Huh. I think that the cynicism of my end of Gen X (which is the tail end--people even two years younger than me are much more likely to be Millennials) is not from rolling our eyes at Boomers while we were teens but from watching Boomers roll their eyes at their former selves--from Boomer self-awareness, not lack of same. The Boomers who raised people my age weren't still smelling like Wavy Gravy--they were smelling like Chanel and talking about how when they were my age, they were just sure they were going to change the world, hahaha oh dear. And they flinched in open pain when my teenage self looked them in the eye and said, "Well, you did," and then looked around her to indicate what they'd changed it into.

There is nothing more provoking of teen cynicism than assuring teenagers that idealism is something they are supposed to have as a teenager--and grow out of as adults. It made us more likely to skip the middle step.

Early in this election when people were being suspicious of Obama's intelligence and charisma (oh God no, not that!), I asked several Boomers--who are people I love--why exactly it was that my generation was supposed to be the only one who never got to believe in anything without having people tell us how much it was going to suck. We know he's not going to be Jesus, Superman, and Hendrix rolled into one. But a competent politician sure looks good enough from here.