Pretty sure this board is riddled with 10yr olds at times. And they are limited in screen time, so they have to take advantage of the time they do have!
NO ONE WANTS TO WORK ANYMORE
- Thread starter Hoosierhawkeye
- Start date
I can't imagine working in a "customer service" job having to deal with rude, stupid people.
From the Walmart clerk to the "return " counter...yuck!
From the Walmart clerk to the "return " counter...yuck!
Wow, yeah. I’m just shocked that Bloomberg would spin the results that way. I’m part of the Great Resignation. I’m still on hiatus and not looking to go back yet, but I was so burned out this spring that no matter how my job search goes I will not regret the decision.
I’d love to be able to monetize podcasting or something creative, but I’m not sure I can go long enough without a paycheck to get there. I’ll look to keep it up as a side hustle for a bit for sure.
NO ONE WANTS TO SEARCH ANYMORE
That takes too much work
I try to go above and beyond being nice when dealing with customer service, the service industry, etc. They’re just trying to get by and have to deal with a public that’s lost its general sense of decency over the last 6 or 7 years
You know...thanks for that.
I actually think about this stuff, generations, quite a bit. It's one of my go to things for rare moments of deep thinking. I'm pretty confident in my premise that "did not give up childish things" is one of the most, if not most, salient Gen X contribution to culture and thinking. As far as I know, I'm the only one saying this, but I don't think it makes it any less true.
Take all the other "things" associated with Gen X (and any generation), and for the most part they:
- represent a snapshot of what the generation was in their teens/20s, but with little relevance to the rest of their lives. See Simpsons "Homerpalooza" episode. Yes, this is a decent representation of Gen X in the 90s, but nothing about this captures anything that resonates with Generation X over the last 25 years.
- represent an actually very small cohort, usually coastal, of a generation but are not remotely generation-wide. See anything that tries to frame Gen X around CBGBs, mohawk haircuts, valley girls culture, ACTUP, etc.
- are present in any other generation at the time that generation is "described" and just represents "young people" (as I mentioned - idealistic, individualistic, doesn't want to work, more sensitive, etc)
Once you apply generational "characteristics" to this kind of scrutiny, you find most of them are bullshit and fall away very quickly. It can be very hard to actually identify enduring and original characteristics for any generation.
But ideally, you want to tie it to some kind of cultural or historical experience that sort of "explains it". Like the way Millennial or Gen Z characteristics are frequently explained by the impact of 9/11.
I generally consider the nihilistic shadow of the cold war to be the most impactful input on Gen X. Not that we were the first generation to grow up with the cold war, but by Generation X it had gone from being something to be won to something you lived with, and the universal belief among Gen X children (enforced in school and media) that we would all die in a nuclear holocaust. To me, that - and then it ending out of practically nowhere historically speaking - is by far the most influential factor in shaping Gen X minds.
But I've never been able to adequately tie anything culturally to my "childish things" observation. The best I could do is that we experienced an aspect of "adulthood" from the earliest school age, namely mortality. There was zero attempt to tell our generation "everything will be fine", we were constantly told what the inevitable nuclear war was going to be like, how we would suffer and die, etc. And that somehow that obliterated that whole "this is how adults are, that stuff is for kids, this is what it means to be a grown up." Because we already lived with this major, existential adult worry.
But that's not fully satisfactory to me. So add in what you suggest, and I think it fills the connection out nicely.
My first thought is to test it against "But is that really different than any other generation", and at first I'm thinking probably not - it's doubtful that our parents were all of a sudden "less protective" in attitude that parents in the 40s and 50s. But on further thought...I think there's actually a lot to it.
For one, moms were starting to work a lot more. Not all of them, but lots of moms were at work for the first time. It doesn't matter if the moms of the 50s were just as indifferent, they were more frequently there. Also, we were the first generation probably to not have other stuff they had to do. Generations before were dominated by farms and family businesses that pressed kids into work. Generations after have been inundated with constant activities. The sort of free range childhood of Gen X probably is pretty unique, and widespread if not universal.
So I think that what you suggest is VERY powerful about basically blurring the lines for Gen X about what is "grown up" and what is not.
I also think there's probably something in there about television. In our generation, Gen X consumed massive amounts of television curated for adults. Television for kids was mostly ghetto-ized into Saturday mornings, maybe a little bit in the afternoons. The vast majority of Gen X kids watched huge amounts of adult-oriented television content, be it Magnum PI, Dallas, Cheers, etc.
Before our generation, there wasn't much television for kids, but it was essentially ALL pretty kid friendly. There were pretty strict codes of what was on TV and what was depicted - that's why you have so much regular prime time TV of the 50s and 60s recycled into essentially afternoon kids programming in the 80s. Dragnet and Bewitched might have been adult TV, but they weren't really all that adult.
Later in our generation and after, you had an explosion of kids programming including all day cable channels, the home video revolution, eventually leading to on-demand. The idea of a generation of kids spending so much time watching stuff like MASH and Barney Miller and Quincey is absurd. That's stuff kids would not otherwise be remotely interested in watching if there was any other choice, but we ate it by the bucketful. That probably had some impact of kids feeling more grown up than they were and blurring the lines between childhood and adulthood. "Put the Barbies away, Moonlighting is coming on!"
So, the free range childhood/latchkey kids aspect is almost a certainly a prime factor, when you have a generation going from playing with Star Wars figures to making their own dinner in the same day.
TLDR: just me on my bullshit again
We tell our first year associates if you don't come in on Saturday, don't bother coming in on ... Sunday.
Only half-kidding.
Only half-kidding.
You know...thanks for that.
I actually think about this stuff, generations, quite a bit. It's one of my go to things for rare moments of deep thinking. I'm pretty confident in my premise that "did not give up childish things" is one of the most, if not most, salient Gen X contribution to culture and thinking. As far as I know, I'm the only one saying this, but I don't think it makes it any less true.
Take all the other "things" associated with Gen X (and any generation), and for the most part they:
- represent a snapshot of what the generation was in their teens/20s, but with little relevance to the rest of their lives. See Simpsons "Homerpalooza" episode. Yes, this is a decent representation of Gen X in the 90s, but nothing about this captures anything that resonates with Generation X over the last 25 years.
- represent an actually very small cohort, usually coastal, of a generation but are not remotely generation-wide. See anything that tries to frame Gen X around CBGBs, mohawk haircuts, valley girls culture, ACTUP, etc.
- are present in any other generation at the time that generation is "described" and just represents "young people" (as I mentioned - idealistic, individualistic, doesn't want to work, more sensitive, etc)
Once you apply generational "characteristics" to this kind of scrutiny, you find most of them are bullshit and fall away very quickly. It can be very hard to actually identify enduring and original characteristics for any generation.
But ideally, you want to tie it to some kind of cultural or historical experience that sort of "explains it". Like the way Millennial or Gen Z characteristics are frequently explained by the impact of 9/11.
I generally consider the nihilistic shadow of the cold war to be the most impactful input on Gen X. Not that we were the first generation to grow up with the cold war, but by Generation X it had gone from being something to be won to something you lived with, and the universal belief among Gen X children (enforced in school and media) that we would all die in a nuclear holocaust. To me, that - and then it ending out of practically nowhere historically speaking - is by far the most influential factor in shaping Gen X minds.
But I've never been able to adequately tie anything culturally to my "childish things" observation. The best I could do is that we experienced an aspect of "adulthood" from the earliest school age, namely mortality. There was zero attempt to tell our generation "everything will be fine", we were constantly told what the inevitable nuclear war was going to be like, how we would suffer and die, etc. And that somehow that obliterated that whole "this is how adults are, that stuff is for kids, this is what it means to be a grown up." Because we already lived with this major, existential adult worry.
But that's not fully satisfactory to me. So add in what you suggest, and I think it fills the connection out nicely.
My first thought is to test it against "But is that really different than any other generation", and at first I'm thinking probably not - it's doubtful that our parents were all of a sudden "less protective" in attitude that parents in the 40s and 50s. But on further thought...I think there's actually a lot to it.
For one, moms were starting to work a lot more. Not all of them, but lots of moms were at work for the first time. It doesn't matter if the moms of the 50s were just as indifferent, they were more frequently there. Also, we were the first generation probably to not have other stuff they had to do. Generations before were dominated by farms and family businesses that pressed kids into work. Generations after have been inundated with constant activities. The sort of free range childhood of Gen X probably is pretty unique, and widespread if not universal.
So I think that what you suggest is VERY powerful about basically blurring the lines for Gen X about what is "grown up" and what is not.
I also think there's probably something in there about television. In our generation, Gen X consumed massive amounts of television curated for adults. Television for kids was mostly ghetto-ized into Saturday mornings, maybe a little bit in the afternoons. The vast majority of Gen X kids watched huge amounts of adult-oriented television content, be it Magnum PI, Dallas, Cheers, etc.
Before our generation, there wasn't much television for kids, but it was essentially ALL pretty kid friendly. There were pretty strict codes of what was on TV and what was depicted - that's why you have so much regular prime time TV of the 50s and 60s recycled into essentially afternoon kids programming in the 80s. Dragnet and Bewitched might have been adult TV, but they weren't really all that adult.
Later in our generation and after, you had an explosion of kids programming including all day cable channels, the home video revolution, eventually leading to on-demand. The idea of a generation of kids spending so much time watching stuff like MASH and Barney Miller and Quincey is absurd. That's stuff kids would not otherwise be remotely interested in watching if there was any other choice, but we ate it by the bucketful. That probably had some impact of kids feeling more grown up than they were and blurring the lines between childhood and adulthood. "Put the Barbies away, Moonlighting is coming on!"
So, the free range childhood/latchkey kids aspect is almost a certainly a prime factor, when you have a generation going from playing with Star Wars figures to making their own dinner in the same day.
TLDR: just me on my bullshit again
IDK as an X-ennial (Born in '82) the whole latch key thing is something that I can't really relate to. My dad always worked and my mom was always home.
I knew a lot of people where both parents worked so I'm familiar with the concept but it was foreign to me growing up.
I worked a fast food job in highschool. People were assholes 20 years ago too. It's not a new phenomenon.
I love the thought process here and I think there’s a lot of truth in it. I think us having to figure sh1t out for ourselves growing up, making up our own rules and fighting our own battles has extended. As pointed out in this thread, it’s led to a lot of norms being broken. Entire genres of music and culture in the 90s came out of a “who gives a bleep” thinking and once some of those norms were broken, things ran from there.You know...thanks for that.
I actually think about this stuff, generations, quite a bit. It's one of my go to things for rare moments of deep thinking. I'm pretty confident in my premise that "did not give up childish things" is one of the most, if not most, salient Gen X contribution to culture and thinking. As far as I know, I'm the only one saying this, but I don't think it makes it any less true.
Take all the other "things" associated with Gen X (and any generation), and for the most part they:
- represent a snapshot of what the generation was in their teens/20s, but with little relevance to the rest of their lives. See Simpsons "Homerpalooza" episode. Yes, this is a decent representation of Gen X in the 90s, but nothing about this captures anything that resonates with Generation X over the last 25 years.
- represent an actually very small cohort, usually coastal, of a generation but are not remotely generation-wide. See anything that tries to frame Gen X around CBGBs, mohawk haircuts, valley girls culture, ACTUP, etc.
- are present in any other generation at the time that generation is "described" and just represents "young people" (as I mentioned - idealistic, individualistic, doesn't want to work, more sensitive, etc)
Once you apply generational "characteristics" to this kind of scrutiny, you find most of them are bullshit and fall away very quickly. It can be very hard to actually identify enduring and original characteristics for any generation.
But ideally, you want to tie it to some kind of cultural or historical experience that sort of "explains it". Like the way Millennial or Gen Z characteristics are frequently explained by the impact of 9/11.
I generally consider the nihilistic shadow of the cold war to be the most impactful input on Gen X. Not that we were the first generation to grow up with the cold war, but by Generation X it had gone from being something to be won to something you lived with, and the universal belief among Gen X children (enforced in school and media) that we would all die in a nuclear holocaust. To me, that - and then it ending out of practically nowhere historically speaking - is by far the most influential factor in shaping Gen X minds.
But I've never been able to adequately tie anything culturally to my "childish things" observation. The best I could do is that we experienced an aspect of "adulthood" from the earliest school age, namely mortality. There was zero attempt to tell our generation "everything will be fine", we were constantly told what the inevitable nuclear war was going to be like, how we would suffer and die, etc. And that somehow that obliterated that whole "this is how adults are, that stuff is for kids, this is what it means to be a grown up." Because we already lived with this major, existential adult worry.
But that's not fully satisfactory to me. So add in what you suggest, and I think it fills the connection out nicely.
My first thought is to test it against "But is that really different than any other generation", and at first I'm thinking probably not - it's doubtful that our parents were all of a sudden "less protective" in attitude that parents in the 40s and 50s. But on further thought...I think there's actually a lot to it.
For one, moms were starting to work a lot more. Not all of them, but lots of moms were at work for the first time. It doesn't matter if the moms of the 50s were just as indifferent, they were more frequently there. Also, we were the first generation probably to not have other stuff they had to do. Generations before were dominated by farms and family businesses that pressed kids into work. Generations after have been inundated with constant activities. The sort of free range childhood of Gen X probably is pretty unique, and widespread if not universal.
So I think that what you suggest is VERY powerful about basically blurring the lines for Gen X about what is "grown up" and what is not.
I also think there's probably something in there about television. In our generation, Gen X consumed massive amounts of television curated for adults. Television for kids was mostly ghetto-ized into Saturday mornings, maybe a little bit in the afternoons. The vast majority of Gen X kids watched huge amounts of adult-oriented television content, be it Magnum PI, Dallas, Cheers, etc.
Before our generation, there wasn't much television for kids, but it was essentially ALL pretty kid friendly. There were pretty strict codes of what was on TV and what was depicted - that's why you have so much regular prime time TV of the 50s and 60s recycled into essentially afternoon kids programming in the 80s. Dragnet and Bewitched might have been adult TV, but they weren't really all that adult.
Later in our generation and after, you had an explosion of kids programming including all day cable channels, the home video revolution, eventually leading to on-demand. The idea of a generation of kids spending so much time watching stuff like MASH and Barney Miller and Quincey is absurd. That's stuff kids would not otherwise be remotely interested in watching if there was any other choice, but we ate it by the bucketful. That probably had some impact of kids feeling more grown up than they were and blurring the lines between childhood and adulthood. "Put the Barbies away, Moonlighting is coming on!"
So, the free range childhood/latchkey kids aspect is almost a certainly a prime factor, when you have a generation going from playing with Star Wars figures to making their own dinner in the same day.
TLDR: just me on my bullshit again
We love asking “Why?” And “Why not?”
I did as well. I remember one day some people went through the drive through and threw dog crap on the person in the window and sped off.
I think everyone should have to work at a restaurant or retail (preferably during the holidays) once in their life. People would treat service workers a lot better.
To be fair, the parking division at UI was probably created by @THE_DEVIL himself.
That was the first time I got a job where I was paid more to do less than my previous job. That is the way to operate IMO.
One thing that pisses me off was our employer.
I was working on Thanksgiving once and a guy went through the drive through and gave us a generous tip to split between the workers.
But the rules said that any tips went to petty cash and that any employee attempting to pocket a tip would be fired.
Honestly I think that was morally theft.
Truth. I worked at HyVee in HS and college. The day before Thanksgiving always got ugly and was my least favorite day of the year.
I was a merchandiser for Pepsi during college. The holidays were the worst. Especially the day before Thanksgiving. On black Friday (back when stores were actually closed on Thursday), Walmart opened at 5 and they expected their pop shelves to be full (even though no one is there to buy pop). So we had to get up 2am just for them. And then the other stores didn't open for us until 6 so you had to sit in the van for an hour.
One of the many reasons I hate Walmart. It took me years of not working retail to stop hating the holidays.
People realized their family could survive on one income. Or they found a job in a different industry (hey, restaurants). Or taking a less stressful job. Do you expect someone to say "hey, you're too comfortable, you need to find a job/different job"?
I just don’t get this line of thinking at all. I’m able to take 6 months or so off because of the ways in which we’ve managed money, why should the fact that companies need workers obligate me to go do something on their terms.
My old job is now posted for the third time since I left. The fact that they haven’t been able to fill it (and I had some quality people under me who I talked to about the opportunity when I left), tells me about all I need to know about how broken the management strategy is and/or how it’s paying relative to market (both were factors when I quit). They need help….so should I not be able to be comfortable enough to resist going back? That’s ridiculous.
I love the mindset that it’s all about the free market when companies make decisions, but when employees make companies compete, it’s a bad thing and they’re too picky/greedy/high maintenance.
Yeah my mother was home. A good amount of my friends mothers were home. I'm sure the percentage of Gen Xers who were "latchkey kids" is actually only something like 15-20% or something like that. It's more that it's the first time it became pretty normalized, and more importantly, it's almost more of a vibe than a strict definition.
So like I said my mother was home, I never came home to an empty house. But, if she let's me go play in a friend's house, with no supervision, at like 8 or 9 years old, its still part of the same concept. Latchkey kids is kind of part of a larger thing, which was much more universal, around what I've seen referred to as "free range parenting". Latchkey kids are just part of the category that includes the "just be home before the streetlights are on", letting your kids be outside all day without knowing where they were, letting them ride their bikes miles away, making them settle their own fights/bullying scenarios, etc.
And by all means, kids in the 40s, 50s, 60s, etc were allowed those same parameters. I don't believe that Gen X parents got MORE lax than the previous generation - these kinds of things only move one way. Any of the real old heads here would describe the same freedoms as kids.
But for Gen X it combines with kids being freer to use that freedom than ever, without having nearly the kind of chores or family business responsibilities that previous generations had to take up plus fewer (not none) moms at home. Even a lot of the kids that didn't fall into that minority of actual latchkey kids were coming home to older siblings supervising them, neighborhood teens babysitting them, neighbors watching them, or dad home but asleep because he works the third, and that's just not the same as having a parent on your case.
We used to jump out of windows for that sweet relief, now nets catch our fall. Bastards!
You are so far off the mark it's kinda funny. They've beaten every bush, job fairs open houses running ads doing everything possible to get people to relocate. $2,000 hiring bonus, $2,000 referral bonus. Dropped the High School/ GED requirement.
We have turned down millions of dollars in new business, dropped lower margin product lines, cut labor intensive products. At one point we were more that $10 million backlogged. We've cut that down to $5 million.
Now I'm not saying they have been perfect. There have been some missteps. But the fact still remains, we've been here doing this for here for 50 years, I've been a part of it for 43. The job is much easier that when I started, the bosses are great compared to days past. It's just much different mindset with the work force to day.
I have a hard time buying that it’s just a different mindset in the workforce. What are the jobs?
There are several things working all at the same time right now. Even pre-pandemic, the Boomers are hitting retirement age and the numbers game means fewer workers. Some of that is getting made up with automation, so there are fewer employees needed for some tasks……but people still need to earn a buck to live their lives. What kind of work is it? Are benefits competitive? Does the company allow remote/hybrid work where it makes sense? How is the pay overall?
The one thing I see in your comments above that stands out is “doing everything possible to get people to relocate”. Could this work be done remotely with some limited travel to come on site a couple times per year? If it’s a small/mid-sized company in a rural area without a lot to offer, it’s going to be hard to get people to move away from better locations with more going on.….but if that company can invest in their infrastructure, build out cloud capability and take advantage of workers who want to be remote, there’s a better chance that they’ll fill those roles.
As much as I left my last job due to a number of factors that were negatives to my employment, I think most employers that are in good locations with talent they need or a willingness to hire remote workers that pays a competitive wage with competitive benefits that offers some work/life balance should not have significant problems filling staff.
Not to pile on…but maybe I’m piling on….this post makes no sense. The company is supposedly offering $2k hiring bonus and $2k referral bonus, but is turning down “millions of dollars in new business, dropped lower margin product lines, cut labor-intensive products”.
If a company is turning down “millions” in new business and it’s because of labor, the company has no idea what they’re doing. If you’re going to make millions, pay another $10k, $20k. What about a $5-10K signing bonus with a 1-2 year commitment plus moving expenses if you’re trying to get people to relocate? If it’s lower cost labor, that’s going to start to move a meter. If you’re looking at people who make $100k+, a $2k signing bonus just isn’t going to move the meter much at all. It’s nice, but I’m not going to change my life for $2k.
No one wants to sell cars any more
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I retired about 4 years ago. Luckily, I have a hobby/business of buying and selling antiques and collectibles that keeps me just busy enough. Without that I think I'd be looking for something part-time, too.
From my observations and experience there's a certain segment that "doesn't want to work".
Young enough to still live with Mommy and Daddy.
I deal with contractors constantly....HVAC/Electricians ect....they simply can't get their apprenticeship positions filled. They'll get a kid and they'll last a week and quit...
Too hot, work too hard ect ect....
Just hear the same thing constantly from the companies I deal with....
Young enough to still live with Mommy and Daddy.
I deal with contractors constantly....HVAC/Electricians ect....they simply can't get their apprenticeship positions filled. They'll get a kid and they'll last a week and quit...
Too hot, work too hard ect ect....
Just hear the same thing constantly from the companies I deal with....
I give you the extreme. Born 1976. Parents divorced. Mom worked the night shift at a factory. I had to cook dinner if she went in early for overtime. As an 7-12 grade student I was often responsible for waking my younger siblings and making sure they got to school until they were old enough to be self reliant. I don't know what that is, but it's pretty damn close to parenting.
Same...born 1967, parents divorced...I'm the oldest kid...basically responsible for my younger siblings till Mom got home. I was extremely irresponsible in that role
Kind of a tyrant when I look back on it....
Same, one younger brother. Was latch key from the time I was like 8 till 13, when mom remarried.Same...born 1967, parents divorced...I'm the oldest kid...basically responsible for my younger siblings till Mom got home. I was extremely irresponsible in that role
Mrs. Z says they would put mom in jail for that these days. I think that’s a bit over the top, but….it’s definitely a different world! Made me way more responsible!
I didn't have to do that but I did have to help my brother with his homework from middle school on because my mom didn't understand it.
Pretty similar situation quite frankly when I was in middle school the only difference is that no one helped me.
Agree with everything but the whole Cold War we're all going to die part. I don't ever remember living under that kind of pall that nuclear war was inevitable. In fact, I'd say by that point we had all come to the conclusion nuclear war was not going to happen because in mutually assured destruction there would be no winners. This played itself out in the movie War Games, "Would you like to play a game?".You know...thanks for that.
I actually think about this stuff, generations, quite a bit. It's one of my go to things for rare moments of deep thinking. I'm pretty confident in my premise that "did not give up childish things" is one of the most, if not most, salient Gen X contribution to culture and thinking. As far as I know, I'm the only one saying this, but I don't think it makes it any less true.
Take all the other "things" associated with Gen X (and any generation), and for the most part they:
- represent a snapshot of what the generation was in their teens/20s, but with little relevance to the rest of their lives. See Simpsons "Homerpalooza" episode. Yes, this is a decent representation of Gen X in the 90s, but nothing about this captures anything that resonates with Generation X over the last 25 years.
- represent an actually very small cohort, usually coastal, of a generation but are not remotely generation-wide. See anything that tries to frame Gen X around CBGBs, mohawk haircuts, valley girls culture, ACTUP, etc.
- are present in any other generation at the time that generation is "described" and just represents "young people" (as I mentioned - idealistic, individualistic, doesn't want to work, more sensitive, etc)
Once you apply generational "characteristics" to this kind of scrutiny, you find most of them are bullshit and fall away very quickly. It can be very hard to actually identify enduring and original characteristics for any generation.
But ideally, you want to tie it to some kind of cultural or historical experience that sort of "explains it". Like the way Millennial or Gen Z characteristics are frequently explained by the impact of 9/11.
I generally consider the nihilistic shadow of the cold war to be the most impactful input on Gen X. Not that we were the first generation to grow up with the cold war, but by Generation X it had gone from being something to be won to something you lived with, and the universal belief among Gen X children (enforced in school and media) that we would all die in a nuclear holocaust. To me, that - and then it ending out of practically nowhere historically speaking - is by far the most influential factor in shaping Gen X minds.
But I've never been able to adequately tie anything culturally to my "childish things" observation. The best I could do is that we experienced an aspect of "adulthood" from the earliest school age, namely mortality. There was zero attempt to tell our generation "everything will be fine", we were constantly told what the inevitable nuclear war was going to be like, how we would suffer and die, etc. And that somehow that obliterated that whole "this is how adults are, that stuff is for kids, this is what it means to be a grown up." Because we already lived with this major, existential adult worry.
But that's not fully satisfactory to me. So add in what you suggest, and I think it fills the connection out nicely.
My first thought is to test it against "But is that really different than any other generation", and at first I'm thinking probably not - it's doubtful that our parents were all of a sudden "less protective" in attitude that parents in the 40s and 50s. But on further thought...I think there's actually a lot to it.
For one, moms were starting to work a lot more. Not all of them, but lots of moms were at work for the first time. It doesn't matter if the moms of the 50s were just as indifferent, they were more frequently there. Also, we were the first generation probably to not have other stuff they had to do. Generations before were dominated by farms and family businesses that pressed kids into work. Generations after have been inundated with constant activities. The sort of free range childhood of Gen X probably is pretty unique, and widespread if not universal.
So I think that what you suggest is VERY powerful about basically blurring the lines for Gen X about what is "grown up" and what is not.
I also think there's probably something in there about television. In our generation, Gen X consumed massive amounts of television curated for adults. Television for kids was mostly ghetto-ized into Saturday mornings, maybe a little bit in the afternoons. The vast majority of Gen X kids watched huge amounts of adult-oriented television content, be it Magnum PI, Dallas, Cheers, etc.
Before our generation, there wasn't much television for kids, but it was essentially ALL pretty kid friendly. There were pretty strict codes of what was on TV and what was depicted - that's why you have so much regular prime time TV of the 50s and 60s recycled into essentially afternoon kids programming in the 80s. Dragnet and Bewitched might have been adult TV, but they weren't really all that adult.
Later in our generation and after, you had an explosion of kids programming including all day cable channels, the home video revolution, eventually leading to on-demand. The idea of a generation of kids spending so much time watching stuff like MASH and Barney Miller and Quincey is absurd. That's stuff kids would not otherwise be remotely interested in watching if there was any other choice, but we ate it by the bucketful. That probably had some impact of kids feeling more grown up than they were and blurring the lines between childhood and adulthood. "Put the Barbies away, Moonlighting is coming on!"
So, the free range childhood/latchkey kids aspect is almost a certainly a prime factor, when you have a generation going from playing with Star Wars figures to making their own dinner in the same day.
TLDR: just me on my bullshit again
The rest of your post is pretty spot on. Gen X kids grew up as latch key kids with both parents at work so we pretty much had to fend for ourselves. We had activities and sports and stuff but nothing like the organized sports of today. Travel ball? Sure, if you made the Little League All-Star team you got a few more games. We actually went outside and played pick up baseball, football, and basketball, rode bikes, and generally cruised around in freedom. Heck, I'd ride my bike to the golf course where I stored my clubs in a locker and would play 18-36 holes in a day with some friends, no adults, ride bike back home, grab something to eat quick, then ride my bike to my baseball game that evening...no parents, no rides, no helicopters.
Same with the TV programming. When Hogan's Heroes is the favorite show for a 10-12 year old kid, or Gilligan's Island, Addams Family, Brady Bunch, and yes, Barney Miller, Sanford & Son, Good Times, The Jefferson's, Taxi, or All In the Family, that is a huge difference from the children's programming that came out for the next generation. Shoot, we're a generation that was practically raised on Cubs and Braves baseball on WGN and TBS respectively. We consumed a ton of adult entertainment as kids.
It's amazing how many times I look at people younger than me, and I'm not talking about kids, teens, or early 20's, like practically people in their 30's, so Millennials, and am just like, "Dang, figure it out, you people are fricking helpless." Definitely a trait of Gen X is that we've just had to figure things out on our own because mom & dad weren't just there to do everything for you.
