I really don't think people born after 93 could really be considered Y because they may not remember alot of that stuff...I don't think Compact Disc counts, alot of kids still grow up with them. But VHS, yeah, if you remember when Blockbuster was still huge and dominated by VHSes you're Gen Y. I also think familiarity with a time before everyone had a cell phone is a marker.

A Gen Yer is someone who:

*Can vaguely recall the pre-Internet 1980s and/or early and middle 1990s
*Remembers Y2K
*Either was into the boyband/girl singer craze or could have been if they wanted to
*Who as a teen knew tons of Emo kids and hipsters, or was one
*Clearly remembers September 11, or can at least remember hearing about it when it happened
*Remembers the dominance of VHS and Compact Disc, and is at least familiar with cassette decks
*Never really knew vinyl records, except maybe as toys for the very oldest of the gen
*Can only vaguely recall the pre-1992 Cold War days
*Has always known a world with Hip Hop, but still recognizes Rock
*Can remember the Internet boom of 1994-1999

If you can't match up with these, you may not be Gen Y.


Wow, this stuff makes me feel old.  ;D

I consider myself cusp, though I was born in 85. However, I have a remarkable memory. I remember glimpses from '87, a lot from '88, and everything from '89 onward. I was also under heavy influence from my older cousin (born. 1982) who was like a brother to me, and my stepsister (born 1977). I watched the same movies, shows, cartoons, and listened to the same music as they did, because I literally was around either one or the other of them ALL the time. I also lived in insular communities in rural East Texas and in the Adirondack mountains of upstate New York, where new advancements and trends reached us much later than other communities, so for the first few cognitive years of my life, going as far up as '92, everything was all 80's.

I remember vividly when almost no one had computers, and if they did, they were useless pieces of junk. I remember learning and using the actual card catalog at the school library. Everything was done either by hand or with typewriters (NOTHING was done with computers). CD players cost like at least $150+... so few people actually had them. We used cassettes. For fun I used my imagination and I actually played outside. We also had little league and cub scouts, and almost every kid you knew was involved in one or both of them.

Blockbuster was unheard of. Every town had a local tape rental. Ours was at the back of the local pharmacy/general store. I rented the same movies over and over (mostly Robin Hood movies. I loved Robin Hood... I read and watched everything about him). Going out to eat was something we almost never did. It was a real treat. Hell, soda at dinner (which was always fully home-cooked) was a treat! And we never bought Coke or Pepsi, we always bought Adirondack Cola (the best soda ever). 

As you can see... ALL of this is changed. No one cooks at home anymore. I eat out several times a week, all the private rental places are out of business. Good luck even finding a typewriter, let alone the necessary accessories. Little league is for people who can afford it now. The Scouts are discriminatory arseholes. The card catalog is totally computerised just like everything else. Even the CD is slowly becoming obsolete and CD players can be bought for less than a meal at the Olive Garden. The child imagination has been replaced by the X-Box. So yeah. To hell with today.

Little kids still do have imaginations, if you talk to them...they've just been thwarted more and more and they have to try now. I think alot of the little kids now will grow up hating American culture, totally different than the majority of Ys who adore it.

I consider myself cusp, though I was born in 85. However, I have a remarkable memory. I remember glimpses from '87, a lot from '88, and everything from '89 onward. I was also under heavy influence from my older cousin (born. 1982) who was like a brother to me, and my stepsister (born 1977). I watched the same movies, shows, cartoons, and listened to the same music as they did, because I literally was around either one or the other of them ALL the time. I also lived in insular communities in rural East Texas and in the Adirondack mountains of upstate New York, where new advancements and trends reached us much later than other communities, so for the first few cognitive years of my life, going as far up as '92, everything was all 80's.

I remember vividly when almost no one had computers, and if they did, they were useless pieces of junk. I remember learning and using the actual card catalog at the school library. Everything was done either by hand or with typewriters (NOTHING was done with computers). CD players cost like at least $150+... so few people actually had them. We used cassettes. For fun I used my imagination and I actually played outside. We also had little league and cub scouts, and almost every kid you knew was involved in one or both of them.

Blockbuster was unheard of. Every town had a local tape rental. Ours was at the back of the local pharmacy/general store. I rented the same movies over and over (mostly Robin Hood movies. I loved Robin Hood... I read and watched everything about him). Going out to eat was something we almost never did. It was a real treat. Hell, soda at dinner (which was always fully home-cooked) was a treat! And we never bought Coke or Pepsi, we always bought Adirondack Cola (the best soda ever). 

As you can see... ALL of this is changed. No one cooks at home anymore. I eat out several times a week, all the private rental places are out of business. Good luck even finding a typewriter, let alone the necessary accessories. Little league is for people who can afford it now. The Scouts are discriminatory arseholes. The card catalog is totally computerised just like everything else. Even the CD is slowly becoming obsolete and CD players can be bought for less than a meal at the Olive Garden. The child imagination has been replaced by the X-Box. So yeah. To hell with today.


Gee, the '80s are old!  My god, they look so modern but sound like the freaking stone age when someone talks about the tech then.  Truly a different century they are!

Would you say the 20th/21st century gap is as big as the 19th/20th gap?

How can you remember age 2?  I'm not saying you can't, as I'm 1990 and might remember itty bits of 1992, but 1994 up is really what I remember and especially 1996 or '97 onwards.  1998 is really when everything became techish, but even 2000 is a lot less hi-tech than the post-9/11 days.

Today does suck.  I miss cassettes.  There's something so cool about recording music off the radio, MP3 takes all the fun out of it.  I miss when my brother and I would wait for a good song to come on and we'd have to rush over and tape it! (this was like 2000 or so, maybe '99, but we didn't MP3 yet). 

And of course, I don't even think I knew what a DVD was until 2000 or so, although I might of heard about them in 1997.  You know times are changing when even the CD, once considered a high-tech staple is becoming a thing of the past, LOL.

I consider myself cusp, though I was born in 85. However, I have a remarkable memory. I remember glimpses from '87, a lot from '88, and everything from '89 onward. I was also under heavy influence from my older cousin (born. 1982) who was like a brother to me, and my stepsister (born 1977). I watched the same movies, shows, cartoons, and listened to the same music as they did, because I literally was around either one or the other of them ALL the time. I also lived in insular communities in rural East Texas and in the Adirondack mountains of upstate New York, where new advancements and trends reached us much later than other communities, so for the first few cognitive years of my life, going as far up as '92, everything was all 80's.

I remember vividly when almost no one had computers, and if they did, they were useless pieces of junk. I remember learning and using the actual card catalog at the school library. Everything was done either by hand or with typewriters (NOTHING was done with computers). CD players cost like at least $150+... so few people actually had them. We used cassettes. For fun I used my imagination and I actually played outside. We also had little league and cub scouts, and almost every kid you knew was involved in one or both of them.

Blockbuster was unheard of. Every town had a local tape rental. Ours was at the back of the local pharmacy/general store. I rented the same movies over and over (mostly Robin Hood movies. I loved Robin Hood... I read and watched everything about him). Going out to eat was something we almost never did. It was a real treat. Hell, soda at dinner (which was always fully home-cooked) was a treat! And we never bought Coke or Pepsi, we always bought Adirondack Cola (the best soda ever). 

As you can see... ALL of this is changed. No one cooks at home anymore. I eat out several times a week, all the private rental places are out of business. Good luck even finding a typewriter, let alone the necessary accessories. Little league is for people who can afford it now. The Scouts are discriminatory arseholes. The card catalog is totally computerised just like everything else. Even the CD is slowly becoming obsolete and CD players can be bought for less than a meal at the Olive Garden. The child imagination has been replaced by the X-Box. So yeah. To hell with today.


See, I'm about three years older than you, but we seem to rememebr about the same stuff. I also remember when our first Blockbuster came to town. That was like a big deal because videos were still a rather new technology and so to have such a big rental store that had a TON of stuff to select from seemed like the biggest thing for a young kid. I even remember when they had VCR's for rent - these HUGE clunky things with VCR's in them for people to rent. That's when VCR's were still expensive. High tech for people in the mid to late 80's.

Our major video store prior to that time was called Preferred Video (which was probably about a 300 sf retail area and held just a slight bit compared to Blockbuster. We also had another called Entertainment Video which was probably a slight bit bigger. Before blockbuster, we thought that was the best video store to go to. Believe it or not, this video store is still around. God only knows how much longer, but I'm happy they've been able to stick around.

Computers were also a rarity. It's kinda weird to hear Donnie Darko speak of pre-Internet times. I spent 17 years of my life without the internet. I'm sure that has changed for most kids who were born 8-10 years after myself who've spent a majority of their life with that luxury resource we call the Internet (especially when researching for school papers - not doing it the "hard" way through encyclopedias and library stuff, lol). I'll admit my elementary schools tried to expose it to us as much as possible as they knew the computer was going to eventually become the big thing. Yet, we had still very little contact and hardly anyone I knew owned one. Back then, they were meant for much more different functions - like PAINT or WORD or just plain old games or business stuff (using DOS). It had nothing to do with the internet. I remember first hearing of the internet maybe as early as 1992. My best friend's Dad had a "program" called Prodigy, which connected us. It was slower than molassas, but heck, it was neat to see Internet's first beginnings like that.

Yeah, and to mention something else. Most restaurants were not chains back then. We didn't have Applebee's galore, or Olive Gardens or Red Lobsters at every doorstep. We even had fewer grocery stores, even smaller grocery stores. And another thing is, SUV's - GOD - I'm so glad all we had were Suburbans back then - because that was like the ONLY big clunker SUV that you'd see hog the road besides a big fat 80's van.

Anyways, I could on for ages if I dug even deeper into my memory, but I'll stop for now...

I remember NJ pre c. 2002 when there were very, very few big box stores and chain restaurants. Now there are more than before but still not an excessive amount. I think our first Target opened up in 1998. We still don't have Wal-Marts, thank God. Malls still dominate NJ. Also, I remember the days of independent video/DVD rental places-the one we used when I was a little kid just closed, I remember the big dusty bookshelves full of video cases and the indexed binders, and there were arcade games there and a very antiquated adult section with big blinders and a picture of Marilyn Monroe. Now there's a Japanese restaurant there, between the pizzeria and the convenience store off the Garden State Parkway.

See, I'm about three years older than you, but we seem to rememebr about the same stuff. I also remember when our first Blockbuster came to town. That was like a big deal because videos were still a rather new technology and so to have such a big rental store that had a TON of stuff to select from seemed like the biggest thing for a young kid. I even remember when they had VCR's for rent - these HUGE clunky things with VCR's in them for people to rent. That's when VCR's were still expensive. High tech for people in the mid to late 80's.

Our major video store prior to that time was called Preferred Video (which was probably about a 300 sf retail area and held just a slight bit compared to Blockbuster. We also had another called Entertainment Video which was probably a slight bit bigger. Before blockbuster, we thought that was the best video store to go to. Believe it or not, this video store is still around. God only knows how much longer, but I'm happy they've been able to stick around.

Computers were also a rarity. It's kinda weird to hear Donnie Darko speak of pre-Internet times. I spent 17 years of my life without the internet. I'm sure that has changed for most kids who were born 8-10 years after myself who've spent a majority of their life with that luxury resource we call the Internet (especially when researching for school papers - not doing it the "hard" way through encyclopedias and library stuff, lol). I'll admit my elementary schools tried to expose it to us as much as possible as they knew the computer was going to eventually become the big thing. Yet, we had still very little contact and hardly anyone I knew owned one. Back then, they were meant for much more different functions - like PAINT or WORD or just plain old games or business stuff (using DOS). It had nothing to do with the internet. I remember first hearing of the internet maybe as early as 1992. My best friend's Dad had a "program" called Prodigy, which connected us. It was slower than molassas, but heck, it was neat to see Internet's first beginnings like that.

Yeah, and to mention something else. Most restaurants were not chains back then. We didn't have Applebee's galore, or Olive Gardens or Red Lobsters at every doorstep. We even had fewer grocery stores, even smaller grocery stores. And another thing is, SUV's - GOD - I'm so glad all we had were Suburbans back then - because that was like the ONLY big clunker SUV that you'd see hog the road besides a big fat 80's van.

Anyways, I could on for ages if I dug even deeper into my memory, but I'll stop for now...


Would you say the Net is the equivalent to going from horse and buggy to cars or to electric power? 

I think us born in the very early '90s, like 1990 and 1991 are not totally unfamiliar with a pre-information society.  People say the Information Age started around 1989 or 1990 but I'd place it more toward 1997 or 1998, maybe 2000 or 2001 for Europe and Asia.  Africa isn't there yet.  The net, while probably the norm for wealthy to middle-class people to have by 1997 or 1998 was a lot more primitive back then, even though people sort of act like the Internet became essential overnight as soon as it was the '90s.

And I do remember Lucky's!  That's gone?  What a shame.  The world sure is a lot smaller.

Would you say the Net is the equivalent to going from horse and buggy to cars or to electric power? 

I think us born in the very early '90s, like 1990 and 1991 are not totally unfamiliar with a pre-information society.  People say the Information Age started around 1989 or 1990 but I'd place it more toward 1997 or 1998, maybe 2000 or 2001 for Europe and Asia.  Africa isn't there yet.  The net, while probably the norm for wealthy to middle-class people to have by 1997 or 1998 was a lot more primitive back then, even though people sort of act like the Internet became essential overnight as soon as it was the '90s.

And I do remember Lucky's!  That's gone?  What a shame.  The world sure is a lot smaller.


I suppose it was like changing from horse to buggy to cars and electric power. It was sorta a gradual thing. Having computers around and seeing them advance in small, subtle ways over the years I remember them, I knew there was probably going to be more to it eventually. Maybe not THIS much more, but it seemed like it was going to start happening sooner or later.

And no, most people you ask will not associate at least the first 5 years of the 90's to the Internet. I mean, there were those more fortunate people who had it, but we also have to put into consideration the high cost of computers back then and getting e-mail service as an even extra high cost. PLus, not having as many internet services to choose from and paying an arm and a leg to get one connected. I remember computers costing up to $3000. These were not even the high end variety.

Where would you end Gen Y?  Didn't you say like 1994 is the last year that counts and 1995+ is Z?  I'm 1990 born also (although like I've said I have a fear I'm actually a '91er, but that's probably just my OCD  ;D Even if I was that's still concrete Y).

I would say Z probably begins at 1997, but 1993 is the last birth year I find to be clearly Y.  1994+ seem like little kids to me, but if pop culture continues to stagnate and mid and late '90s babies like the same stuff '80s and early '90s babies do there's no reason to consider them Z.  2000 up is not Y, Yers are bimillenial.  You have to have a least a tiny bit of 20th Century mileage on you.

Here's my Y test: can you recall ONE THING from before 1999?  Is yes, you're a Yl.  If not, I'm not so sure.

A Gen Yer is someone who:

*Can vaguely recall the pre-Internet 1980s and/or early and middle 1990s
*Remembers Y2K
*Either was into the boyband/girl singer craze or could have been if they wanted to
*Who as a teen knew tons of Emo kids and hipsters, or was one
*Clearly remembers September 11, or can at least remember hearing about it when it happened
*Remembers the dominance of VHS and Compact Disc, and is at least familiar with cassette decks
*Never really knew vinyl records, except maybe as toys for the very oldest of the gen
*Can only vaguely recall the pre-1992 Cold War days
*Has always known a world with Hip Hop, but still recognizes Rock
*Can remember the Internet boom of 1994-1999

If you can't match up with these, you may not be Gen Y.



1995+ is defidently Z. Mostly because of the fact that if you were born in '95+ you didnt start school until at least 2000 and may not have any memories of the 90's at all. Also someone born after '95 has probably used or is at least familiar with the internet there whole lives while i didnt even use the internet till i was 11. I agree about the VHS thing too i didnt get a dvd player until i was about 14 or 15 and someone born in '95 or later is probably only familiar with the dvd format. As far as cell phones well i still dont own one of them ;D

Also I think video games could be a dividing point. I would say that for most people in Gen Y there first video game console was probably old school 2D whereas someone in Gen Z's first system is most defidently 3D.

1995+ is defidently Z. Mostly because of the fact that if you were born in '95+ you didnt start school until at least 2000 and may not have any memories of the 90's at all. Also someone born after '95 has probably used or is at least familiar with the internet there whole lives while i didnt even use the internet till i was 11. I agree about the VHS thing too i didnt get a dvd player until i was about 14 or 15 and someone born in '95 or later is probably only familiar with the dvd format. As far as cell phones well i still dont own one of them ;D

Also I think video games could be a dividing point. I would say that for most people in Gen Y there first video game console was probably old school 2D whereas someone in Gen Z's first system is most defidently 3D.


My first console (that was current at the time) was a Playstation (1).  That's kind of 2 1/2 D, if you know what I mean. Would that be a Y system to have as a first?

BTW I've decided Y is 1981-1994, but 1977-1985 can go X or Y, or a bit of both.  1995-2003 is kind of the "Echo Busters", 2004+ is a totally different gen.  "Gen Fat", if you will, although I hate that name.  Sounds gross.  :P

My first console (that was current at the time) was a Playstation (1).  That's kind of 2 1/2 D, if you know what I mean. Would that be a Y system to have as a first?

BTW I've decided Y is 1981-1994, but 1977-1985 can go X or Y, or a bit of both.  1995-2003 is kind of the "Echo Busters", 2004+ is a totally different gen.  "Gen Fat", if you will, although I hate that name.  Sounds gross.  :P


It seems like kids born in 1982, lets say, like myself who are about 18 years older than the 2000 born breed seem to have a much greater cultural divide than lets say kids born in 1964 who are 18 years older than the 1982 born kids. Am I the only one that sees this?

What I mean is that the 18 years difference between me and someone born in 1964-1966 doesn't seem all that huge of a gap because we still kinda/sorta experienced similiar stuff in similar times. We saw sort of the same evolution of technology. But, for me to eventually relate to a kid born in 2000 would feel almost futuristic in a way. I'd feel like they'd have NO clue as to what I've lived through prior to the time they were born because culture made such a sudden shift. Plus, to also factor in the idea that their first formative years won't even become all that clear up until about this year (2006) or maybe very possibly, a little earlier.

So, Donnie, you may have the upper hand here, because even though you were born out of the Gen X gap, and just slightly going into the Gen Z, you still can relate just ever so slightly with us 60's, 70's and 80's born folk. At least you can remember a fairly decent amount of the last decade.

I think the biggest generation gap, though, in terms of values, was between people born in the 1930s and people born in the 1950s-it's almost unimaginable. The boomers were the first generation to grow up with gratuitous premarital sex, drugs, out-of-wedlock birth as somewhat acceptable, and an at least marginally accepted gay community. The generation before, almost all of this would've been unimaginable. Like, I don't think our values have really changed that much...it's more technological and economical.

It seems like kids born in 1982, lets say, like myself who are about 18 years older than the 2000 born breed seem to have a much greater cultural divide than lets say kids born in 1964 who are 18 years older than the 1982 born kids. Am I the only one that sees this?

What I mean is that the 18 years difference between me and someone born in 1964-1966 doesn't seem all that huge of a gap because we still kinda/sorta experienced similiar stuff in similar times. We saw sort of the same evolution of technology. But, for me to eventually relate to a kid born in 2000 would feel almost futuristic in a way. I'd feel like they'd have NO clue as to what I've lived through prior to the time they were born because culture made such a sudden shift. Plus, to also factor in the idea that their first formative years won't even become all that clear up until about this year (2006) or maybe very possibly, a little earlier.

So, Donnie, you may have the upper hand here, because even though you were born out of the Gen X gap, and just slightly going into the Gen Z, you still can relate just ever so slightly with us 60's, 70's and 80's born folk. At least you can remember a fairly decent amount of the last decade.


I'd agree for the most part.

However, I think a 1990er is closer to a person born in 1970 in their view on the world than a 2000er.  Those kids born in 2000 would have DVDs, iPods, fancy cellphones, etc and would, like you said not even have a clue.  Even somebody born as late as 1994 could at least remember VHS tapes, even if that was about it.  Someone born after 1995 or 1996 couldn't relate at all.  At least I can clearly remember back to around 1996 or '97, when there were no DVDS, a lot less Internet/cellphones, less satellite TV and even cable, etc. Like I've said, the difference between a Yer and a Zer is that a Yer will know the cassette medium first-hand, the Z will not exept maybe as leftovers.

I've never anyone born after about 1968 or 1969 as a "parental figure" either, more just as an "older cousin".  Yeah they would grow up before hi technology, but I think that people born up to 1993 or so are just barely old enough to know the significance of the digital revolution, even if it began to take off when they were born.

Even though those 2000 kids are only 10 years younger than me, I have to agree on them seeming very young to me.  They would have had their "little kid years" right now, which is kind of odd to me.  Now today doesn't quite seem "futuristic" to me, but of course that's because I'm only 16 and didn't really experience a truly pre-informational society, even if the mid-to-late '90s were a lot less so than now, if that makes sense.

See, I'm about three years older than you, but we seem to rememebr about the same stuff. I also remember when our first Blockbuster came to town. That was like a big deal because videos were still a rather new technology and so to have such a big rental store that had a TON of stuff to select from seemed like the biggest thing for a young kid. I even remember when they had VCR's for rent - these HUGE clunky things with VCR's in them for people to rent. That's when VCR's were still expensive. High tech for people in the mid to late 80's.


Oh man, I forgot about VCR rentals. LMAO. They came in these huge, plastic briefcase-looking containers and a lot of people, inclluding my own family, actually rented them. Now that I think about it, we didn't get a VCR until probably 1991. They were really expensive, and though I didn;t know it at the time, we didn't have a lot of money. We weren't poor, but the Lake George area in NY is a tourist spot, so in the winter (off-season) work and money was thinner. My parents had to make sure they saved as much as they could during the spring, summer, and fall so that we would have everything we needed during the winter. That didn't leave a whole lot to keep up with the latest equipment like VCR's and CD players (and we didn't even consider buying a computer, it was like totally not even an idea or question).

The first CD player we had in our house was maybe like 1992, when my sister bought one with money she had saved from babysitting. And even then, it was her CD player, and the rest of us listened to either the radio or tapes. I got my first CD player in '94 with money my mom sent me for Christmas. I remember she sent me $300 which to me was like a fortune! When my dad and stepmom asked me what I wanted to buy I said a CD player. So they went out and got me a CD boombox from Sears with the extended warranty and everything, and it must have cost about $200. And then I bought a few CD's like Ace of Base, Tim McGraw, etc... That CD player lasted me until about 1997. We had to replace it once, but since we had a warranty it was at no charge.

The few cassettes I had before then were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze soundtrack, Kriss Kross, Wee Sing Bible Songs, and a bunch I had my sister recorded off the radio. But I really wasn't into music very much. Just Robin Hood, swords, bows and arrows, etc... that was my thing. Oh, and ninjas. I loved ninjas.

And for fun I mostly rode my bike around the neighbourhood all day, or went playing and exploring in the woods. If it rained I stayed in my room and made up games. If I was in Texas with my cousins, we would make up these elaborate role-playing games (vampires, body snatchers, mafia), or put on plays for our moms and dads. Sometimes my older cousin, Gerald who was three years older than me, would read us scary stories from those books they used to have (like, Scary Stories III or whatever). Much of the time we watched movies (which was so cool because we had no restrictions on ratings when we were with Gerald). My uncle had one of those gargantuan satellite dishes, the ones that were like huge investments, so we got all the channels you could possibly think of from all over the continent. This was way before the 18" dishes people have today. This thing was huge, and you could move it with the remote one way to pick up channels from California, and you could move it another way to get channels from NY, and so on.

I'm rambling. I could go on and on.

Oh man, I forgot about VCR rentals. LMAO. They came in these huge, plastic briefcase-looking containers and a lot of people, inclluding my own family, actually rented them. Now that I think about it, we didn't get a VCR until probably 1991. They were really expensive, and though I didn;t know it at the time, we didn't have a lot of money. We weren't poor, but the Lake George area in NY is a tourist spot, so in the winter (off-season) work and money was thinner. My parents had to make sure they saved as much as they could during the spring, summer, and fall so that we would have everything we needed during the winter. That didn't leave a whole lot to keep up with the latest equipment like VCR's and CD players (and we didn't even consider buying a computer, it was like totally not even an idea or question).

The first CD player we had in our house was maybe like 1992, when my sister bought one with money she had saved from babysitting. And even then, it was her CD player, and the rest of us listened to either the radio or tapes. I got my first CD player in '94 with money my mom sent me for Christmas. I remember she sent me $300 which to me was like a fortune! When my dad and stepmom asked me what I wanted to buy I said a CD player. So they went out and got me a CD boombox from Sears with the extended warranty and everything, and it must have cost about $200. And then I bought a few CD's like Ace of Base, Tim McGraw, etc... That CD player lasted me until about 1997. We had to replace it once, but since we had a warranty it was at no charge.

The few cassettes I had before then were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze soundtrack, Kriss Kross, Wee Sing Bible Songs, and a bunch I had my sister recorded off the radio. But I really wasn't into music very much. Just Robin Hood, swords, bows and arrows, etc... that was my thing. Oh, and ninjas. I loved ninjas.

And for fun I mostly rode my bike around the neighbourhood all day, or went playing and exploring in the woods. If it rained I stayed in my room and made up games. If I was in Texas with my cousins, we would make up these elaborate role-playing games (vampires, body snatchers, mafia), or put on plays for our moms and dads. Sometimes my older cousin, Gerald who was three years older than me, would read us scary stories from those books they used to have (like, Scary Stories III or whatever). Much of the time we watched movies (which was so cool because we had no restrictions on ratings when we were with Gerald). My uncle had one of those gargantuan satellite dishes, the ones that were like huge investments, so we got all the channels you could possibly think of from all over the continent. This was way before the 18" dishes people have today. This thing was huge, and you could move it with the remote one way to pick up channels from California, and you could move it another way to get channels from NY, and so on.

I'm rambling. I could go on and on.


Man you're taking me back, even if my experiences are a few years ahead of yours.

When I was a little kid, we would search the streets for bottlecaps and built a fort.  I remember around 1997 we got a VCR for $120.  In '96 or '97 we got our cable back; it was a godsend.  Old Nick was so much better than the Spongebob Channel.  And the Internet was brand new.

They were pretty mudane though, overall, the '90s.

My first console (that was current at the time) was a Playstation (1).  That's kind of 2 1/2 D, if you know what I mean. Would that be a Y system to have as a first?

BTW I've decided Y is 1981-1994, but 1977-1985 can go X or Y, or a bit of both.  1995-2003 is kind of the "Echo Busters", 2004+ is a totally different gen.  "Gen Fat", if you will, although I hate that name.  Sounds gross.  :P



My first console was the SNES but yes I do look at the PS1 as a Gen Y first console whereas I think the PS2, X-box etc. are Gen Z first consoles.

My first console was NES. My favourite game was Super Mario Bros III.

The first one that was totally mine was the Sega Genesis. I got it for Xmas in 1993. I played Mortal Kombat (the original) non stop, and I always pissed off my sister because I would choose Rayden, shoot her over and over again with the lightening, and beat her everytime.

Oh man, I forgot about VCR rentals. LMAO. They came in these huge, plastic briefcase-looking containers and a lot of people, inclluding my own family, actually rented them. Now that I think about it, we didn't get a VCR until probably 1991. They were really expensive, and though I didn;t know it at the time, we didn't have a lot of money. We weren't poor, but the Lake George area in NY is a tourist spot, so in the winter (off-season) work and money was thinner. My parents had to make sure they saved as much as they could during the spring, summer, and fall so that we would have everything we needed during the winter. That didn't leave a whole lot to keep up with the latest equipment like VCR's and CD players (and we didn't even consider buying a computer, it was like totally not even an idea or question).

The first CD player we had in our house was maybe like 1992, when my sister bought one with money she had saved from babysitting. And even then, it was her CD player, and the rest of us listened to either the radio or tapes. I got my first CD player in '94 with money my mom sent me for Christmas. I remember she sent me $300 which to me was like a fortune! When my dad and stepmom asked me what I wanted to buy I said a CD player. So they went out and got me a CD boombox from Sears with the extended warranty and everything, and it must have cost about $200. And then I bought a few CD's like Ace of Base, Tim McGraw, etc... That CD player lasted me until about 1997. We had to replace it once, but since we had a warranty it was at no charge.

The few cassettes I had before then were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze soundtrack, Kriss Kross, Wee Sing Bible Songs, and a bunch I had my sister recorded off the radio. But I really wasn't into music very much. Just Robin Hood, swords, bows and arrows, etc... that was my thing. Oh, and ninjas. I loved ninjas.

And for fun I mostly rode my bike around the neighbourhood all day, or went playing and exploring in the woods. If it rained I stayed in my room and made up games. If I was in Texas with my cousins, we would make up these elaborate role-playing games (vampires, body snatchers, mafia), or put on plays for our moms and dads. Sometimes my older cousin, Gerald who was three years older than me, would read us scary stories from those books they used to have (like, Scary Stories III or whatever). Much of the time we watched movies (which was so cool because we had no restrictions on ratings when we were with Gerald). My uncle had one of those gargantuan satellite dishes, the ones that were like huge investments, so we got all the channels you could possibly think of from all over the continent. This was way before the 18" dishes people have today. This thing was huge, and you could move it with the remote one way to pick up channels from California, and you could move it another way to get channels from NY, and so on.

I'm rambling. I could go on and on.


I must admit we came pretty close to renting a VCR when ours was on the outs a few times. It looked very tempting, lol. But, hey, it must've been nice for those who didn't own one because I surely saw the value in owning one. I knew as a kid this was something we had to take special care of because they weren't cheap at the time (kinda like how people took care of their vinyl records in a careful way - even though they weren't THAT expensive).

Funny thing is, I got my first CD player in 1992 and I was the first in the house to actually own one. I got it as a birthday gift and I was SO excited. I thought this was literally going to change my life. I hadn't really heard CD's much prior to that, but when I did first hear them, the clarity and the perfection of the sound was astonishing to someone who was used to listening to downgraded analog tapes or vinyl records. Our family never owned a computer until 1999. (and that one was given to us, lol). We had an electronic typewriter. I thought that was also nifty. I tried to do all kinds of stuff, although now that I think about it - typewriters are really a big pain in the a$$. lol.

We use to also make forts. We made a few in our backyard that my mom even took pictures of because they were rather elaborate. Ahh, those were the days.. :0)

Ahh, those were the days.. :0)


... And you knew who you WERE THEN....
Goyles were goyles, and men were men...

;D

My first console was NES. My favourite game was Super Mario Bros III.

The first one that was totally mine was the Sega Genesis. I got it for Xmas in 1993. I played Mortal Kombat (the original) non stop, and I always pissed off my sister because I would choose Rayden, shoot her over and over again with the lightening, and beat her everytime.



I got my SNES a little before my NES and I got a Genesis a year after I got my SNES. Love the Mario trilogy and Mortal Kombat for Genesis was awesome.

I must admit we came pretty close to renting a VCR when ours was on the outs a few times. It looked very tempting, lol. But, hey, it must've been nice for those who didn't own one because I surely saw the value in owning one. I knew as a kid this was something we had to take special care of because they weren't cheap at the time (kinda like how people took care of their vinyl records in a careful way - even though they weren't THAT expensive).

Funny thing is, I got my first CD player in 1992 and I was the first in the house to actually own one. I got it as a birthday gift and I was SO excited. I thought this was literally going to change my life. I hadn't really heard CD's much prior to that, but when I did first hear them, the clarity and the perfection of the sound was astonishing to someone who was used to listening to downgraded analog tapes or vinyl records. Our family never owned a computer until 1999. (and that one was given to us, lol). We had an electronic typewriter. I thought that was also nifty. I tried to do all kinds of stuff, although now that I think about it - typewriters are really a big pain in the a$$. lol.

We use to also make forts. We made a few in our backyard that my mom even took pictures of because they were rather elaborate. Ahh, those were the days.. :0)



Now this is going to sound totally ridiculous, but would you say the times you're talking about (mid '80s-early '90 I guess) are closer to World War II era technology than now?

I mean seriously, an electronic TYPEWRITER being neat?  ;D

It's funny how you're talking largely about the Nineties here too.  I was on the computer back to 1994, maybe even back to 1993, but I guess even in the late '90s it was about equally common not to have one, esp if you were poor.  I don't think many families had laptops or multiple computer before the 2000 mark much either.

P.S. I LOVE making forts!  Snow forts, when we lived in Montana, constructed ones when we were in Concord, good times those were.  Today's kids are "pale kids", staying indoors playing video games.  Sure, I played computer games and NES (it was actually like 1997 when I played Mario, but the neighbors seemed to like it so it couldn't of been that dated then).  I didn't touch a PlayStation until 1998, but I remember lusting over it and the N64 around 1997ish.

My first console was NES. My favourite game was Super Mario Bros III.

The first one that was totally mine was the Sega Genesis. I got it for Xmas in 1993. I played Mortal Kombat (the original) non stop, and I always pissed off my sister because I would choose Rayden, shoot her over and over again with the lightening, and beat her everytime.


My brother got a Sega Genesis in 1990 and we burnt that thing out. I remember it being a big deal because the graphics were 16bit. Then Super Nintendo came out and seemed to edge the Genesis, but I stayed true to my Sega :0) We actually owned the Sega Mastersystem, which I believe came out in 1987 or 1988. It was rather simple, only 8 bit technology, but the games were ingeniously made. They were fun. I still yearn to play them from time to time.

I never played video games. I watched alot of tapes and TV and went to the park alot in the '90s.

I'd like to think I spent equal time playing games as I did outside in the 90's which is ironic cause I hardly ever go outside now ;D

... And you knew who you WERE THEN....
Goyles were goyles, and men were men...

;D



Mister we could sure use a man like Herbert Hoover again.....

Yeah, I definitely fit into that category.  I was born in 1982, so I was too young for Gen X and too old for Gen Y.  It's good to know I finally have a place!


Same here... I'm definitely too old for Y and too young for X, so I've never really felt like I belonged in either category.

1978 - 1983 sounds like the perfect definition for the XY Cusp, a bit too young for one generation but too old for the other.

1978 - 1983 sounds like the perfect definition for the XY Cusp, a bit too young for one generation but too old for the other.



I think '78-'83 is probably about right. 1978 just seems way too early to be a part of Gen Y. I mean they would have been 22 years old in 2000 when Gen Y culture really took off and would have been 13 in 1991 when grunge and Gen X culture really hit its peak. I'm defidently Y(born in '87) but sometimes I feel like im on the cusp since I just dont fit into X or Y. But since I was only 4 in '91 I dont consider myself to be a cusper.

I'm 1990-born, so I think 99% of people would consider me Y.  The other 1% is people who are arrogant enough to think early '90s kids don't count as Y and are Z.

Reconsidering that I think I am on the cusp. The definition is relatively correct, but I say the XY cusp is for those born from 1975-1981. Those born in 1974 are definitely Generation X while those born in 1982 are definitely Generation Y.

Reconsidering that I think I am on the cusp. The definition is relatively correct, but I say the XY cusp is for those born from 1975-1981. Those born in 1974 are definitely Generation X while those born in 1982 are definitely Generation Y.


I'm not so sure.  I think in depends on how lucid your late '80s and early '90s are, and if you were active pop culturally then, and also on how at home you feel in the '00s.  1982 could be X I think, but it's more on the Y side.  1976-1985 really have the luxury of choice.

I'm not so sure.  I think in depends on how lucid your late '80s and early '90s are, and if you were active pop culturally then, and also on how at home you feel in the '00s.  1982 could be X I think, but it's more on the Y side.  1976-1985 really have the luxury of choice.



I'm not so sure.  I think in depends on how lucid your late '80s and early '90s are, and if you were active pop culturally then, and also on how at home you feel in the '00s.  1982 could be X I think, but it's more on the Y side.  1976-1985 really have the luxury of choice.


Being born in 1976, I would never associate with being in Gen. Y or in the cusp b/c I'm not nor is anyone born in 1975.

I'm 1990-born, so I think 99% of people would consider me Y.  The other 1% is people who are arrogant enough to think early '90s kids don't count as Y and are Z.



Yeah your defidently Y. Gen Z didnt start until at least 7 years after you were born.

I'm a reluctant peak Gen Yer/"anti-Yer" (that's a term I like), but I really don't have anything to do with my generation, for the most part. I hang out with other people like me, who don't think the biggest change that could happen in the world that seems acceptable is a new edition of the iPod.

I'm a reluctant peak Gen Yer/"anti-Yer" (that's a term I like), but I really don't have anything to do with my generation, for the most part. I hang out with other people like me, who don't think the biggest change that could happen in the world that seems acceptable is a new edition of the iPod.


You're a wise kid. Seem a bit like myself when I was your age.

You're a wise kid. Seem a bit like myself when I was your age.


Thanks! I try...I hope other "anti-Ys" like myself will influence Generation Z in the 2010s, like alot of "anti-Boomers" like Michael Stipe, Thurston Moore, Douglas Coupland influenced Generation X.

Thanks! I try...I hope other "anti-Ys" like myself will influence Generation Z in the 2010s, like alot of "anti-Boomers" like Michael Stipe, Thurston Moore, Douglas Coupland influenced Generation X.


It's really hard to be sort of the anti-anything when you're a teenager. There are so many cliques you're suppose to fall into that even though certain kids think they're being rebels because they're in those cliques, all they are doing is just following the leader of that clique and really don't have their own identity. It's a vicious circle. I was a big Beatles fan when I was 15 (in 1997) and it was hard to really relate to anyone my age at that time who liked the Beatles. I found one friend in North Carolina who had the same kinda obsession as me, but that was about it, lol. I was such a total dweeb, lol.

It's really hard to be sort of the anti-anything when you're a teenager. There are so many cliques you're suppose to fall into that even though certain kids think they're being rebels because they're in those cliques, all they are doing is just following the leader of that clique and really don't have their own identity. It's a vicious circle. I was a big Beatles fan when I was 15 (in 1997) and it was hard to really relate to anyone my age at that time who liked the Beatles. I found one friend in North Carolina who had the same kinda obsession as me, but that was about it, lol. I was such a total dweeb, lol.


I can beat that - I liked 'em at age 5 in 1986/87. :D

Seriously though, I did grow up with alot of 60s music in the 80s, so in a way I see that as the stuff of my "childhood" too - even if it was already fifteen-twenty years old at the time.

I hear what you're saying on the initial point though. There were times in the past (and even today in a lesser extent) where I tried to be "cool" to fit a certain group, etc -- that's only natural since I try to be nice/cool with everybody. So I understand how if you're a 12, 14 or 15 year old, this can happen.

However, I think the key is to never lose sight of who you really are or what you believe in. That's how I've always done it. In other words, I might accentuate little shades of my personality when I'm around certain people, and different parts when I'm around others, but I'm still "me".

To use a musical comparison, in 1984 Rod Stewart sounded "80s", but it wasn't like he became Duran Duran - he just used elements of that sound into his signature style. Ya know? :)

I can beat that - I liked 'em at age 5 in 1986/87. :D

Seriously though, I did grow up with alot of 60s music in the 80s, so in a way I see that as the stuff of my "childhood" too - even if it was already fifteen-twenty years old at the time.

I hear what you're saying on the initial point though. There were times in the past (and even today in a lesser extent) where I tried to be "cool" to fit a certain group, etc -- that's only natural since I try to be nice/cool with everybody. So I understand how if you're a 12, 14 or 15 year old, this can happen.

However, I think the key is to never lose sight of who you really are or what you believe in. That's how I've always done it. In other words, I might accentuate little shades of my personality when I'm around certain people, and different parts when I'm around others, but I'm still "me".

To use a musical comparison, in 1984 Rod Stewart sounded "80s", but it wasn't like he became Duran Duran - he just used elements of that sound into his signature style. Ya know? :)


Yeah, I agree 100% *as usual*  ;)

One thing that you really related well is that you usually use parts of yourself to accommodate certain crowds. I mean, if I'm around my friends who act more teen-like, then I'll kinda cut up like them - but I still hold firm to my beliefs on certain things, but I can be agreeable to a point. Since most of my friends found what I liked nearly the opposite of what they liked, I still tried to be accepting of what they liked so I wouldn't be a total outcast (even if it bored me to tears at times).

Yeah, Rod Stewart is just one of many 60's or 70's artists who managed to go "80's" and still keep themselves in tact. Another good example are Hall & Oates. They really embraced the 80's sound without really losing themselves in the process.

I sort of am an anti-everything right now, I take my friends from different groups of people-the fake bohemians, the metalheads, etc. It's pretty hard to be that kind of person, I guess...I listen to Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, The Smiths, Sonic Youth, The Talking Heads, The B-52s, PJ Harvey, The Pixies, Madonna, Tori Amos, and disco, there's not alot of consistency to my musical tastes. When I was in 8th grade c. 2003-2004, I was friends with these fake middle school hipsters and grew my hair long, stopped wearing flannel shirts and Vans and bought Pumas and '70s jackets, and tried to like emo and indie and Bright Eyes. I wasn't a big fan of the whole thing really and ever since then I haven't tried to fit in with that or even like new music that much. In my school we basically have the "ethnic people" (my school is about 10% minority, probably), the non-stylish jocks, the preppies, the hipsters, the band/theater geeks and nerds, the stoners, and some smaller groups like metalheads and soccer jocks. I'm not a big fan of any of these groups in their entirety, so I'm pretty much on the fringe of the band/theater geeks and nerds, if you had to classify me, but I'm not really part of them either-I live in a small town and our school is much too small to have true cliques.

Yeah, I agree 100% *as usual*  ;)

One thing that you really related well is that you usually use parts of yourself to accommodate certain crowds. I mean, if I'm around my friends who act more teen-like, then I'll kinda cut up like them - but I still hold firm to my beliefs on certain things, but I can be agreeable to a point. Since most of my friends found what I liked nearly the opposite of what they liked, I still tried to be accepting of what they liked so I wouldn't be a total outcast (even if it bored me to tears at times).

Yeah, Rod Stewart is just one of many 60's or 70's artists who managed to go "80's" and still keep themselves in tact. Another good example are Hall & Oates. They really embraced the 80's sound without really losing themselves in the process.


:)

Yeah, even though H&O are mainly an 80s band, they really got their start with soul/R&B in the 70s. Lionel Richie (another fave of mine) ZZ Top, and Paul McCartney are more veteran artists who seemed to do it just right.

I think the ones that went "WAY 80s" are the songs that actually get laughed at now (i.e. Starship with "We Built this City", Steve Miller with "Abracadabra", etc).


Anyway, I've found that as long as the next person is friendly/cool towards me, I can pretty much always get along with them and find something to relate to them on. It's almost automatic for me to act a certain way around someone. In other words, I couldn't be like a surfer dude towards a conservative looking businessman, and I would tend to act more "cool" around a 19 year old dude with a mohawk, LOL.

Even though both times I'm still being me.

The difficulty at times, can be pleasing different types of people at once (I still find it odd that I'm good at one on one conversations, and usually with performances/public speaking, but the "middle ground" of parties and cliques I tend to freeze with terror in!). ;D

When I was in high school I hung out with a group of 3 other people who basically just goofed off and got picked on mostly because none of us really felt like we belonged anywhere. Now I still dont. I dont dress a certain way and even though I mostly listen to rock, I pretty much like every rock song that has come out since 1964 so I dont even fit into a catagory there either. I would not necesarily consider myself to be anti-Y there are some cool people in Gen Y(like the ones here on this site :)) I would just consider myself to be anti-Gen Y culture.

Yeah, I'm certainly not against all Gen Y people, I'm just largely against Gen Y culture. Sorry if I came off as too misanthropic  :). You people on this board are cool!

Yeah, I'm certainly not against all Gen Y people, I'm just largely against Gen Y culture. Sorry if I came off as too misanthropic  :). You people on this board are cool!


Of course  :)

Not that there's anything wrong with being misanthropic.  People suck!  ;)

Misanthropy is the new black.  ;)

Yeah, I'm certainly not against all Gen Y people, I'm just largely against Gen Y culture. Sorry if I came off as too misanthropic  :). You people on this board are cool!



Naw I didnt think you meant all Gen Y people. There are some cool Gen Y people out there you just dont here much from them.

Naw I didnt think you meant all Gen Y people. There are some cool Gen Y people out there you just dont here much from them.


I'm not sure if I'm cool, but I'm sort of part of a "scene" myself.  Actually, I'm inventing my own scene ... the Possescene.  Anyone want to join?  ;)

I'm not sure if I'm cool, but I'm sort of part of a "scene" myself.  Actually, I'm inventing my own scene ... the Possescene.  Anyone want to join?  ;)


If I weren't so anti-scene, I would definitely consider it! ;)

If I weren't so anti-scene, I would definitely consider it! ;)


;D

By 2010, the Posse will rule the world!

Grunge loving, 90's progressive hip-hop loving Generation Xer, all the way, who was born in 1975.

Gen Xer here.  I was born in 1976.  My brother is one too, he was born in 1977.

I was born in 1979 so I am part of this generation.