As the 1960's progressed, the youth in America united. In 1969 400,000 young people materialized for three dizzying days to listen to rock and blues music, to wear funny clothing or no clothes at all, to talk, sing, dance, clap hands, to drink beer or smoke pot and make love-but mostly to marvel again and again that they were all there together. Hippies came from many different places and had many different backgrounds. All Hippies were young, from the ages of 15 to 25. They left their families and they would "'not be coming back...not ever.'" 73 Michener This was done for many different reason. No one was going to get in the way of their dreams and ambitions.

Generation X is a group, we're told, 'numb and dumb,' lazy underachievers, apathetic 'boomer

This generation seems to know that the answers they are looking for are to be found in the spiritual part of life, but they have no idea of where to look. They are "shopping in the right store, but they're in the wrong aisle."(Ron Hutchcraft)

Two diverse generation are caught in the line of fire and are compelled to express themselves differently. The Sixties were an exciting, revolutionary, turbulent time of great social and technological change: assassination, unforgettable fashion, new musical styles, Camelot, civil rights, gay and women's liberation, a controversial and divisive war in Vietnam, the first manned landing on the moon, peace marches, World's Fairs, flower power, great TV and film and sexual freedom. Taken on their own terms, given freedom within reasonable boundaries, and provided with enough information to succeed, Xers have the potential to be the most well equipped workers in the new dominated workplace of the next millennium. These two generations broadcast a history that will be noted forever because we, citizens of humanity have learned from it.

Microsoft.Encarta Encyclopedia.1997.

Generation X is a generation that has been forced to take on part-time employment, McJobs: a low-pay, low dignity job. Friends and peers are what matter the most. A common cliche is: "The only constant is change". For this generation, change has been a constant theme as it has grown up which also provided a life of thrills. Tom Cruise, in the movie Top Gun, summed up this generation's addiction to thrills and adrenaline when he arrogantly boasted about flying F-14 jets: "I feel the need, the need for speed". Christian Slater once said, "It's better to burn out than fade away". He was talking for his generation.

Some common words found in the essay are:
John Kennedy's, Coupland's Generation, Rolling Stone, Michener Hippies, Douglas Coupland's, World's Fairs, Michener Hippies', Civil Rights, Boomer's Expense, Top Gun, rolling stone, generation generation, civil rights, coupland generation, hippie movement, drugs hippies, express themselves, michener hippies,
Approximate Word count = 1548
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)