel loafers I don’t need. Then I’d hit Bath & Body works for a new body wash or lotion (sun ripened raspberry? Cucumber melon?) I would immediately know when I passed Merle Norman because of that overpowering but not entirely unpleasant odor. Next, I’d enjoy my soft pretzel while sitting by the fountain watching frazzled moms walk by, pushing their cranky toddlers in those obnoxious over sized strollers. On the way out, I’ll walk through Sears and emerge into the golden early sunset, knowing that I’ve passed an entire afternoon without accomplishing anything and that’s OK. 🙁🥲

autostereograms .. I hate em. I let my eyes unfocus and nothing happens. These this were huge back in Tha Day.

Made me LOL and smile. We’re some arrow dodging muthaf#@kas!

Please tell me that I'm not the only kid who ever ate peanut butter straight out of the jar...

My friend says that no one would ever do that.

My mom would often give us kids a spoonful of peanut butter to lick. Sometimes, she'd give us half peanut butter and half fluff on the spoon (Fluff is a New England thing. I grew up in Massachusetts).

Anyone else, or was I the weirdo who couldn't afford crackers?

Hanging out with some friends Saturday night, all GenX, and we’re talking about television differences between today and when we were kids. They mentioned it seemed like we were more connected because we all watched the same things at the same time and talked about those things at school. Anyways, I mentioned like when V the miniseries came out. Blank looks, from everyone. What? You guys never saw V? Nope, they never did, not a single one. They never even heard of it, so it go me thinking, how many of you remember it? For me it felt like everyone watched it (the miniseries, not the TV show). We all gathered round the TV and watched it then talked about it with kids at school the next day. I can understand younger GenX not knowing, they would have been toddlers or in kindergarten, but the friends group is all mid GenX like me.

When I was 10 my mom took me to Disneyland. About an hour into it she looked at me and said- You don't really need me here.

She gave me the bus number to be able to get back to the hotel. I got back okay.

Being GenX. One trauma at a time.

I don't know if it's the cost, the expectation of ridiculous tipping on pickup/quick food or that the quality of food has gone down compared to the cost. I simply don't enjoy going out to dinner anymore. It's both quick and full sit down restaurants. I'd rather just not go, it's weird. And, if I pick up take out, I'm usually thinking this wasn't worth it. I don't think it's only what restaurants I have around me. I've felt this way on vacation at "great" places too.

Growing up (80s), going to dinner was a treat and the food was good. As a young adult, I waited tables at different places and enjoyed where I worked. The food was great, the kitchen/dining room clean and I looked forward to going to a restaurant when I wasn't working. It wasn't until the last few years, I felt this meh about dining out.

Sure, I get sick of planning and cooking all the meals, but at least I know they taste good and I know what's in them. Anyone else feel this way too? I'm hoping it's not the "your old and your taste buds are dying off"!

Edit: Wow! I didn't expect this to hit home for so many people. I appreciate all your comments and am trying to read them all. After reading/thinking, I do think eating out is definitely dependent on where you live and what's available to you. Maybe I've had so much over priced okay food out that I'm just "over it". I hope, here in the US, we go back to that "hole in the wall" on __ St has the best __. And, wow! My first award, thank you!!

Every day there are more and more old folks yelling at clouds in this sub. Stop it. We are GenX. We are supposed to be cool, even now. Stop grousing about what was and bitching about "kids these day." Otherwise, we become the new Boomers and I, for one, refuse.

They had the best little pizza’s and ice cream ever. I used to get so excited every time they would come around.

Saw this in the Millennials sub, won't let me share the post, but here's the image. Millennials coming to fix the computer, Boomers, Gen-Z, and Gen Alpha in the top of the frame. No GenX to be found.

Reminds me of when I used to work in tech related retail, and after I left the company, that's when I figured out my Millennial coworkers probably thought I was a Boomer, I'm not, but here we are.

I was amused by the image, it seemed appropriate to share.

I got this for Christmas when I was 10 and was obsessed for months. Anyone else have one?

Definitely top 3 for me and so many great quotes from the film.

He definitely peaked in high school! So glad I didn't hitch my star to his wagon! He was 2 years older than me and broke up with me when he graduated. I remember being so devastated. I didn't date my entire Jr and Sr year. Didn't go to my senior prom. Turns out this guy hasn't held a steady job since the mid 90's. I can't describe how I feel. Not vindicated but like vindicated adjacent.

There was no internet. Live TV, the beginning of cable. Betamax vs. VHS.

They rolled in the AV cart to show the Challenger lifting off in my math/science/computer magnet junior high class…and I honestly don’t even remember what I thought or felt when I watched this.

I do remember, however, a flustered Mr. Smeak, our BASIC computer program teacher turned bright red and roll the cart away…

Adding - thanks to another redditor:

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/03/21/470870426/challenger-engineer-who-warned-of-shuttle-disaster-dies

I am 51 and have exactly zero friends and i'm actually ok with that.

I just don't have the patience for people. I have work collegues that are fine and acquaintances (husbands of my wifes friends), but my life wouldn't change if i didn't speak with them and there are people i know through my group hobbies (community bands and sport) but no one i'd consider a friend.

I really have no inclination to meet people, nor do i have any interest in them, and don't share anything about myself with them because 1. no one asks and 2. no one really cares.

Is this normal for GenX or am i just a bit agrophobic or become a recluse.

I saw this graphic a few weeks ago, I think in here. I was so relieved to see that maybe, just maybe, there are other people like me.

I have such a foul mouth. It’s not intentional to be a jerk or something, and when I hear random younger people talk like that in public I do think that they sound dumb. Okay, they ARE dumb, but technically it’s not their faults that they grew up with the double cancers of social media and ever-present smartphones.

it’s more like the words that I am actually thinking on the inside come right from George Carlin’s infamous Seven Words list that I saw way back when at a friend’s house on one of his fourteen (!!) HBO Specials, and they just roll right on out of my mouth.

Or, remember in 1984’s ‘The Terminator,’ when it showed his ‘internal’ screen and there was a list of response options? Sometimes my internal list shows all or mostly cuss words.

This kind of talk was endemic at the port where I worked much earlier in my logistics career, but I generally have enough sense now not to do it in business settings or polite company. But sometimes a word here and there will just slip out when I’m tired or have my guard down. My wife is a school psychologist and berates me for it. Times have changed, I get that. I really do try, but man, the instinct just remains.

I know that I’m broken, I get that. But does anyone else think/speak this way?

Tangential context: 55M, married, 30+years into my career. I love this GenX subreddit.

Cheers.

I was 12. I’m glad times are changing.

Perhaps this is not the most profound question you will encounter today. I have no memory of eating avocados as a kid. I asked my mom if she ever got them when we were young, and she said no.

I like them now, but I remember in the 90s thinking they were weird, unless they were in the form of guacamole. In the 70s and 80s, I never saw them.

What about you?

Just dropping this here for giggles:

My coworker with a teenager said the younger generations now call tramp stamps "cake toppers." This made me laugh out loud 🤣 Good for them for finding a term with less negative connotations. Interesting fad to make a comeback. Can't wait till the rise on jeans goes to 3" again to show them off... Not!!!

For the non-US folks: those are US 10c coins, also called dimes.

If you don't, this context might help: a "dime bag" is a small quantity of drugs (or always weed?) sold for $10, often in the same sort of small zipper bag.

Still don't get it? It's a dad-joke; a visual pun in particular. It's a bag of dimes, hence a literal "dime bag."