Is Gen X the last great reefing generation

[AydenLincoln]

Interesting take.

Sincerely,
Gen Z

Wait are you actually Gen Z or is this just a joke? I am! I didn’t think you were though. Most people don’t want to be associated with us or millennials and mainly millennials. That’s how it always is generations never have liked each other and eventually millennials and Gen Z will be the new baby boomers sadly. And I know it’s a stereotype but it’s an accurate one for most unfortunately.

 

[Alexraptor]

As a well-read millenial who has been in the hobby for nearly 20 years i kind of take offense to the implications!

I've always felt the hobby is a bit more intellectual and cerebral than most, requiring a significant time investment in order to acquire knowledge. Which isn't a problem for people who have a genuine thirst for knowledge.

Then we have the kind of reefers "that just like pretty things", and i think those are the people that tend to end up being the lazy ones that just want a quick fix in order to have get their oooh-pretty-fix. And i think that due to the increased exposure of the hobby in social media, there is a growing number of those kind of reefers, for better or worse.

But I think there will always be those of us who have a genuine fascination with the world under the waves, and have a genuine desire to learn and understand how it all works and fits together.

For me my 15g reef is my crown jewel that represents the culmination of all the knowledge I have acquired over the years, all condensed into a compact low-tech system that almost runs itself!

 

[saltytanked]

best thing ever!

 

[randomfishdude]

Summer of 69!!!!

 

[Serpentman2024]

Ahhh the generation divide between Gen X and Gen Z seems to be quite a chasm in every walk of life. I run into this in the workplace all the time. We Gen X'ers grew up in a "put in your 10-20 yrs and we'll talk about your future whereas I see a lot of "where's my promotion" after 6 months. Gen X is probably the last bastion of "old school" while "Gen Z" is the first of the "new school". One can argue the merits of both for decades but in my opinion, neither is "right". Good or bad, things have changed and we need to adapt. Growing up in a world before social media had its benefits and its problems. Interpersonal relationships were something you did in person. However, things took longer and information flowed in print and was often outdated by the time it reached you. On the other hand, growing up in a world of instant gratification has its pitfalls too. Some things just take time. And hiding behind closed doors on social media boosting your "like count" is actually pretty pointless.

Specifically relating to the hobby, as I just came back after 12 yrs, its like stepping out of a time machine. A lot has changed. For one, local clubs and in person meetings have gone the wayside in favor of social media, especially in a post-covid era. Also, instead of growing corals and fragging for the occasional frag swap, now everyone has a small coral business in their basement. Some people are skipping display tanks and going right to frag setups. Also, what used to be frags back in the day are now considered mini colonies. I used to give a ton of coral away. Both to help others and to selfishly "bank" corals in the event of a loss. Although, I see some of it, I'm not seeing quite the generosity that used to prevail back in the day. Not sure if that's a Gen X vs Gen Z phenomenon or just the way things have developed in general.

 

[Reign1]

As a well-read millenial who has been in the hobby for nearly 20 years i kind of take offense to the implications!

I've always felt the hobby is a bit more intellectual and cerebral than most, requiring a significant time investment in order to acquire knowledge. Which isn't a problem for people who have a genuine thirst for knowledge.

Then we have the kind of reefers "that just like pretty things", and i think those are the people that tend to end up being the lazy ones that just want a quick fix in order to have get their oooh-pretty-fix. And i think that due to the increased exposure of the hobby in social media, there is a growing number of those kind of reefers, for better or worse.

But I think there will always be those of us who have a genuine fascination with the world under the waves, and have a genuine desire to learn and understand how it all works and fits together.

For me my 15g reef is my crown jewel that represents the culmination of all the knowledge I have acquired over the years, all condensed into a compact low-tech system that almost runs itself!

Yup why is it about Gen this Vs Gen that.
Sounds like the issues is laziness Vs making it a hobby .
Most people are not making it a hobby is the problem.

 

[Serpentman2024]

Yup why is it about Gen this Vs Gen that.
Sounds like the issues is laziness Vs making it a hobby .
Most people are not making it a hobby is the problem.

I see a lot of people skipping the "hobby" and seeing $ signs.

 

[Reign1]

I see a lot of people skipping the "hobby" and seeing $ signs.

Yes that too …

 

[19Mateo83]

We Gen X are not the last, but we are the last generation to do a lot of things, things which make the world a much worse place to live in. Like not being able to laugh at yourselves, or being tough enough to scab your knee without needing medical attention. The Last Generation that can and will tell you to go **** yourself and not lose any sleep over it. The FERAL generation that was ran out of the house at sun up and wasn't allowed back inside till supper time. The Generation with THICK SKIN!! The Garden Hose and pick up bed generation. The Generation that laughs at Both the boomers and millenials. And just shakes our heads at the stupidity of gen Z. The Generation that does not get offended if you fart on the public bus and is not outraged with blue hair over some imagined insult to a gender that does not exist!!

I’m a millennial and I grew up like you describe and I have no hesitations to tell someone to go **** themselves…. Just sayin…

 

[herozero]

Nonsense thread. Don't feed the trolls people.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Nonsense thread. Don't feed the trolls people.

How is this feeding trolls?

I've always felt the hobby is a bit more intellectual and cerebral than most, requiring a significant time investment in order to acquire knowledge.

I tend to agree with this to a point...

Which isn't a problem for people who have a genuine thirst for knowledge.

What's the correct way to quench the thirst for knowledge? That can differ greatly between generations. Reading publications, is different than reading the internet, is different than watching videos. But depending on who you talk to will tell you one is better than the other.

There are a lot of misconceived folks that believe they're experts because they watch entertaining videos ripe with marketing and opinions parading as fact.

But nothing trumps experience. Give me someone with enough experience that watches those videos, reads those posts or books and then roll their eyes at the blatant misdirection. That's not generational, that's the differencebetween knowledge and wisdom.

 

[javajaws]

I think what you are seeing isn't directly related to the reef keeping hobby, it's really a much broader issue related to social media in general. There are MANY more people on the internet than there used to be - and this means you get a larger slice of people with all ranges of age, education, experience, and yes even temperaments.

I say this as I was working on computers before the internet existed and I've seen the changes in the social fabric of people on the internet change over time to be much more representative of, well, everyone.

Through sheer numbers of people we now have to deal with information overload unlike ever before - weeding out the wheat from the chaff so to speak. What's fact vs opinion? Fake vs real? etc.

 

[KrisReef]

Trolling?

Salinity 1.024
Calcium 397 (last time I checked)
dKh same as Alkalinity (Last time I checked)
P .003 and .007 (last times I checked)
N Detectable, forget the numbers.

My parameters are good Perfect.
Subscribed.

Lets keep politics out of this.
"We choose truth over facts."
I suggest we choose good ones.

edit: forgot the icons for the newer folks.

 

[Reefer Matt]

Eh, every generation has their goofballs, imo. I’m also Gen X, but at the very end. On the flip side, sometimes people just want others to agree with them rather than getting advice. Those are usually the ones who shoot down all the advice given before giving it a try. As far as being nice to people though, it’s actually required here.

 

[PharmrJohn]

We Gen X are not the last, but we are the last generation to do a lot of things, things which make the world a much worse place to live in. Like not being able to laugh at yourselves, or being tough enough to scab your knee without needing medical attention. The Last Generation that can and will tell you to go **** yourself and not lose any sleep over it. The FERAL generation that was ran out of the house at sun up and wasn't allowed back inside till supper time. The Generation with THICK SKIN!! The Garden Hose and pick up bed generation. The Generation that laughs at Both the boomers and millenials. And just shakes our heads at the stupidity of gen Z. The Generation that does not get offended if you fart on the public bus and is not outraged with blue hair over some imagined insult to a gender that does not exist!!

When we are gone, the world will be greatly diminished.
my 2 cents, pretty sure over half of you young' uns hate me right now. It's all good!

Yep. Boomer here. No seat belts. No helmets. +1 to garden hoses. We were told to come home when the street lights came on. That was no problem, cause we were out in the woods and could barely see enough just to GET to the street (where the lights told us to go home). The first car child seat i had to sit on was some plywood with a blanket on top. Walked to school in the 2nd grade. And riding in the bed of a truck was FUN! If there was a fight it was with fists only. The list goes on and on!

 

[beamers]

Gotta walk up hill both ways in the snow with no shoes before you can have any information from gen x.

 

[PharmrJohn]

Gotta walk up hill both ways in the snow with no shoes before you can have any information from gen x.

Oh yeah! Forgot about that one! Physics worked differently in the 60s and 70s.

 

[randomfishdude]

Yep. Boomer here. No seat belts. No helmets. +1 to garden hoses. We were told to come home when the street lights came on. That was no problem, cause we were out in the woods and could barely see enough just to GET to the street (where the lights told us to go home). The first car child seat i had to sit on was some plywood with a blanket on top. Walked to school in the 2nd grade. And riding in the bed of a truck was FUN! If there was a fight it was with fists only. The list goes on and on!

What a dream.
I'm jealous that you and many others got to do that.

I try to be as old fashioned as my computer loving self can be but I can't go far. At least I got me a old truck to drive when I turn 16!


Oh yea also here is how I tink uphill both ways worked

 

[gbroadbridge]

What a dream.
I'm jealous that you and many others got to do that.

Don't be, it's tainted by the rose tinted glasses of senility

I'd much rather be young now than back in the 60's
The world's a much safer place despite all the alarmist hype on TV and Socials

 

[apb03]

GenX is the last analog generation and the first digital one. A bridge generation as it were.

I too wonder what will happen when we are gone. Will reefing go away too? Time will tell. One thing is for sure, many things will disappear.