MIA: Which Generation is the best? I say X.

Mia spoke to The Project on Channel 10 yesterday as part of a ‘battle of the generations’ series. She’s calling it for Generation X. Are you convinced?

Q: Mia, what defines Generation X?
MIA: Our awesomeness? Well we’re quiet achievers – Boomers and Gen Ys make such a fuss, we just get on with it. Gen Xers are independent, resourceful, laid-back and self-sufficient. We had to be. We grew up in such uncertain times – we saw our parents lose jobs in the recession and we had to deal with AIDS and the ozone layer and the cold war… things were tough.

Q: Do you identify as an Xer, and if so, how?
M: Yeah, I totally do. So much of it is about pop culture touch points: Haysi Fantayzee, Chances, Helen & Mikey on Triple J, Desperately Seeking Susan, Kramer Vs Kramer, Breakfast Club, Reality Bites, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Melrose Place…

Q: What was life like growing up in the 1970’s 1980’s?
M: Well, the Puberty Blues years were awesome in many ways – there was a lot of freedom. Our boomer parents were all in the workforce – the first generation of women to do so en masse – and we were pretty much left to our own devices. I was a latchkey kid – everyone was!

Q: Gen X were also known as the MTV generation, so why did your music suck so much?
M: Suck? Our music didn’t suck! We had Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Midnight Oil, U2, Kylie… Wham!

Q: The Boomers and Gen Y say you’re a miserable bunch of complainers. Is everything okay?
M: I think Gen X are a bit like the middle child. We’re sandwiched by Gen Y and the Boomers who suck up all the oxygen. We’re under-appreciated, dammit!

Q: Gen X was known as the generation that refused to grow up. How are you handling middle age?
M: The great thing about following the Boomers is that they keep moving the goalposts. Right now they’re saying that 60 is the new 40, so that must mean 40 is the new 20.

Q: I can’t afford to buy a house, who should I blame?
M: Your bank manager.

Q: Mia, you probably had to pay for your education, whereas many Boomers went to uni for free.  And pretty soon we’ll all be paying for the Baby Boomers retirement.  Is that fair?

Q: Let’s now look at the generation that came after you: what defines Gen Y?
M: They live their lives so publicly. So I think they’re defined by this scrutiny and self-scrutiny.

Q: Does anything annoy you about them?
M: When I first had to work with them, Gen Y drove me BONKERS.  They couldn’t seem to stay in a job for more than 5 minutes and they needed soooo much feedback and validation at work.

Q: They seem to have this confidence and in some ways a sense of entitlement about them. Where does that come from?
M: Their Boomer parents have spent a lot of time telling them how fabulous they are and wrapping them in cotton wool. Gen Y are the first generation to be raised in the culture of ‘self-esteem’ and this absolute focus on building it up.

Q: They’re the most educated generation in history, but they don’t have the job security of the Boomers. Do you feel sorry for them?
M: How can I possibly feel sorry for them? They have THE INTERNET. No, I certainly feel sorry for all the journalism students who are going into an industry in turmoil with very few jobs available.

Q: When we’re all long gone and historians are looking into the three generations we’re discussing today, which will they say was the most influential and why?
M: Definitely Gen X. We had Kylie and Google. The end.