1. that we all voted the way you think we all voted, while a majority did, it was a majority by only a couple $ points.... and while some of the most rabid that way are Gen X, so are just about the most not that way types I know as well

more for 1.

believe it or not Gen X was actually the generation that saw the actual shift from analog to digital (earlier Gen X at that, not Xennial Gen X), we had computers and video games, many had video games by at least later grade school and home computers by middle school or early high school (late X even had that stuff since they were born nearly), we saw the arrival of digital music in the early 80s, etc. we were the generation that came of age during the second great revolution the moder tech/pop culture revolution that brought us the rest of the way to the modern age

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Everybody did NOT do cocaine. I literally never even saw it once. Only in certain circles was that common and most circles were not regular people circles other than maybe a few city club scenes or something

in fact, core 80s teens Gen X, probably had about the lowest drugs/smoking rates for top of the class rates of any micro-generation since maybe early Silent Generation

the burnouts smoked of course, by definition, but they were maybe 20% or less and very few outside of that 20% even smoked cigarettes, virtually nobody at all near top of the class, unlike with Jones and especially Boomers or later Millennials or Z.

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also Gen X once again not a monolith, surburban vs urban responses could be super different, poor downtrooden town vs nice suburbs quite different and earlier vs later Gen X could sometimes give almsot opposite responses to many things

1. whatever

(seriously, be a bit more whatever unless it's really for real real real truly serious, relax, chill.... but then actually do for real focus and put time and work into major, truly impactful stuff)

1. quicksand

(in the late 70s.... Global.... Cooling! and impending arrival of a mini Ice Age)

(the metric system is gonna take over in the US)

1. hmm man that's hard to say.... maybe just cruising around the mall in the 80s on a summer evening and it's like sooo totally mega jam packed to the max with throngs of teens (and all ages) walking around in groups and scoping each other out and you are surround by tons of people wearing bright colors and all the girls (90% of them named Jennifer) with big hair and many in go-go striped shorts and cut-off t's one shoulder off. You walk along dark brown tiled floors past some big green plants and then a big water fountain with coins tossed in it and then past a record store with a big Madonna poster and another with MJ and rows of longboxes (holding CDs) and cassettes stacked aisle after aisle and then right past the movie theater where Ferris Bueller's Day Off just opened right across from the arcade where you stop in for a few games of Joust and as you stand in the middle aisle for a moment with your buddy some hot chicks rub up past you and moan/breathe into your ear and head off into the arcade giggling and then a few minutes later stand down the aisle and stare at you as you and your buddy are playing Joust and then you go over and introduce yourself and then one whips a pen and scrap of paper out of her purse and they write their (except not THEIR numbers, the house number, which means who the who will pick up first when you call? parent? obnoxious little brother? modem making the line busy?) numbers down 867-5309(jk). Later you walk past a slew of Trans Ams and Camaros on the way to your car and turn the radio up and they play Invisible Touch, Danger Zone, Invisible Touch, Addicted To Love, Invisible Touch, Take On Me, Invisible Touch, Take My Breathe Away, Invisible Touch.

Is that 80s Gen X enough for you?

1. It's weird in that Gen X isn't heard or talked about so much directly. And yet.... I mean much of Gen X was 80s teens, the ones who created the 80s styles and culture, the ones who saw the classic movies when they came out. We were the generation of the classic franchises that keep getting sequels now. All the shows and movies set back in the 80s are us.

Somehow later gens are so caught up with Gen X = Nirvana that they forget that in the 80s shows like Stranger Things and so on, the kids in those are Gen X! Anything 80s retro is about Gen X.

So we weirdly in some ways are around more than almost any generation out there and yet at the same time everyone somehow forgets that that is us haha!

60s are Boomers, 90s are X, 70s are Boomers/Jones they say.

then they do all this retro 80s stuff and watch these 80s retro shows and somehow it's like the teens in the shows and the 80s stuff somehow are not any generation, but they are, they are Gen X!

So in some ways you hear about us tons and tons. You just somehow don't seem to realize you are hearing about us when you hear about us all the time.

Also for 1.

The whole "whatever" thing in reality for most Gen X was neither a nihilistic whatever nor I don't care about anything whatever.

It's a don't get too upset by tiny little things. Someone glances at you for a second it's not some world ending offense. Whatever! Gen X gets all going over BIG things, things that really count, are truly serious, etc. not upset and looking to find little upsets all over the place.

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Many Gen X were actually well looked after by their parents. Not all, especially not among older Gen X, were even latchkey. Many Gen X have Silent Gen rather than Boomer parents.

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1. considering that I see endless posts by Millennials and Z suggesting this:
   "Gen X were 90s teens, Nirvana grunge obsessed and everyone wore flannel and greasy flat hair and drab colors, Gen X = generation grunge and nihilism"

When in reality by the earlier definitions of Gen X none were like the above and as currently defined only about half were the above while the other half were 80s teens i.e. big hair, bright color, pop/rock/hair metal for the main mainstream, upbeat. As with most gens the earlier parts and later parts often had very, very different pop cultures going on, sometimes almost exactly opposite.

So for every Gen X'er who had high school like this (these ones were originally early Gen Y, but now seem to be treated by Millennials and younger and all media articles as encompassing ALL of Gen X); half a minute to a minute peek at each link's timed entry point will give the gist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J9-L5enIMc&t=188s (late 1994)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avab_NR_lhk&t=80s (start of 1st day of school, late 1997)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avab_NR_lhk&t=1816s (in class, 1997 or 1998)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLuKHJ4tkXE&t=53s (in class, 1997 or 1998)