REAL LIFE STORIES:
Miss February 2008 just signed with Maier Management.
Ted Maier
Ted owns a talents management company and is a partner in Passing Lane Production, Inc.
Passing Lane Production, Inc. Partners.
Chris Neville
Jamie Walsh
Joel Miller
Joel owns a Production Company in Hollywood.
Dan White
Dan is a computer programmer from New Jersey.
By Jessica Thompson
Dealing
With Divorce: A Gen Xer’s Perspective
Many of you may be saying to yourselves:
“We don’t know whom these Gen-Xer’s ARE.
What exactly do they do? What
do they stand for? What are they like?” Despite the fact
that you are our parents --
I know many of you are still
at a loss as to what shapes us - what
drives us - and what
entertains us.
So, let me tell
you a little bit about who we are and how we got this way.
One thing that
has had a huge effect on many people who are a part of my
generation is our family lives. Unfortunately, for many
of us, our family lives have not been the picturesque perfect
families portrayed in sitcoms like, “Leave it to Beaver”
or “The Waltons.” Instead they have been spent trying to
figure out which parent gets which kid for the weekend,
and who you, and we, are going to live with on a permanent
basis. Divorce is a part of our lives just as much as it
is yours.
I was raised
in what many people would consider the typical American
home-Mom, Dad, 3 kids. I was always a high achiever in school
- usually getting good grades and high praise from my teachers.
I was involved in more than enough extra curricular activities
and loved Saturday morning cartoons - the typical American
kid, right? My family had plenty of internal problems, as
do many families in this day and age. Yet, I was able to
overcome them and forge a search to be my own person. That
search however, was halted when I was faced with a stepping
stone that plagues the life of nearly half of Generation
X-the divorce of my parents.
Divorce,
quite possibly, has played one of the largest roles in shaping
Generation X. The divorce rate has soared since your parents,
my grandparents, said their wedding vows. Nearly 50% of
the population are getting divorces-some marriages last
2 months, some 25 years, and yet they seem to constantly
end in the same way - turmoil and eventually family break-up.
It is the example of how we see our future--the family ideals
that we possess. It is not a good example. It is no wonder
those of us in Generation X are so hesitant to get married
- we are scared of it. It has affected the way we choose
to live, the way we look at things, and it even shapes our
culture-television programs, music, movies…all of these
reflect the frustration and confusion; the dreams and ideals
of who we are….
Sit down and watch a television sitcom today and you won’t
see the happy-go-lucky families of the Fifties; you see
a bunch of single twenty-somethings hanging out in coffee
shops afraid to commit to any one person, or divorcees dealing
with the intertwining of two families together. Many of
these programs are created or produced by members of Generation
X. The frustrations and insights of our private lives have
taken over the entertainment industry and given the whole
world a front row view into our minds. So next time you
sit down to watch a “quality” TV program, try to read between
the lines-you just might get more insight into your children’s
lives and thoughts than you ever thought you could. Maybe
then, you will understand Generation Xers a little bit better.
We are just imitating YOU.
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