Gen X movies often dealt with the theme of the male underdog finally getting the upper-hand over the dominant male type. Whereas cinema in previous eras glorified the rebel or the tough guy, Gen X cinema elevated the loser: the freaks, the geeks, the nerds, the wimps, the squares, the virgins, the slackers. The fact that so many of these films centered around the theme of the loser beating the jock or the bully demonstrates that there was a crisis of masculinity happening for Generation X, and this crisis was being worked out through the medium of popular culture.
Read moreAmerican Political Polarization, 50 Years in the Making
America’s current state of political polarization can be traced back to the 1970s and 1980s when these cultural differences were just getting formed. Historians tend to avoid taking lessons from history, but if one considers the larger patterns of cultural divisions in the United States, looking back at this earlier era may offer some clues. One fact is certain: historians and political scientists can no longer rely on the standard party line model to explain the country’s split.
Read more“All the Hippies Are Executives Now, and Everybody’s Sold Out”: Late Boomer and Early Gen X Cinema in the 1970s and 1980s
The small window of films from the late 1970s and early 1980s gives a glimpse into the social and cultural milieu of changing times: a short moment when the cinema reflected the generation gap between the Boomers and Gen Xers.
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