In 1991, Canadian writer Douglas Coupland wrote a popular novel titled Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture. Although Coupland later denied that there was any such thing as a “Generation X” the term soon became synonymous with the generation that followed the Baby Boomers.
Generations are too broad and diverse to be constricted by such labels as the Greatest Generation, Baby Boomers, or Generation X. Still, the terms do convey the obvious truth that a group of people born in a specific era will have much in common. If we combine the demographic with another set such as politics, we get a group of people who share a perspective that is shaped by similar forces. For example, demographically I belong to Generation X while politically I am grouped in the category of conservative. I am, you could say, an X-Con.
What then does an X-Con look like? What would it look like if we were to sketch the basic outline of the X-Con mind?
Although this is intended only as a preliminary sketch, I want to try to provide a brief answer to those questions. My hope is that this will be a recognizable portrait and not a mere caricature. Being a composite, it should vaguely resemble all the members of this subset even though it will not look like any particular individual. I have no doubt that I will need to erase some lines, draw in others, and color in the details. But I hope that you'll find this initial effort useful enough that you will aid me in fleshing out this profile.
X-Cons do not have a broad grasp of history. If they have an interest in history, they are likely to have a read a few books for which they hold in high esteem and consider to be authoritative (i.e., Paul Johnson's Modern Times). At best, they may have done in-depth study on a particular historical era (i.e., the American Civil War) but they lack a deep understanding of the general history, much less the intellectual history of conservatism.
Talk radio has had the most profound impact in shaping their political sensibilities. Just as William F. Buckley, Jr. shaped conservatism in the 1950s, Rush Limbaugh shaped the conservatism of X-Cons in the '80s and ‘90s. Limbaugh provided not only the content but the style in which these conservatives would engage in political discourse – assured, confrontational, snarky. Talk radio taught the X-Cons to appreciate confirmation of one's own political views. Arguments needn't be persuasive if you know not only that you are right and your opponent is wrong but also that you are right and they are wrong-headed.
With confirmation came a sense of (virtual) community and a realization that a PhD in Political Science wasn't required in order to express a valid opinion on politics. Imbued with a sense of confidence from a young age, X-Cons grew comfortable expressing themselves—calling into radio shows (or simply talking back to the radio) and later in written forms, such as blogs.
X-Cons tend to be vehemently pro-Israel and warm toward the Jewish people. Oddly, they also have very limited actual knowledge about Jewish culture or modern Israel. Their ideas about the Jewish people are mostly based on what they've read in the Bible or seen in documentaries about the Holocaust.
Having either grown-up in a broken home or had friends who did, X-Cons recognize the value of traditional family structures. They may not always be successful in building permanent relationships themselves, but they value the bonds of family more than the previous generation.
Irony is one of the most pervasive traits in Gen X culture. Not surprisingly, this has affected the outlook of X-Cons. For example, they tend to be ambivalent about heroes. While they have an intuitive understanding of the need for virtue and heroism, they are too realistic and/or sarcastic to put their trust in politicians or statesmen. Instead, they prefer to champion ideas themselves rather than relying on fallible leaders.
In theory, X-Cons have a preference for federalism and state's rights. In actuality, they prefer to focus on the national level rather than on local and state politics.
X-Cons are often apathetic about flag-burning and displays of the Ten Commandments. They also don't remember when prayer was in schools and never paid much attention to the words “under God” in the pledge. Although they express an ironic detachment from the standard symbols of civil religion, they remain fiercely patriotic. Curiously, though they don't get goosebumps upon hearing the Star Spangled Banner, they are often stirred by patriotic kitsch such as Lee Greenwood's “God Bless the USA.”
Unlike previous generations, X-Cons do not associate conservatism with the East Coast preppie-class Republicanism. WFB, Jr. and George Will may still command respect, but they are considered eccentric curiosities rather than the exemplars of conservative intelligentsia. X-Cons associate such elitism with liberalism and consider the GOP, rather than the Democrats, to be the party of the “little guy.”
X-Cons are extremely religious in a “mere Christianity” sort of way. Their political views are shaped by their theology but they are willing to cross theological lines when it comes to political alliances. They tend to be either Catholic-friendly evangelicals or evangelical-influenced Catholics.
They have an ambivalent attitude toward pop culture. They recognize the corrosive impact that race-to-the-bottom media can have on society. Yet they are as likely to be consumers of media as the rest of society. They may rail against the worst of it but they will be intimately familiar with what they are criticizing.
X-Cons consider it axiomatic that that “mainstream media” has a liberal bias and that it must be subverted rather than reformed.
On matters of economics, X-Cons believe they stand on an indubitable foundation. They grew up in an era when socialism and communism where discredited as economic models, leading them to believe that free-market capitalism is not just preferred but the only route to freedom and prosperity. X-Cons believe that if liberals would only take a class on economics they would see the light and repent of their collectivist ways.
Like others from their generation, X-Cons are not “joiners” in the typical sense. They are often more motivated to align in opposition than join in agreement. X-Cons vote for Republicans not because they agree with the GOP's platform (a document they've never read) but because they have a deep disdain for the views of Democrats.
X-Cons are often “Goldwater conservatives”, holding views that are more individualistic than historical conservatism. They also tend to be "cafeteria libertarians", picking and choosing certain areas without fully embracing the libertarian ideology. They may, for example, be in favor of the decriminalization of marijuana while opposing the legalization of prostitution.
X-Cons are pragmatic idealists. They have strong faith in religion, small government, and the free market. Yet they are not Utopian and have no illusions that politics will make life much better (though they believe government can make it much worse).
Addendum: How do today's conservative thinkers match up to the previous generations? Here's my take:
- Jonah Goldberg is our generation's William F. Buckley, Jr.
- Ramesh Ponnuru is our generation's Russell Kirk
- Andrew Sullivan is our generation's Michael Oakeshott
Any others I should add to the list?
Hi. I enjoyed your post, Thr Conservative Mind of Generation X. After reading your post I realized that I, too, am an "X-Con."
And it appears we have one other thing in common: we both like J.P. Moreland (or at least I assume you do since you posted one of his articles). To be honest, I haven't read too much of his stuff. I've gotten to know him a little over the past couple of years since he began attending the church I attend (Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Anaheim, CA).
Anyways, I'm glad that I've become acquainted with your blog. I've bookmarked it for future reading. Keep up the good work!
Larry
Hello Joe,
Wow! You have bared my inner self this morning like I have suspected, but never seen. Spot on!
I thank you and praise God for the gifts of intellect He has given you. I was saved about four years ago in jail, and since have been radically transformed in Christ from a militant liberal drug abusing closet bisexual to a broken and humble man of God daily grateful for the salvation I could never earn.
You have painted more than a rough of the x-con generation. I believe you have given us structure, dimension, line and color as a people group, depicting us as neither negative nor positive but as we are.
Thank you for bringing to light so many things about myself that I did not until now realize. This post has helped me understand why I passionately argue conservative ideals and Christian values, yet am able to get a laugh out of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report!
May He richly bless you and yours! Mike Z.
I read the teaser for the post going, "Okay, how much of this applies to me?" And I'm surprised that pretty much all of it does, though I admit to smarting a bit that we seem so unlearned. But yeah-- every single point right down the line I agree with. Thanks for this excellent distillation!
If X-Cons do not associate conservatism with the East Coast preppie-class Republicanism, they don't associate President Bush with Republicanism. He is a member of the moneyed, East Coast establishment. The texas stuff is not real, it's just an act to make him seem like an everyday normal guy. The truth is his base is "the have..and the have mores..."
X-Con's have Rush Limbaugh as their primary influence? Wow.
X-Cons are extremely religious in a “mere Christianity” sort of way. Their political views are shaped by their theology but they are willing to cross theological lines when it comes to political alliances. They tend to be either Catholic-friendly evangelicals or evangelical-influenced Catholics.
Gen X as a cohort tends to be less religious than Boomers or pre-Boomers. About 12% claim no religious affiliation, compared to 5% for Boomers. I'm sure that there are at least marginally more secular X-cons than there are secular Boomer cons, though the secular X-cons tend toward the libertarian end of the spectrum. The growth of the non-religious demographic in the US will increasingly become an important political story in this century. Post gen-x'ers are even less religious than Gen-X'ers, with around 18% claiming no religious affiliation. The conventional wisdom is that this will favor liberals and democrats, but I think that the knee-jerk association of seculars with liberals will break down as the century progresses.
I think that while there maybe a higher percentage of non-religious people in GE-X, the Gen-Xers who are religious tend to be more devout. I think we are seeing a shift in this nation from a population that identified itself as christian only on the basis of tradition and the sense that being an American meant being vaugely religious in the "under God", "in God we Trust", and go to church on Easter and Christmas kind of way.
This seems to be borne out by studies that show the members of the generation following gen-x and the 9/11 generation that are religious are very serious abou it.
Is a Gen-X Conservative someone "too young to remember the Vietnam War, but old enough to remember the Cambodian Holocaust"?
I am right on the GenX/Y border depending how you classify it. I consider myself GenX since I have trouble relating to the Gen Y crowd. I think religion is much lower and I think your history comment is off. Gen Xers, especially X-cons are much more likely to be informed about all the historical events that boomers and the greatest generation forget like the 1953 Iranian Coup. I do agree that most X-cons could care less about Conservative thinkers of the past, myself included, because while nice to know about, our ideology is more related to current events and the facts on the ground. This is primarily due to the internet and the internet is creating a intellectual divide between those who learn from the tube and those who learn by reading, and the results are very easy to see.
I do think that Rush Limbaugh is a big influence, but not like most people think. I grew up listening to talk radio. I think that Rush's preaching of Conservative dogma in the 90s was very important and beneficial, but the Bush years have shown most X-cons that pundits should not be trusted and Rush basically acknowledged it in his famous "water carrier" monologue. X-cons to me love raw data, we know we cannot trust both Talk Radio and the MSM, and that even decent pundits seem to be operating on strong partisan premises, and while they should not be discounted, their bias is taken into account.
People wonder why so many young X-cons are supporting Ron Paul. Just think of what a person who started getting interested in politics in the early nineties has seen:
Gulf War I, followed by:
April Glaspie news
Gulf War Syndrome and government denial of its existence
1/3 of Gulf War Vets are on disability
George HW Bush:
Ruby Ridge
Election of Clinton:
Waco
coverup of both Waco and Ruby Ridge
OKC and aftermath:
Clinton attempt to loosen wiretapping regulations
FBI Infiltration of 2nd Amendment groups
Clinton Presidency:
Monica Lewinsky
Various Clinton Scandals
WTC Bombing
Somalia
Bosnia
Conservatives call for no nation building and no policing of the world
Republicans take Congress on a small government platform
Dot com bubble
2000:
McCain smearing in South Carolina
2000 Election
Bush v Gore
Bush Admin:
Government expansion
NCLC
Warrantless Wiretapping (list is not in chronological order except for this and 9/11)
9/11
Prescription Drug Benefit
PATRIOT ACT (Clinton's bill on steroids)
Federal Law Enforcement Expansion (See Waco)
Kelo
Afghanistan
Iraq War and aftermath(including analysis of run up to war)
Potential Iran War
X-cons should not trust either party, forget about discussions of history if you cannot even remeber recent history. The government is corrupt and so are both parties. To expect Conservatism from a establishment backed Republican is like expecting fidelity from Clinton.
As an X-Con myself, I have to say: "Dead on!"
Actually, it was kind of creepy - how did you know so much about me? =)
Jonah Goldberg our WFB?? What a pathetic replacement...
I don't know that I identify w/most of your statements, perhaps just many, particularly the Goldwater bit. Less so on the more "reactionary" descriptors. But an interesting read nonetheless.
Jonah Goldberg is our generation's William F. Buckley, Jr.
cough choke oh dear
Joe:
Was it just coincidence that you wrote this on the day the first baby boomer applied for social security?
Really, it's true. http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN1538350920071015?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews
I am an X-Con. I was born in 1975, when the Vietnam War ended. I do not remember the Carter administration, but I remember TV images of military helicopters flying over Afghanistan when I was young. (I probably remember it because the word "Afghanistan" sounded so exotic to me. I am a writer.) I remember Beirut. I remember the savings and loan scandals. I remember Congress interrogating Oliver North. (It irritated me that so much good television was preempted by that bloviage!)
The home I consider my childhood home had no AC and no cable television available in my neighborhood until shortly before we moved. My first computer was an Apple IIe. It was amazing to have a 400 baud internal modem! My first video gamedeck was an Atari 5200.
I did not understand racism. I am white. My neighborhood was maybe 50/50 white and black. Two of my best friends were black. Now I understand that just saying "Some of my best friends are black" is what the white man uses to deny his racist attitudes. I did not know what racism was until my family moved to a mostly white neighborhood and I learned the term from the TV show "Different Strokes". (What was racism? I thought. Something to do with racing?)
I remember "The Day After" and "Aftermath" and "Testament". I remember "Red Dawn". Neighborhood kids were preparing for World War III. We were scheming ways to fight Russians and survive in the woods if there were a nuclear war or if America were occupied by Reds.
As I got older, I thought the Soviet Union had merit. I was a Communist. I was a socialist. I was a utopian. I was an anarchist. I remember the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union. A teacher discussed what the left-right political spectrum meant. When my class was asked what they were, some said conservative and liberal and whatever. I was the only hard-line leftie radical.
I converted after quasi-expulsion from school. I listened to Rush Limbaugh. I wanted Ross Perot to win until I heard him complain one too many times that he was not told how to prepare, so he did not have his charts.
I stopped listening to Rush Limbaugh. Too much Clinton bad, Republicans good. There had to be more to it than that. I started listening to him again after a few years, but let's face it. He and Sean Hannity are shills for Republicans. Glenn Beck is the funniest. Michael Savage is the hardest hitting.
I want lower taxes, a stronger military, a better war strategy, lesser involvement in foreign affairs, better overseas intelligence, streamlined immigration laws, a secure border. I want no government involvement in matters of religion. I want politicians who are believers and speak the Biblical truth in Biblical love.
"The Star-Spangled Banner" does little for me. "God Bless the USA" is tolerable kitsch. "God Bless America" should be the new national anthem.
I do not know much about history. I believe our Founding Fathers were men mightily used by God. They were also very, very flawed men. The Civil War was largely about slavery. Now we are all sharecroppers on the federal, state, and local plantations, working as much or more than a third of the year just to pay our taxes. The federal government should protect the individual from the state government. The state government should protect the individual from the federal government. Every individual should protect himself or herself and everyone else from every other individual.
Limbaugh provided not only the content but the style in which these conservatives would engage in political discourse – assured, confrontational, snarky.
You forgot "hopped up on pain killers" and "full of baloney." :)
Curiously, though they don't get goosebumps upon hearing the Star Spangled Banner, they are often stirred by patriotic kitsch such as Lee Greenwood's “God Bless the USA.”
Ahahahaha! Bravo! It's good that you've kept a sense of humor about yourself, at least in that regard.
X-Cons believe that if liberals would only take a class on economics they would see the light and repent of their collectivist ways.
And liberals believe that if X-Cons were to take a second class in economics, say anything beyond Econ 150, they would understand why what they learned in Econ 101 doesn't scale. :)
[Disclaimer: I paid almost no attention in Econ 101 and took nothing beyond it, so there's more than a little pot-meet-kettle going on. :) ]
I used to listen to Rush back when Clinton-42 was in office. Back then he would make fun of politicians for believing they could run people's lives better than they could themselves.
Ahh. Those were the days. The pre-water-carrying days.
If I follow your description of an X-Con correctly, I'm definitely not an X-Con.... of course, I wouldn't have really identified as a Conservative anyway. I'm more a moderate.
I have a wider sense of history than just U.S. history.
The most profound impact upon my political sensibilities came from watching the politicians in action (at all levels). Talk radio was as boring as watching paint dry.
I am not apathetic about flag burning.
I think the Star Spangled Banner is a wonderfully apropos anthem.
I am proudly unaffiliated with either Republican or Democratic party, voting split ticket all my adult life.
I'm not ambivalent about heroes, but don't tend to view Media personalities, Sport personalities, or even Political personalities as heroes. I know one when I see one... like the firefighters that were trying to save all the people at the top of the WTC on 9/11.
I'm young enough to remember the day Kennedy was assasinated, and that I lived just a handful of miles away from the spot.
Joe - great job.
I would take issue with the Lee Greenwood part. Both his song and earlier "kitsch" ("God Bless America") are generic enough to be applied to many different countries with some minor edits.
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is distinctly American, is the long appropriate choice for a National Anthem, and does move me. Admittedly, that may have to do with spending some of my formative years a short distance from the site where it was written.
Other than that - fantastic job. I'm proud to be an X-Con.
"long" should be "lone"
I'm too young to be an X-Con, so perhaps I can provide a little contrast between them and the younger set (whatever one chooses to call us). While I won't pretend that my experiences are paradigmatic, maybe others can draw something out of them.
I was born in 1984. My earliest clear political memories are of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the exciting spectacle of the first Gulf War. I have lived my entire life in the "Sole Superpower" era of international relations.
I've also lived only in the era of rampant governmental incompetence and the Washington media circus, from Clarence Thomas' confirmation hearings to the Monica Lewinski impeachment lunacy. I've learned that both parties play the same stupid games that hurt all of us. I'm against federal expansion because it looks like just one big corruption-fest to me.
I have never listened to conservative talk radio. I'm primarily influenced by the internet and (I'm sure this is fairly rare) good old books.
In high school and early college, I considered myself a socialist, mainly to feel like I was different and had serious political opinions. Though I moved into traditional conservatism in college (at a conservative Evangelical school), I've retained the tendency to assume that any "mainstream" political position is most likely stupid. "Politician" is an insult in my vocabulary. I'm highly pessimistic about the course of our society, in nearly every area.
I have a great regard for history. I am conservative mainly because I find its intellectual foundations compelling. My intellectual heroes are Wendell Berry, Edmund Burke, and Russell Kirk, and I'm grateful to Rod Dreher for introducing me to the latter two. I don't consider myself a "moderate," even though I hold what may seem to be "liberal" positions on some issues, like environmental conservation. Rather, I see these as the truly conservative stances, which have been abandoned by Republican-style pseudo-conservatives.
X-Cons are often apathetic about flag-burning and displays of the Ten Commandments. They also don't remember when prayer was in schools
I'm a Canadian and I'm an asian x-con. Some people thought I was some sort of a novelty because I was an asian x-con. At times, I did feel like I was alone as an asian x-con but soon found others like myself. In fact, there are more asians discovering that they are also x-cons themselves but didn't know it before.
After university, I finally realized that prayer, bible reading and O Canada were removed from grade 2 public school. It was such a gradual removal that I didn't notice. If I was born 2 years earlier, I never would have had the faintest idea that these things were once a part of Canadian public schools.
I also listened to Rush Limbaugh, Michael Reagan, etc and talk radio. I have a disdain for extreme leftist socialism but I do recognize the value that liberals have added to the public political conversation. Oh O. Does that make me an untrue x-con? No, I'm still an x-con but still see the value of Martin Luther King Jr. type of liberalism. Blind right-wing conservatism scares me. I still support the rights of the oppressed and do not consider myself a far-right conservative but would definitely vote conservative but I don't consider myself a moderate. I'd sooner die than vote liberal. I definitely consider myself a conservative but I'm not your typical WASPy type of conservative b/c I have experienced racism (believe it or not since I am asian or a visible minority as some like to call it).
... and I'm not as big of a fan of "Star Spangled Banner" but I love "God Bless America". I wish we had an equivalent of it in Canada. Some Canadians would burn me alive for saying that. God bless America!!!
X-Cons are often apathetic about flag-burning and displays of the Ten Commandments. They also don't remember when prayer was in schools
I'm a Canadian and I'm an asian x-con. Some people thought I was some sort of a novelty because I was an asian x-con. At times, I did feel like I was alone as an asian x-con but soon found others like myself. In fact, there are more asians discovering that they are also x-cons themselves but didn't know it before.
After university, I finally realized that prayer, bible reading and O Canada were removed from grade 2 public school. It was such a gradual removal that I didn't notice. If I was born 2 years earlier, I never would have had the faintest idea that these things were once a part of Canadian public schools.
I also listened to Rush Limbaugh, Michael Reagan, etc and talk radio. I have a disdain for extreme leftist socialism but I do recognize the value that liberals have added to the public political conversation. Oh O. Does that make me an untrue x-con? No, I'm still an x-con but still see the value of Martin Luther King Jr. type of liberalism. Blind right-wing conservatism scares me. I still support the rights of the oppressed and do not consider myself a far-right conservative but would definitely vote conservative but I don't consider myself a moderate. I'd sooner die than vote liberal. I definitely consider myself a conservative but I'm not your typical WASPy type of conservative b/c I have experienced racism (believe it or not since I am asian or a visible minority as some like to call it).
... and I'm not as big of a fan of "Star Spangled Banner" but I love "God Bless America". I wish we had an equivalent of it in Canada. Some Canadians would burn me alive for saying that. God bless America!!!
Justin:
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is distinctly American, is the [lone] appropriate choice for a National Anthem, and does move me.
The Star-Spangled Banner is many things, but it is not "distinctly American." The tune was borrowed from a British drinking song called The Anacreontic Song. The lyrics are adapted from a poem called "The Defence of Fort McHenry," and that part, at least, is of American origin.
Kevin S:
Well, you do have "God keep our land glorious and free..."
tgirsch - Point taken.
So, allow me to revise my previous comments: the lyrics are distinctly American. They seem to embody who we are and who we want to be better than most other patriotic songs.
"Jonah Goldberg is our generation's William F. Buckley, Jr."
Pretty much justifies skepticism, even cynicism, about heroes and leaders, doesn't it?
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