On Generation X

Although I was born at the end of the baby boom, I've always identified more with 'Generation X'--the children of television, divorce, and downward mobility.

Here are some notes from an old notebook. Alas, I did not record the source of these observations...

I don't buy things--especially if they're advertised.--Scott Lamorte

'It's the self-consciously minimalist lifestyle of the Lamorte brand of Xers, combined with the involuntary poverty of the rest, that has Madison Avenue biting its nails.

After tenderly ministering to every whim of the boomers' evolving buying frenzy--usually to the exclusion of everyone else--the marketing types are beginning to realize that their next target may not be such an easy sell. How do you appeal to a generation that sees the boomers' conspicuous consumption as one of the main roots of its own plight?'

Conformity to Christ necessarily implies nonconformity to the world. True faith in Christ means willingness to do the will of God, rather than willful pursuit of individual happiness. True faith means seeking first the reign of God in simplicity, rather than pursuing materialism. True faith means acting in peace and justice, rather than with violence or military means.
--From Article 17, Discipleship and the Christian Life
Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective, 1995