11 Lies Gen X Grew Up Believing That Left Them With Major Trust Issues
As kids, Gen X believed several things that have since turned out not to be true, and it's left them with major trust issues.
simona pilolla 2 / Shutterstock In many ways, Gen X and Millennials are similar. They both grew up in a time when the internet didn’t exist. They also grew up with a classic “all-American” high school experience, during times of peace, when school shootings didn’t exist.
The world that Gen X grew up in was a nice one, but it wasn’t always real. These lies were commonly told to Gen Xers and some Millennials. They might have caused us trust issues over time.
These are 11 lies Gen X grew up believing that left them with major trust issues
1. Going to college = getting a good job
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Oh yes, this is a classic one, right? If you were born before 2000, chances are high that you had parents who drilled the importance of college into your mind. Not going to college was treated as a sign that you would fail at life, be unhirable, and not be able to live adequately.
Obviously, this isn’t true. Steve Jobs was a college dropout. So was Mark Zuckerberg. Many college grads also struggle to make ends meet as a direct result of their college years. So, maybe Gen X is right to feel a little distrustful of mainstream "wisdom."
2. Ignoring bullies will make them go away
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Teachers only started to push this agenda with Gen X. By the time Millennials came along, this was the most common way teachers advised us to handle bullies. Obviously, this doesn’t work.
In many cases, ignoring the bully will make it worse. The only way to handle a bully is to confront them and give them a taste of consequences.
3. Hard work pays off
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This was another adage that was told to us by well-meaning parents who wanted us all to succeed. The truth is quite obvious by now: hard work doesn’t always pay off. Instead of working hard, it’s better to work smart.
As stated in the Harvard Business Review, “Most people fail not because of a lack of effort but because their effort was misdirected or misaligned with their interests.”
4. Work your way up the ranks
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This is the corollary to “hard work pays” that has become abundantly clear these days. In the past, it was normal to get promoted at work as a result of your efforts. Today, most promotions and raises do not happen from within.
It often makes a lot more financial sense to apply for other jobs in other companies. Corporate loyalty is not a thing anymore.
5. Eating according to the food pyramid is healthiest
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Most of us remember being taught about the food pyramid as kids, especially if you were born before 1995. Most of us still try to stick to it, to a point. However, the Food Pyramid was never entirely about health and balanced diets.
Quite the opposite. The original food pyramid was a marketing trick for the dairy and bread industries. Since then, food standards have changed significantly.
6. Being poor is your fault
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While this is not as widely taught as something like the Food Pyramid, many Boomers viewed poverty as a sign of personal failure. Sadly, this attitude managed to get pushed onto much of Gen X, as well as some Millennials.
The truth is that anyone can go from being well off to being poor, often within a matter of months. Most of America, after all, is living paycheck to paycheck these days.
7. You should avoid buying on credit
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This may be something only I used to hear all the time, but I've noticed many Gen Xers are also reticent to use credit or get loans. Many older parents told us that our credit score is safe if we don’t use credit, or that credit cards are to be avoided at all costs.
This isn’t true. Healthy credit use can help improve your financial standing immensely, and yes, you need to use credit cards to maximize your fiscal health.
8. America is different
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American exceptionalism has always been a talking point. We all like to think that America is the best, that Americans will always fight for what’s right, and that it’s always going to be safe here.
As we’ve started to head into a more divided country, we’re beginning to realize that cracks are showing. The United States is just as vulnerable to civil unrest as any other country.
9. Stranger danger
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Since we’re on the topic of trust issues, let’s talk about the original spark of trust issues among Gen X: stranger danger. Gen X was the first generation to be warned not to talk to strangers, with strangers being treated as the primary threat to their lives.
In reality, stranger danger was deeply overblown. Studies later confirmed that children were more likely to be harmed by a close relative or family friend. Still, that aura of mistrust continues to this very day.
10. 'When you have kids…'
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Both Millennials and Gen X had this in common: having children was not treated as an “if,” but a “when.” If you said you didn’t want kids, most parents would laugh, roll their eyes, and promptly tell you that you were wrong.
Childfree living is still heavily stigmatized today, but let’s face it. It’s an option that’s increasingly popular for a lot of reasons.
11. Video games are brainrot
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Finally, let’s talk about how much pearl-clutching happened as a result of video games in the 80s and 90s. Video games were said to cause violent behavior in teens and children. They were also said to tank intelligence.
The truth is that video gaming has been proven to be a fairly harmless hobby that can actually help people cope with traumatic pain.
Ossiana Tepfenhart is a writer whose work has been featured in Yahoo, BRIDES, Your Daily Dish, Newtheory Magazine, and others.
