The Freshmen

As far as the "Freshman" year of Gen X (or Jenn X) is concerned, there is no shortage of material. This section describing how disparate media events converged to forge a powerful (albeit lazy) generational stereotype can pick up quite a few clues from 1991 ... or sooner.

While Spike, Mike, Slackers and Dykes, the memoir from name-dropping indie-film impresario John Pierson, has proven mostly disappointing, there is an especially interesting passage involving Richard Linklater's film Slacker (which, as noted earlier, is part of the less-than-holy trinity that started the ball rolling). When Linklater passed his $23,000 movie along to Pierson, the Austin filmmaker "enclosed the amazingly well-timed July 16th Time magazine eight-page cover story 'Twentysomething,'" Pierson recalled. "Clearly there was something going on here, but the film couldn't just work in the abstract."

I have mentioned that 1990 article before, and it's interesting to see that Linklater -- generally viewed as out there on his own planet -- envisioned his film as part of a broader trend. That Time magazine hardly seems like a reliable guide to find a trend on the cutting edge makes it all the more fascinating.

So what else finds its way into the Freshman section? That awful novel from Coupland that gave the generation its name is a given. The sudden thrust of the grunge movement likewise must be included. (The hysterical grunge dictionary hoax is a good candidate for the Sophomore section.) Certainly the recession -- which influenced such disparate artists as grunge rockers and alt-country pioneers Uncle Tupelo -- plays into all this ... particulary since, as noted before, commentators found it much easier to believe the generation had a bleak future because they were making observations in the midst of an economic downturn.

New to consideration is the debut of MTV's The Real World in May 1992. Not only does this fall around the end of Jenn X's fictitious freshman year, but it provided interesting fodder to the slacker stereotype. Consider: Seven young attractive people sitting around an expensive New York apartment, not toiling for a living but instead pursuing their creative endeavors. And complaining. A lot. (But, granted, the first season was by far the best, most authentic-acting and least whiny cast the show has had.) Thank you, MTV, for creating a generational stereotype that has been the gift that keeps on giving.

I suspect research -- particularly of media covering pop culture of the time -- will turn up more. But it's a promising start.