The Phoenix Network:
 
 
 
About  |  Advertise
Moonsigns  |  BandGuide  |  Blogs
 
 

Gen X guy confused by Globe


 

I was born in 1972, so I'm smack dab in the middle of the demographic that guest columnist David Scharfenberg is discussing in today's Globe. But I'm having a hard time understanding what Scharfenberg is trying to say. Near as I can tell, he makes the following points:

--Gen X guys are confused about what it means to be to be men

--The recession is bringing this problem to the fore

--The issue's not new, but it's really bad now, because there are even fewer blue-collar jobs

--Lots of women are going to college, but guys won't take jobs traditionally thought of as "feminine"

--Maybe "Millenniums" are better taking it easy re: gender

--Obama's good at this, too--he governs like a woman!--but that didn't help in the economic-stimulus debate 

--Let's see what happens

Is that right?  Do his arguments make sense? Do they fit together? Am I missing something? Honestly, the more times I read this piece, the more confused I get.

Anyone?

  • Keohane said:

    While I can't say for certain whether the collapse of the manufacturing sector has given men emotional vaginas, I can, drawing from this piece, safely venture the observation that  Gen-X, whatever its daddy issues, has a serious problem with wobbly metaphors and prolixity. What was that about background music?

    February 23, 2009 8:12 PM
  • boxer14 said:

    Yea, frankly, I didn't glean much of anything from this column except that the author is passing off his own internal struggles as an observation on his generation as a whole. It's a flowery essay backed up by barely-relevant data. I don't think my Globe reading experience would have been lessened if this wasn't published.

    February 24, 2009 9:13 AM
  • Patrick said:

    Its coming up with a new column each week about being unemployed...give the guy a break.

    February 26, 2009 8:50 PM

Leave a Comment

Login | Not a member yet? Click here to Join

(required)  
(optional)
(required)  
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Adam Reilly's daily look at the news and how it's created.
SUBSCRIBE




Friday, February 27, 2009  |  Sign In  |  Register
 
thePhoenix.com:
Phoenix Media/Communications Group:
TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
Copyright © 2008 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group