Xennials 1977-1983: A Home for an Orphaned Generation

Australian sociology professor Dan Woodman has made headlines recently with the claim that there is a definitive generation between GenX and Millennials. Woodward has coined the term "Xennials" to refer to the micro generation born between the years of 1977 - 1983, and many of us born within that timeframe are welcoming the distinction with open arms.

Xennials were born into a divided world: a fractious Cold War wherein the perceived simplicity of our childhoods was splintered by a technological revolution. We grew up trying to learn religious verses and code at the same time. One foot in the emotional, one foot in the digital. Our naive years were quietly crushed and neatly bookended by the Challenger explosion and 9/11. We became adults defined by paradox, able and willing to be the social chameleons our society needed while never asking for and perhaps not even realizing that we did not have a hearth to rest our own costumed souls by at the day's end.

While Xennials can connect quite easily with both GenX and Millennials, the GenX label has always been ill-fitting for us and it is laughably obvious that we are not Millennials. We have become human bridges, the people that Baby Boomers and GenXers rely upon to connect them with Millennials in the workplace.

So what makes a Xennial? Xennials are above all complex and independent thinkers, so we will never be able to agree upon a nice, neat definition of ourselves, but here are some characteristics you can expect from a Xennial:

Our Work Ethic

Many of us entered the work force facing a stagnant economy at a time when college degrees continued to guarantee less and less. We believe in working hard, both for ourselves and for others. Sixteen hours every day working on your own startup doesn't count. Helping others achieve their dreams is something that can be immensely fulfilling for us.

Our Word

Promises are not made lightly. We believe that our word is who we are. If we tell you we will do something, we'll nearly kill ourselves to do that thing.

Our Respect

Has to be unequivocally earned. No automatic passes. Everyone will be tested equally: authority, peers, elders, celebrities, friends, family.

Our Loyalty

Is given to a very small, very select group. But once you have it, we will go to our deathbeds for you.

Our Past

We partied. Hard. We know the secret places to get the good stuff. We'll only drink once during a game of "Never Have I Ever", but it will be continuously. Don't be fooled by the fact that we don't drink much at the company party. It's just not in anyone's best interests to demonstrate the damage we can do.

Our Ego

We're not really humble, it's just that our confidence is quiet. We know that anyone that needs to loudly voice their own achievements is insecure. It's a weakness that we really can't help thinking that we could do anything better than anyone else, and thus we rarely will ask for help.

Our Outlook

We are not dedicated pessimists, optimists, or realists. We are what we need to be in the moment. We know that things will never remain only good or only bad, so we're excellent at leveling out workplace rollercoasters or crisis management. But we grew up with NASA, so we can dream with the best of them.

Our Work

Our work output and our designs are ones of expression, but not self-expression. That's what art is for.

Our Opinion

Will never be adequately captured by a heart, an emoji, or a "like".

Our Phone Etiquette

We can be guilty of getting sucked into our screens the same as Millennials. But don't even think about burying your map in that iPhone around us during a national anthem, a family dinner, or a wilderness hike.

Our Minds

Remember, we grew up in a blender of playing Atari, cavorting in cornfields, trying to learn MS-DOS, listening to "Come On Eileen", surviving Sunday school, and watching MTV. So please forgive us if it takes us a while to answer your question - we're preparing our answer like a slow-motion Pong return serve, studying the potential effects on the environment and making sure the response command line is correct, weighing our guilty pleasures versus our guilty conscience and setting the whole response to the proper music.

Our Hearts

If you're clever, unique, authentic, and caring, it's yours.

Take the Xennial quiz here:

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/jun/27/are-you-a-xennial-take-the-quiz