Generation X Has Trust Issues

Somebody recently pointed out that my generation, "Generation X" -- usually defined as people born between 1964 and 1980 -- has trust issues.

You think so?

We are the children of the first generation of parents that decided it was okay to get divorced.

We were told that if we worked hard and graduated from high school, jobs would be easy to come by. By the time we got those precious diplomas, a college degree had become the prerequisite to get a good job.

The first President that Gen X can remember is Richard Nixon. He told us he was not a crook. He was one.

CBS told us Henry Blake was going home. He never made it out of Asia. They also told us J.R. Ewing had learned his lesson after getting shot. He hadn't. Then they tried to tell us Bobby Ewing was dead, and then showed us that he was still alive, and that him dying was all just a dream.

ABC told us to love Suzanne Somers. Then they fired her when she wanted to be paid as much as her male co-star John Ritter -- even after Ritter stood up for her.

Ronald Reagan told us he would balance the budget. He blew up the deficit. He told us he would create jobs. He did, for China and Saudi Arabia.

We were told greed is good. It wasn't, and it still isn't.

We were told that Bill Cosby, Pete Rose, O.J. Simpson, Robert Blake, Hulk Hogan, Mike Tyson and Donald Trump were good guys. They weren't.

You better believe we have trust issues.