What do you think?
Rate this book
Slackonomics: Generation X in the Age of Creative Destruction
Generation X grew up in the 1980s, when Alex P. Keaton was going to be a millionaire by the time he was thirty, greed was good, and social activism was deader than disco. Then globalization and the technological revolution came along, changing everything for a generation faced with bridging the analog and digital worlds. Living in a time of “creative destruction” – when an old economic order is upended by a new one – has deeply affected everyday life for this generation; from how they work, where they live, how they play, when they marry and have children to their attitudes about love, humor, happiness, and personal fulfillment. Through a sharp and entertaining mix of pop and alt-culture, personal narrative, and economic analysis, author Lisa Chamberlain shows how Generation X has survived and even thrived in the era of creative destruction, but will now be faced with solving economic and environmental problems on a global scale.
225 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 25, 2008
4 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Chamberlain
80 books275 followersLisa dispels all the common misconceptions about this diverse religion, giving her readers the perfect foundations for taking their first steps on their Wiccan journey.
Unlike other Wicca guides, Lisa's books provide information that's found across many Wiccan traditions, rather than coming from just one person's perspective. In fact, she writes the kinds of books she wishes had been available when she was just starting out in the Craft all those years ago.
When not writing or experimenting with spellwork, Lisa loves to read, play piano, and spend time surrounded by nature.
Unlike other Wicca guides, Lisa's books provide information that's found across many Wiccan traditions, rather than coming from just one person's perspective. In fact, she writes the kinds of books she wishes had been available when she was just starting out in the Craft all those years ago.
When not writing or experimenting with spellwork, Lisa loves to read, play piano, and spend time surrounded by nature.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 3, 2014
I can already hear my cohort group protesting: You can't put ME in a box!! My generational niche is inherently suspicious and resentful of any method of categorization. Although I agree that it is a mistake to shoehorn people into One Size Fits All descriptions, I am not convinced that people are completely unaffected by the larger world around them and the conditions under which they lead their lives. Perhaps 'Generation X' would be less prickly about generational research if we ever heard anything positive about our characteristics or our shot at a successful life.
This book attempts to put a positive spin on the almost comically depressing trajectory our collective lives have taken at midlife. But if you haven't noticed...it is pretty bad out there. And the author isn't promising much. Still, this is an interesting read if you came into this world between the years 1962 and 1976 (give or take a few years on either end, depending on whose definition of Gen X you subscribe to...as a vintage 1966 I am classic regardless of the timeline.)
Basically Slackonomics lays out the numbers about why so many people in my age group have had trouble, not just 'getting ahead', but remaining in place -- or not slipping back too far. And I think it is important to get this data out there, for no other reason than to help people quit beating themselves up so much. Have you been working 60 or 70 hours a week or pulling more than one job for several years at a stretch? Do you wonder why you are not saving much money? Are you fed up with reading cute articles about giving up your expensive morning lattes in order to change your financial life? (even if you don't drink coffee.) Are you wondering what you did wrong?
Well, here is some bitter Slackonomics medicine:
"The average wage offers of newly hired college graduates crested in 1985, stagnated for several years, then dropped precipitously in the early 1990s. Entry level wages did not rebound to the 1985 level until as late as 1999. In other words, it took an unprecedented bubble economy to boost entry-level wages back to where they had been in the mid-1980s." (For context, my cohorts were graduating from college in the late 80s and early 90s and stepping into entry level jobs.)
"In 1980, men between the ages of twenty and twenty-four earned 55% of what older men made. In 1990, that percentage dropped to 35%. In 1980, twenty to twenty-four year old women earned almost 80% of what forty-five to fifty-four year olds earned. By 1990, that dropped to less than 60%."
In case you are not in the upper 1% of wage earners, you may also be interested to know that: "The top 1% saw their wealth increase by 42% between 1983 and 1998, almost four times the gain of the middle 20%. The Economic Policy Inst. calculated that in 2004 only the top 5% of households increased their incomes while the remaining 95% had flat or falling incomes."
For those of us who attempted to plan ahead and forestall the effects of the economic free-for-all we were about to step into...there was the idea of the college education (often extending into graduate school and beyond and to the tune of ever sky rocketing tuition.) "During the 1990s educated workers experienced a larger increase in economic volatility than people who did not finish high school." So much for the magic of a college/post graduate degree.
How does it feel to be the generation who fails to outperform your parents in the only way that is measured in America? (Economically, but of course.)
Fortunately, Gen X has learned to develop a thick skin and to find solace outside of the mainstream. Slackonomics was a walk down the memory lane of 'alternative' landscapes that my age group has flocked to over the years. Although sometimes I still feel like the lonely voice amidst a horde of suburban wannabes, Chamberlain has dug up some data that indicates that my husband and I are not the only ones who have eschewed the exurbs in favor of a more affordable, pedestrian friendly and 'connected' inner ring suburb/new urbanist environment. We are not the only ones who have learned that less is often more. We are not the only ones who have a solid marriage and who waited until our mid to late 30s to 'make it legal' and have kids. We are learning, as a group, that we must follow a very different schedule and that some of our goals have a better than average chance of remaining unmet (i.e. retirement).
Still we are a fairly tough group of people, despite our label as a bunch of whiners. We lack the security of the first wave Boomers and our own parents (and possibly our Sun Belt flocking grandparents.) But our forced march toward downsizing and living close to the financial edge is the corrective that is needed for our bloated and oil spewing society. Older folks might resent our tattoos and Ipods but we might be the generation that gets us all back on track whether we want to or not...smaller homes, smaller vehicles, smaller paychecks and lowered (read: more realistic) expectations.
So sorry about that 401K that is stuck at $20,000 and too bad you'll be working until you are 80. But keep your sense of Gen X humor about it. And go ahead. I can't abide the taste of the stuff--but have your coffee in the morning. You are going to need it!
This book attempts to put a positive spin on the almost comically depressing trajectory our collective lives have taken at midlife. But if you haven't noticed...it is pretty bad out there. And the author isn't promising much. Still, this is an interesting read if you came into this world between the years 1962 and 1976 (give or take a few years on either end, depending on whose definition of Gen X you subscribe to...as a vintage 1966 I am classic regardless of the timeline.)
Basically Slackonomics lays out the numbers about why so many people in my age group have had trouble, not just 'getting ahead', but remaining in place -- or not slipping back too far. And I think it is important to get this data out there, for no other reason than to help people quit beating themselves up so much. Have you been working 60 or 70 hours a week or pulling more than one job for several years at a stretch? Do you wonder why you are not saving much money? Are you fed up with reading cute articles about giving up your expensive morning lattes in order to change your financial life? (even if you don't drink coffee.) Are you wondering what you did wrong?
Well, here is some bitter Slackonomics medicine:
"The average wage offers of newly hired college graduates crested in 1985, stagnated for several years, then dropped precipitously in the early 1990s. Entry level wages did not rebound to the 1985 level until as late as 1999. In other words, it took an unprecedented bubble economy to boost entry-level wages back to where they had been in the mid-1980s." (For context, my cohorts were graduating from college in the late 80s and early 90s and stepping into entry level jobs.)
"In 1980, men between the ages of twenty and twenty-four earned 55% of what older men made. In 1990, that percentage dropped to 35%. In 1980, twenty to twenty-four year old women earned almost 80% of what forty-five to fifty-four year olds earned. By 1990, that dropped to less than 60%."
In case you are not in the upper 1% of wage earners, you may also be interested to know that: "The top 1% saw their wealth increase by 42% between 1983 and 1998, almost four times the gain of the middle 20%. The Economic Policy Inst. calculated that in 2004 only the top 5% of households increased their incomes while the remaining 95% had flat or falling incomes."
For those of us who attempted to plan ahead and forestall the effects of the economic free-for-all we were about to step into...there was the idea of the college education (often extending into graduate school and beyond and to the tune of ever sky rocketing tuition.) "During the 1990s educated workers experienced a larger increase in economic volatility than people who did not finish high school." So much for the magic of a college/post graduate degree.
How does it feel to be the generation who fails to outperform your parents in the only way that is measured in America? (Economically, but of course.)
Fortunately, Gen X has learned to develop a thick skin and to find solace outside of the mainstream. Slackonomics was a walk down the memory lane of 'alternative' landscapes that my age group has flocked to over the years. Although sometimes I still feel like the lonely voice amidst a horde of suburban wannabes, Chamberlain has dug up some data that indicates that my husband and I are not the only ones who have eschewed the exurbs in favor of a more affordable, pedestrian friendly and 'connected' inner ring suburb/new urbanist environment. We are not the only ones who have learned that less is often more. We are not the only ones who have a solid marriage and who waited until our mid to late 30s to 'make it legal' and have kids. We are learning, as a group, that we must follow a very different schedule and that some of our goals have a better than average chance of remaining unmet (i.e. retirement).
Still we are a fairly tough group of people, despite our label as a bunch of whiners. We lack the security of the first wave Boomers and our own parents (and possibly our Sun Belt flocking grandparents.) But our forced march toward downsizing and living close to the financial edge is the corrective that is needed for our bloated and oil spewing society. Older folks might resent our tattoos and Ipods but we might be the generation that gets us all back on track whether we want to or not...smaller homes, smaller vehicles, smaller paychecks and lowered (read: more realistic) expectations.
So sorry about that 401K that is stuck at $20,000 and too bad you'll be working until you are 80. But keep your sense of Gen X humor about it. And go ahead. I can't abide the taste of the stuff--but have your coffee in the morning. You are going to need it!
October 13, 2016
Being a child of the 70's, teen of the 80's, the Univ student and recession and married of the 90's which feels like the "lost" decade.... I am very much a Gen X.
Some was very interesting. Some wandered. It is exactly what the author promised in the introduction.
(I keep wanting to babble into TMI territory so I'll just stop there)
Some was very interesting. Some wandered. It is exactly what the author promised in the introduction.
(I keep wanting to babble into TMI territory so I'll just stop there)
July 17, 2017
Worthwhile.
December 31, 2019
No real new information provided, just depressing statistics on how the world is f*cked.
Read
November 4, 2025had to read for my dissertation ‘losers: why do u act like that?’
January 12, 2009
I must admit to not feeling very excited about this book while I was reading it. The title caught my attention, but the subject matter failed to hold it. By the end of the book I was just skimming the last hundred or so pages.
The author tried to make the point that Gen-Xers have been caught behind the bow wave of baby-boomers and are trying to find their place somewhere between "if it feels good- do it" and "greed is good". They are probably the first generation who will be less financially successful than their parents.
It turned political over the last chapter or two... probably in an effort to give the self proclaimed "non-political" generation a kick in the pants and take a more active role in America's future.
The author tried to make the point that Gen-Xers have been caught behind the bow wave of baby-boomers and are trying to find their place somewhere between "if it feels good- do it" and "greed is good". They are probably the first generation who will be less financially successful than their parents.
It turned political over the last chapter or two... probably in an effort to give the self proclaimed "non-political" generation a kick in the pants and take a more active role in America's future.
January 7, 2010
This was a quick and interesting read, but ultimately does not bring much new information to the table in the discussion about Generation X. Chamberlain makes many of the same points you'd find in X Saves the World - Xers are creative and realistic, marry later in life, and are getting the short end of the stick economically - and frames her points around pop culture touchstones that inspire nostalgia, but ultimately don't serve to move her argument forward. She also focuses almost exclusively on white, educated, middle class Xers. I'm still searching for a book on Gen X that can provide some real insight on my diverse and varied generation. This wasn't it.
Read
August 3, 2011Great book, by a former writer for the Cleveland Free Times. Really explains what the world has been like for Gen Xers, how we were supposed to be riding high, but how economics, the IT revolution, and globalization basically made us LESS well situated than our parents. Basically, in a nutshell, our parents made a better living in the 70's than we do, for the same amount of work and experience. DEPRESSING! And how we sat around, got apolitical, and let it happen, by being wrapped up in our own little worlds of music, the internet, and apathy. Time to wake up people! Very prescient info in there, pre-Wall st. collapse, and pre-Obama.
October 21, 2008
Slackonomics was an overwhelmingly positive read. Instead of whining about the state of things, the book gave examples of how Xers are independent, creative, and realistic even in the face of adversity. In this book Xers were shown to make deliberate choices that often go against the dominant paradigm--much like I have in my own life (yes, I am an X too.)
Slackonomics was inspiring, not complaining. Completely worth a read.
Slackonomics was inspiring, not complaining. Completely worth a read.
November 24, 2009
Interesting read, looking at how the sociological aspects of Generation X are played out in the economy. My issue was that the author focused primarily on urban, elite university educated, and high income earning people. All the anecdotal evidence for her claims came from a very, very small group of people: rich, urban, liberal professionals. Didn't ring true for the majority of people. Interesting read nonetheless.
Read
August 4, 2011The book didn't really have any meat to it. Was a quick read but I can't say that I got much out of it. It skipped around from subject to subject without much transition. At no point could I really figure out how the title applied to the actual content. In that way, it was a little misleading.
Instead of calling this a book, it should really be considered a compliation of short essays.
Instead of calling this a book, it should really be considered a compliation of short essays.
January 30, 2014
This is a good look at Generation X and the major changes in family, marriage, economy, and more and how my generation is affected. How we are responding, both positively and negatively. This book gives hope and acknowledges how generational differences lead boomer writers to make negative assumptions as our generation doesn't respond the same way they would and did to such circumstances.
Glad to have read this book and will look for others by the author.
Glad to have read this book and will look for others by the author.
October 2, 2008
An interesting, thoughtful and thought-provoking about how the economy has evolved during the lives of Gen-X'ers and how "creative destruction" is the modus operandi for their success. It has some interesting ideas that are not fully developed and it's not nearly as interesting or as insightful as X Saves the World, but it is still worthwhile.
August 5, 2008
This was a quick read. The writing feels like it was written by an alt-weekly newspaper writer (which it was). But she makes some great points, and sucked me in with nostalgia. Worth a read.
October 2, 2008
Interesting demographics/economics take on my life span. :) I read these Gen X books as an antidote to all the Boomer nostalgia.
January 3, 2009
Fairly interesting read about the way life has changed since the boomers came of age. Gen X'ers are going to have their work cut out for them in order to succeed in this terrible economy!
March 16, 2011
I'm so fascinated by the whole generation thing! After reading the intro I was totally hooked and now I understand why Baby Boomers have always bugged me!
August 16, 2013
Just another very long magazine article. The best part is that it made me want to rewatch Melrose Place.
October 22, 2014
If you'd like some social science explained to you using movie analogies, and aren't particularly concerned about accuracy, your best bets are this book and Cracked.com. Cracked is funnier.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews