When I was asked to write an article for generation X, I planned to write something that would appeal to one in their early to mid-twenties. When trying to come up with a topic to write on, I found myself asking the question, "What is generation X?"

This is a question that remains unanswered today. Resorting to asking several people I repeatedly was referred to different definitions as to what "Generation X" was. The most popular response I received was that the 18 to 25 year old generation was comprised of "Xs" This satisfied me until I had a few people argue that the births of the mid 60's and 70's comprised the Generation. After several days of talking to peers, researching books, and browsing sites, I eventually found several different views of what exactly defines "Generation X." Even a simple "Generation X" search on Google yields around 220,000 responses. Some of the most popular sites to visit are those that merely contain chat rooms, and fora. Although you can currently review what people really think of the generation X today through these media, hardly reliable sources can be found at these sites.

Generation X, or the "Baby Busters", is a label received by this generation for the dramatic drop in their birthrate. The birthrates of the "baby busters" had dramatically decreased from the "boom" period of 1946-1964. A common misconception of Generation X is that it ranges from the 1961-1981 time period. If this were true then in the year 2002, the Generation X'ers would range from the ages of 21 to 41. The similarities between a 21 and 41 year old are few and far between. The early '60 children grew up watching shows like Leave it to Beaver, The Brady Bunch, and the Hardy Boys.. People born in the 80's grew up with characters like G.I. Joe, Papa Smurf, or Scooby and Shaggy. Understanding what "Generation X" truly refers to requires an explanation.

Many people tend to define generations by the fluctuation in the birthrates of certain time periods. For example, the time period of 1976-1981 has lower birthrates than those of the 1964-1975 time. There term "Generation Y," or the "Baby Boomlet" has been given to the 76-81'ers.

The term "Generation X" was created by marketers to target a particular age group. It gained popularity through a book by Douglas Coupland, and was also the name of a British band in the 70's (you might know it... the one with Billy Idol in it). The name was taken from Coupland's book to give to the generation a following similar to that of the baby boomers. In fact, Douglas Coupland still maintains a website, which collects his visual art.

Many stereotype Generation X as the age of slackers. These slackers are the kids working at the small stores or flipping burgers at the local fast food joint. The same connotation refers to the kids are around their early 20's, when in fact, most accurately, the 30 to 40 range adults comprise the Generation. The question will probably always be debated on what really sets Generation X apart from the other generations of our century. Maybe the question we should all ask ourselves is why do we all seek to categorize generations at all?