Simply_Jeff

Who remembers "Bob"?

Posted by Terrible-Mind-5414@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 247 comments

Simply_Jeff@reddit

I vaguely recall the subgenius movement while in college. It seemed to me to be one of those weird inside joke trendy things. But  I had a religious friend who was creeped out by the whole thing. Something about a false religion worshipping a false god. 

What’s your most Gen X memory? Something that could have only happened in our youth.

Posted by Expensive-System-762@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 1066 comments

Simply_Jeff@reddit

While in college we had to use payphones for off campus calls. In order to save a quarter I would call a friend who I knew was working in an office on campus. I would ask him to use the phone's 3rd party connect feature to connect me to the person I wanted to call. All to save $0.25 lol

How many Gen Xers have silent Gen parents vs boomers?

Posted by NopeThisTrope@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 4201 comments

Tell this GenX/Old-lennial person, what does it mean when a young person says you are based?

Posted by Tricky_Hold230@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 226 comments

Am I the only person that remembers Max Headroom?

Posted by Luxe_Lady1096@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 494 comments

Simply_Jeff@reddit

A lot of people still remember the show, but how many people remember Max's talk show? The Original Max Talking Headroom Show You can still find a few episodes on [archive.org](http://archive.org) [https://archive.org/details/vhs-tape-cinemax-the-original-max-headroom-talking-show-abc-max-headroom-wfme-dr](https://archive.org/details/vhs-tape-cinemax-the-original-max-headroom-talking-show-abc-max-headroom-wfme-dr)

What was 1993 like?

Posted by born_again_athiest@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 1138 comments

Simply_Jeff@reddit

Ska music was pretty big, maybe at it's peak? Lol. The US came out the winner of the Cold War so there was a lot of optimism. I remember a lot of people were excited about Bill Clinton as president. He was young and seemed like a new fresh direction for the country. 

Students and teachers

Posted by whiporee123@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 178 comments

Simply_Jeff@reddit

I have a feeling this kind of stuff was very widespread. When I was in junior high (early 80s) in MD there was an industrial arts teacher who had strong "player" vibes. He had an athletic build, always wore gold chains and Adidas track suits. He also was always hanging around the pretty female students.  I think about 15 or 20 years ago he was arrested when he contacted a former student trying to hook up and re-live the good times. She was completely disgusted and contacted the police.

Why does no one talk about these?

Posted by gaseous_commenter@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 859 comments

Simply_Jeff@reddit

They were invented by a guy who ran a gumball machine business. For a short while he became a millionaire but wound up losing it all.  https://youtu.be/ORE2kqA1HD8

Question for Gen X: Whats Your Relationship With Texting?

Posted by Al3x1ya@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 2356 comments

Simply_Jeff@reddit

Texting implies that an immediate response is expected. Growing up a lot of guys my age were taught to not appear clingy or anxious, contacting a woman too soon gave off these vibes. There's a funny movie called Swingers (1996) that talked about this.  "Two Days is industry standard!" Lol! It looks like the new industry standard is 5 minutes?

What ‘Never-Got’ Childhood Toy Still Lives in Your Head?

Posted by Medium_Educator1983@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 1956 comments

Simply_Jeff@reddit

Big Trak https://preview.redd.it/g7csbb663i5g1.jpeg?width=450&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a8eeb55377acc885a9820f2edf7c9a31483bfa42 This thing was so expensive I didn't know anyone who actually had one. The only place I saw it was in stores and on TV.

What Was Corporate Life Like in 90s America?

Posted by Aware_Classroom_4908@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 752 comments

Simply_Jeff@reddit

Tech and the Internet were starting to explode. In a lot of ways it was much bigger and crazier than the AI craze is now. There were crazy amounts of money being pumped into Internet startups. For the average person if you were somewhat knowledgeable about computers and networking, you could easily land a good paying job somewhere. I remember speaking to a woman worked for the same tech company I did, she mentioned that before she was hired into a helpdesk role she was a secretary doing clerical stuff. That's how crazy it was! 

People who lived through the 70s/80s/90s , did you feel safer back then than you do today?

Posted by Mundane_Bad_2437@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 1966 comments

Simply_Jeff@reddit

I think safety is a relative term. There was a danger of getting into fights and getting beat up by other neighborhood kids, but the risk of actually getting shot or killed was almost non-existent. The risk of serious bodily harm or death was more common in the cities. 

I just got kicked out of a showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Posted by IMTrick@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 972 comments

Simply_Jeff@reddit

I didn't know that normal screenings were possible! When I was in college the management of the on-campus theater  fought tooth and nail NOT to have a screening. They knew exactly how trashed the place would be afterwards. Lol

Made the mistake of going to an actual movie theater.

Posted by shooter5mill@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 610 comments

Who else can check all of the boxes?

Posted by MrBones2k@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 775 comments

Simply_Jeff@reddit

Built in CD players in cars back then were considered the cutting edge of automotive sound. They were big targets for theft. A lot of people like me who were too broke to buy a built in CD player had to make do with cassette adapters connected to a portable CD player. Worked great unless I was riding on a bumpy road which would then cause my player to skip....

Stupid toys from our childhood?

Posted by Craig1974@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 239 comments

Simply_Jeff@reddit

https://preview.redd.it/c80l0bccfd6f1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bad00100ea7a02c13d7d3671fa1c8672d1cbfbed I can't believe no one has mentioned this toy yet!! Quicksilver^(tm) puzzles had an actual drop of MERCURY in them! If this toy isn't proof that Gen Xers aren't natural born survivalists, I don't know what to say.

Cigarettes

Posted by thatpunkyrat@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 1490 comments

Simply_Jeff@reddit

I remember towards the end of the cig vending machine era, some places tried to compromise and the machines were modded to accept special tokens instead of actual money. To get the tokens you had to go to the host or manager to make sure you weren't a kid and they would trade you money for the tokens.

How did landlines work??

Posted by AnxiousStudent20@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 4599 comments

Simply_Jeff@reddit

Adding my $0.02 even though this will be buried under all the comments. Yes it was possible for more than one phone line/number to run into a home. However this configuration was pretty rare and expensive. I knew only knew one guy from HS (this was the late 80s) who had his own telephone line. His family was also filthy rich. Personal phone numbers weren't typical for the time period and in a weird way were a sign of status.

Sorry but we *absolutely* stopped the school day and watched it by satellite.

Posted by ExplorationGeo@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 10229 comments

Simply_Jeff@reddit

We didn't watch it. There weren't enough TVs to go around to each classroom and the admin didn't think it was worthwhile to call a schoolwide assembly for it. I was in gym class and one of teachers came in and made the announcement. He seemed more stunned and sad about it than we were.

Is it because I’m old, or is society in the toilet?

Posted by King_Baboon@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 1768 comments

Simply_Jeff@reddit

I think things have always been in the toilet but for the younger generation the decay is more obvious than it was for our generation. Back when we were kids and teens there was no internet to turn to for news and information. We had to accept what people in power told us as the truth. If I were 30 years younger in today's world I'd probably be angry and upset at what was being left for me too.

What are some practices from our generation are no longer a thing?

Posted by Ok-Assistant-9213@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 882 comments

I've been driving for over 40 years and just realized that I have never run out of gas. When was the last time you ran out of gas if ever?

Posted by The_Safe_For_Work@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 2226 comments

Simply_Jeff@reddit

Once my car got so low the engine was cutting in and out. I finally discovered the origin of the phrase "running on fumes". But I managed to make it to a gas station so my record of not running out of gas is still ongoing.

What is the most GEN-X song? I say it’s “I hate everything about you” by Ugly Kid Joe 1991

Posted by mpete76@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 491 comments

The Best Bad Movie of The 80s.

Posted by Ebonystealth@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 323 comments