I believe you call yourself an Xennial

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Rombonius@reddit

this really encompasses all 'elder millennials'

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Emannuelle-in-space@reddit

yeah I'm '85 and this is the first list like this I've seen feels like it was written exactly for me.

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My childhood was full of Robocop, Aliens, Wonder Years, Rocko's Modern Life, NES. One TV, no remote. No cellphone through high school, and I remember the Berlin Wall going down. But I guess I'm in the same boat as Spongebob and Harry Potter.

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ODaysForDays@reddit

91 and it all pretty much fits. I did get a little spongebob though

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honkifyoulikebirds@reddit

I am late gen x but really like spongebob. maybe weed has something to do with that...

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No_Zombie2021@reddit

I get to know SpongeBob via my kids, and it’s pretty good.

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Negative-Wrap95@reddit

Yeah... probably explains a couple things. 😁

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Withnail_I_am_I_am@reddit

Wait, how do y'all pronounce Xennial? I've been pronouncing it w/ a Z inside my head, but I guess that does complicate things with GenZ Millennials...

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Truth_Seeker963@reddit

Like “Zen”. “Ex-ennial” is so wrong. The Gen Z millennials can be Zillenials if they even need a name (which, imo, they do not).

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FractalGeometric356@reddit

It really is amazing to me how little SpongeBob SquarePants matters to my life.

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kombatminipig@reddit

Yeah, same with Harry Potter. Something that came about when I was legally an adult.

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HeyPrettyLadyMaam@reddit

Same with highschool musical. And lizzie mcguier. I'm definitely the first kind.

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D34N2@reddit

Also, Pokémon

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Spamcan81@reddit

I bought Pokémon Red the day it came out, played through it twice that week and didn’t touch another mainline game in the series until 3DS. I’ve never seen the animated series. I was in high school when that hit.

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D34N2@reddit

I was in high school when Pokemon became a thing, so it was decidedly uncool little kids' stuff. Never got into it at all. I found it weird as an adult when my friends who were just a few years younger were interested in Pokemon. Like, why? I've never seen any appeal. And I do play video games! I just think the Pokemon video games are ass, lol.

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T-Bombie@reddit

We Xennials played Magic if anything. My brother is 4 years younger than me and he and all his friends played Pokémon.

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AetheriaInBeing@reddit

I played magic. My younger brother and his friends played both. I think mostly because I got them playing magic with me and my friends before they got playing Pokemon.

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cat_at_the_keyboard@reddit

Yep I went nuts for Pokémon red and played obsessively til I got everything and that was a one and done for me. I've never seen the appeal of having to do it all over again, collecting 150+ creatures and all the grind, for every new game. I have attempted to get back into Pokémon a few times but I always rapidly lose interest

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BlueBomber13@reddit

Exactly the same for me. I think I had Blue though. I did recently buy Pokemon Fire Red for the Switch. I guess it was a remake for the 3DS or Gameboy Advance that they just released. It's been a fun little nostalgia trip.

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Then_Increase7445@reddit

This is exactly my timeline with Pokemon. Pokemon Red, Pokemon cards the first year they dropped, and then nothing else.

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TheNerdChaplain@reddit

Anime in general, really. I don't know anyone my age that's into it really, but everyone younger than me seems to love it.

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kombatminipig@reddit

Depends on what you had access to. I watched Macross as a kid, then in my mid teens saw Ghost in the Shell, Armitage III and Ninja Scroll, then on to Ghibli and Evangelion in my late teens.

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brainfreeze77@reddit

77 here so just on the Xenial bubble. I watched a lot of anime in college but it wasn't on TV. I had to go to the local comic store and in the back they rented VHSs. So I watched Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scrolls etc. It wasn't Pokémon that's for sure.

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orthomonas@reddit

I think that one depends. Thundercats, Voltron, Vampire Hunter D on TBS, Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend video,.etc were all direct gateways to the anime club at my university.

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MyNameCannotBeSpoken@reddit

Had a discussion with another tourist while in Japan. I said the only anime I knew growing up was Voltron. He said, "you're old"

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D34N2@reddit

Did Thundercats count as anime? I don't think so. Voltron and Astro Boy for sure though!

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orthomonas@reddit

It's an interesting argument if it counts as anime, and I could go both ways. It definitely, thanks to the animation studio, had anime qualities that put me on that road.

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MyNameCannotBeSpoken@reddit

Same. Had this discussion with another tourist while in Japan. I said the only anime I knew growing up was Voltron. He said, "your old"

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Negative-Wrap95@reddit

I, however enjoy it. I'm not a super weeb or anything, but I've enjoyed Ranma 1/2, Vampire Hunter D, etc on VHS, and several others since.

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D34N2@reddit

I used to watch Sailor Moon and Dragonball Z in high school. Good fun. But yeah, I never became one of those adults who watches a ton of anime. I can get into some of the series, but it's always more of a passing interest thing.

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orthomonas@reddit

There's occasionally odd bleedover of specific things on a person to person basis. By all rights, as a 79 I should be less nostalgic for Pokémon and DragonballZ, but they were always on the shared TV in my college dorm and we all watched together.

Meanwhile Harry Potter was ok and all, but I mainly recall it being one of the first eBooks I saw (on. a Palm Pilot, no less).

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tesdfan17@reddit

Well the first book did come out in 97-98 but I get it.

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CanoeIt@reddit

That would make you born in 1979? The first book came out in 1997

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kombatminipig@reddit

82, so fine – didn’t remember the year it was published, but certainly too old to identify with them as the books came out. I read them, and they were certainly well written children’s books, but the that was it.

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BeMoreKnope@reddit

As a fantasy reader, I did still enjoy Harry Potter (and, TBF, the first one came out in ‘97).

I sure AF don’t now, so it’s clearly not formational like it is for the youngers, but it definitely had more impact than the annoying yellow rectangle.

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Truth_Seeker963@reddit

I’ve never watched an episode.

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jimbobsqrpants@reddit

Yeah

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mattchewy43@reddit

My son watched it. Thats my exposure to it.

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MyNameCannotBeSpoken@reddit

Nor Pokemon

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NPC261939@reddit

You're not the only one, and I could say the same thing about a lot of popular shows/toys from that era. Once I discovered dirt bikes as a youth, I grew up quick.

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MajesticEmergency@reddit

I am literally, right now, shocked that it matters to Xennials, pre-Xennials and even young Millennials. I thought it was a solid young Gen-Z thing, and I'm not even joking in any little bit. Dead ass serious lol

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Iceprincess1282@reddit

My 55 yo bestie and I just went and saw the movie when it came out. Spongebob comes thru and encompasses all generations bc he’s been on so long. My bestie btw hadn’t been to a movie since 2003 so to get him to a theater was epic!

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molotovzav@reddit

I was 9 when SpongeBob came out, core millennial born in 1990. I basically watched the first seasons and grew out of it. I was really super shocked it had staying power with gen z and I truthfully consider it more of a gen z thing even if I was "a kid" when it came out. I stole avatar from them, so they can have SpongeBob.

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misterrandom1@reddit

My 24th birthday (totally not over 2 decades ago) was SpongeBob themed. Not because I liked it, but just to be funny.

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ScientistAsHero@reddit

I only like Spongebob a little bit because my daughters (born in 02 and 04 respectively) were into it when they were little. So it's kind of nostalgic for me for that reason. I can tolerate it because they used to love it so much. I think I was like 19 years old when the show actually first aired, lol.

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Iceprincess1282@reddit

I watched it mainly bc I was on bestest while pregnant and I needed something random to watch so I started watching SpongeBob and just kept watching it off and on over the years. It’s a great show you should def go back and watch it. Tons of adult jokes along the way. Plus it’s simple and entertaining to watch. And it’s just fun. 🤩

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letterstosnapdragon@reddit

Missed it. And I was too old for Pokémon. Luckily I was able to appreciate Power Rangers for the pure camp.

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PrestigiousCut8235@reddit

One way to explain it is:

A tampon or re usable period option matters more to me

THEN A. FLIPPIN PINEAPPLE UNDER THE SEA

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ClassroomFit7065@reddit

I'm somewhat confused how someone could be both a Saved By The Bell and Spice Girls millennial; my enjoyment of the former basically guaranteed I'd be too old for the latter. But I also didn't have a cell phone 'til 2005, so maybe I was operating at a different cultural pace.

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GreatKingRat666@reddit

I’m confused by Xennials being confused by The Spice Girls.

They exploded in 1996, I was 15 going on 16 at the time. Pretty much the most important age bracket when it comes forming opinions on music.

By the time I got out of puberty properly, their most important days were already behind them.

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Truth_Seeker963@reddit

Some of us elder Xennials were more into grunge than girly-pop, but it was huge for kids a few years younger for sure.

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9897969594938281@reddit

Yeah, but they were a band for young kids, not teenagers lol

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GreatKingRat666@reddit

Admitting it doesn’t mean much.

They really didn’t get this absolutely massive by just appealing to 10 year olds.

They were essentially the female equivalent of The Backstreet Boys

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thorpie88@reddit

They could be British. TGIF was a tv show there and Spice Girls appealed to all ages groups

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Melonary@reddit

2005 sounds so early for a cellphone tbh, but I think they were more common some places. I lived in smaller province Canada, so. Didn't downvote you, though.

And I'm not sure about this either - saved by the bell ran until 1994 (and was popular in reruns for years after) and Spice Girls released their first single early 1996 and their album later that year.

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thorpie88@reddit

2000-2001 was when phones really exploded where I was with the 3210. By 2002 nearly all of us had a phone in school when I was 13/14

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Rombonius@reddit

this

saved by the bell was on tv the entire 90s really (and an after school or saturday staple) and then the spice girls got Beatles level huge in 96. Not only big for my age group (at least the girls) but also my younger brother and even my even younger cousins

lots of overlap

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RanklesTheOtter@reddit

I just upvoted you, I got your back. 😎

Some rando hates people being unique. Nothing wrong with your own opinion.

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tmgth@reddit

Just say you have terrible taste and leave it at that.

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eatsleepdive@reddit

Even spice girls are borderline

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GreatKingRat666@reddit

Maybe if you’re a really early Xennial, but they were massive when I was 15/16.

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9897969594938281@reddit

Anoint the same for me, but I thought they were definitely a band for young kids at the time, not teenagers still dipping their toes into grunge etc

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salad_spinner_3000@reddit

Nah, I was 19ish when they came out, they weren't marketed towards kids. More late high school through college.

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RalphWaldoEmers0n@reddit

Could put pokemon in that second list too

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FUWS@reddit

I’d like to think South Park, Ren and Stimpy, along with Beavis and Butthead ( pretty much all that late night MTV anime) are ours to claim while we at it.

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Typical_Dweller@reddit

The Tick on Saturday mornings was a pretty big one for me.

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Illusionaryvoice@reddit

SPOON 🥄

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detrimental@reddit

MTV's weird ass cartoon weekends were an all time favorite for me.

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Local-Painter-1237@reddit

Nickelodeon and MTV definitely had their sweet spots in the 90’s.

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pkslot@reddit

The question is why any xennial would care to explain what they are.

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MyNameCannotBeSpoken@reddit

gif

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Unhappy_Performer538@reddit

I am both except high school musical.

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Then_Increase7445@reddit

Posts like this are why the Xennial label easily stretches to '85 if not later. Or maybe it's just '80s babies/older millennials

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FoppyRETURNS@reddit

There are Xrnnials here that think the fitst paragraph is young. 🙃

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Sufficient-Quote-431@reddit

Sorry, you don’t get to be part of my generation. Now it’s time for Gogurt and the Tele-tubbies.

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Ultimate-Flexionator@reddit

Super Nintendo... just... super Nintendo

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No-Environment-3997@reddit

Man, I really miss TGIF. The only thing fun about Fridays now is knowing that will be done with the work week and going out on Saturday.
91-97 was peak television: Family Matters, Step by Step, Dinosaurs, Boy Meets World, Sister Sister, Sabrina, Clueless

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BeMoreKnope@reddit

Not the Mama!

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No-Environment-3997@reddit

While Baby was definitely the star, Robbie was my crush

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PearlHarbor_420@reddit

I'm copying my response in another sub for this exact meme:

I'm definitely early millennial according to your meme. Born in '89.

I grew up on syndicated stuff from the 80s because that's what was on Canadian TV.

G.I. Joe, Transformers, TMNT, etc.

My taste in music spans decades but my formative years was all 70s-80s music. Especially Classic rock. The Supernatural soundtrack is the sounds of my childhood.

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techie1980@reddit

Can you please specify which Ghostbusters?

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PearlHarbor_420@reddit

The Real Ghostbusters.

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Negative-Wrap95@reddit

Good to know.

If your area has a MeTV Toons station (I get it via antenna) The Real Ghostbusters Weekdays at 7am | 6c, Saturday at 2am | 1c, and Sunday at 5am | 4c

Not sure if it's valuable info for someone, but there it is.

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PearlHarbor_420@reddit

Via antenna? Interesting... may I ask, where are you communicating from?

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Negative-Wrap95@reddit

https://metvtoons.com/wheretowatch/all-markets

If you'd like to see if it's available in your area, that's the list.

Or, to cut to the chase enter your zip code on this page. https://metvtoons.com/wheretowatch/zip/

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PearlHarbor_420@reddit

Oh. I'm in Canada, but thanks for sharing for the people that need to know.

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ScientistAsHero@reddit

If you're a secret Filmation Ghostbusters fan, we'll find out.

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Rombonius@reddit

saved by the bell after school on YTV

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PearlHarbor_420@reddit

Never got into Saved by the Bell or Boy Meets World for that matter. To each their own.

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grapecityjammer@reddit

This is pretty accurate for me except that I also loved my Wii, played it every day.

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BeMoreKnope@reddit

Yeah, I loved my NES, but I also loved every generation after it.

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Psychological-Bee702@reddit

I’m 45 and I love SpongeBob! Of course, I had some much younger half-siblings and my dad got me into the show through them.

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DiscoLibra@reddit

Yeah, I can't relate to the nickelodeon kids, probably bc I was glued to Mtv at that time. And Voltron will always be my Power Rangers.

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N3DSdad@reddit

I thought they used to say that millennial was someone who turns into an adult at the turn of the millennium. And that fits me exactly. But then eventually all the people 15 years younger than me were also millennials. Xennial sounds fine!

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MajesticEmergency@reddit

and not a Lion King millennial either

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Undercover_Dave@reddit

Yeah,I've had so many people shocked that I've never seen the fucking Lion King, why WOULD I? I don't play with Pokémon cards or read Harry Potter either.

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ladom44@reddit

I first watched the Lion King for the first time two weeks ago with my 4 year old.

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Ching-Dai@reddit

The ‘grunge became a thing during my freshman year of hs’ kind.

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N3DSdad@reddit

The first time I played Wii I was already in working life full-time (albeit studying more still), had lived in three different cities on my own, and dated all the people I dated before my current spouse. Actually it was with my current spouse I first played it. So quite far removed from my chilhood lol. Still considering myself quite millennial, these generations are just a bit too broad!

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Local-Painter-1237@reddit

Throw Barney, Power Rangers and Furbys in there, too.

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Tyenkrovy@reddit

I've had a Zoomer claim that I was a Gen Xer because I was born in 1982. I was like, yeah, alright.

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2DEUCE2@reddit

None of the things in that second sentence were part of my life as a 1980 model year.

I’m gonna do something that I never do because I think it’s kinda douchey to do it to other commenters, but since it is a freaking meme style post, I’m gonna do it…

It’s asking a question without a freaking question mark!!! The second sentence is starting with And!!! Making me freaking crazy dude!

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