Today’s column (gift link) is about the economics of generational transition.
I’ve always had a funny relationship with my generation. Officially, I’m a member of Generation X, the cohort born between 1965 and 1980. But I’m on the young side of that equation (’79, a Carter Baby), and relate closely with my elder millennial friends.
You sometimes hear the term “Xennial” used to describe young Gen Xers and old Millennials. We lived through a unique period of technological and cultural transition. For example, I learned how to type on a typewriter, but was coding websites in HTML at age 18. It’s a reminder that a generation is based on a set of shared experiences and mine are pretty scattered.
I always related well with Baby Boomers. From a young age I watched the news, read Mike Royko columns and enjoyed the political comic strips “Doonesbury” and “Bloom County.” At age 12, I would drop casual references to the Vietnam War into conversations with my peers. I later learned this wasn’t normal. As the world has changed, I sometimes feel like a Boomer. Admittedly, I sometimes pretend to be older than I am so I don’t have to learn things.
In recent years, however, I’ve been snapped back to my Gen X reality. We (Gen X) are aged 45-62. Our kids are in college. Our parents are aging. If we do not yet use pill keepers to keep our medications straight, we soon will.
Now, what I’m about to say might be a product of living on the Iron Range, which has older demographics than most places. But I’m 46 and until very recently I’ve almost always been the youngest person in most official meetings and events. Only now, with literal gray hair, am I finally encountering people in official positions who are younger than me. For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to leadership to turn over to a new generation. And suddenly, here it is.
The Millennials are already coming up, gang. What are we going to do with our short walk in the sunshine?
Read “There’s a Gen X-sized hole in our economy, politics and culture” in the Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026 edition of the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Aaron J. Brown is a columnist and member of the editorial board for the Minnesota Star Tribune. His new book about Hibbing Mayor Victor Power and his momentous fight against the world’s largest corporation will be out soon.
