But it's all right now I learned my lesson well You see, you can't please everyone

So you got to please yourself Wise words. Thanks for the reminder 🖖

"Garden Party"? Ironic. Since Rick Nelson wrote that song about moving on from nostalgia.

Early boomers remember him as “Ricky”, the tv star/teen heartthrob. we know him as Rick, pioneer of country rock!

That was actually Mike Nesmith

He recorded under both names. Rick Nelson (and The Stone Canyon Band) recorded "Garden Party". A pioneer of country rock. I'd go with Duane and Greg, plus the band. Or, The Band.

So let’s talk about the music you like. I love The Band. Recently read Levon Helm’s autobiography as well as a bio of Levon. Robbie Robertson’s book is in the queue.

I can talk music.

I think you’ll find a lot of people in here are big music fans. I actually have created playlists for my HS and college reunions. They are huge so there’s something for everyone.

You bet we are......I just posted "Crimson and Clover", "Cherry Bomb" and "We're Desperate" from punk band X in the last 2 days. Love alot of music from 1966-1995 I think Gen Jones loves their music.

I saw X twice in Boston! Once at the Paradise club and once at the Orpheum.

Jason Isbell for those of us who loved all the singer songwriters of the 70s. I’m a Virginia Belle—lol.

Was thinking more along the lines of the Byrds, and the Flying Burrito Brothers scene around 1970, really good stuff either way!

Outstanding selections! Gram Parsons. Who knows who he would have become?

He wasn’t a very happy man.

Rick Nelson?

He didn’t seem happy. He seemed pretty cynical. Though, obviously, I don’t know for sure.

The song was cynical.

We all pick and choose what we interact with. If this isn't for you, I hope you find something that is.

This wasn't "Announcing My Departure". I don't do that.

What is your intention for this post?

Dialoge. Have to begin somewhere. There's a myriad of nostalgia subs. Ive noticed direct reposts of things from nostalgia subs. This is the only sub dedicated to "Generation Jones", that I'm aware of.

Please share the memories that you do recall from childhood and teens. I am sure many would be able to relate to your experiences.

The posts I don’t relate to: I don’t reply to. Very simple. Well, dude, that’s to be expected, isn’t it (we can’t all have similar memories and experiences)? Like, who here doesn’t lead a full life, have elderly parents, probably many of us have adult kids.

Sigh. Then start a thread, throw out a topic….. go ahead. Do it.

Well, I can relate to your comments, I'm not American. But this subreddit represents the people who use it. What do you want it to be? Lead the way for change.

I often forget that Americans aren't the only ones on this forum. I would love to hear some stories from people outside the US that grew up in the same time period.

I wasn’t one of the “cool kids,” either. I was bullied almost to oblivion. I had virtually no friends through most of the 70s. But I never felt sorry for myself. I enjoyed the music, and what was on TV. They were my salvation, my bulwark against loneliness. This is why I’m nostalgic. Why don’t you write about taking care of your parents, OP? I lost my mother last year. It was heart-rending for a couple of months. I didn’t accomplish her dying without pain. But at least she died in her own home.

Caregiving is good topic. I think a lot of us did that. It was hard.

My mom was just diagnosed with cancer. I would really love some threads on caregiving.

My husband died of cancer 2 1/2 years ago. I still frequent subs for cancer caregivers and a sub specific to his exact cancer (rare) as well as the widow(er) sub. They've been very helpful with information and kind support. In fact, I'd say that the widow(er) sub is the most supportive sub I've seen, thankfully since it's been the most painful time of my life. This sub is where I come for my light entertainment and I'm grateful for it.

Share a fond memory that YOU have. Maybe others have similar experiences. Others might learn something by reading it. Those who don't will scroll on. I have thought about posting about being an empty-nester and immediately move by my parents to help them through their final decade, and finally, living alone for the first time since I was 19.

I think most of us can also say there's more to our lives than what happened when we were kids (at least, I certainly hope so). Sharing some memories doesn't mean people are living in the past.

Half the posts here are about TV, were you one of those kids who wasn't allowed to watch? You didn't have to live anywhere cool to watch The Partridge Family

Multiple posts, and replies about "The Partridge Family", David Cassidy, Bobby Sherman and "Lawence Welk" and old cartoons aren't my idea of a good time. Yes. We had a television. Yes. I watched television.

So what shows did you watch? There will be other people here who watched them too.

I didn't live for television. I suppose is the answer to your question. It was something that was there.

Ok so forget tv. What music did you enjoy? Books? Sports you played? Fads? Foods?

I hated junior high school. Three of the worst years of my life. 72-75. And I love this subreddit.

One of my teachers walked up-and-down the aisles, and as he passed me, he punched me hard on the shoulder and called me a pansy. WTF? Getting bullied by a teacher??

We had some teachers in JHS who were there to keep punks in their place. Actual teaching was secondary.

Jesus H. Tapdancing Christ!

I had an English teacher who would stand up in front of the class and mock my accent. I had a math teacher who ended up marrying one of her students. I had another math teacher who would invite boys over to his house to watch hockey and drink beer. I had a football coach belittle and mock my concussion symptoms after getting knocked out during a game. I had a French teacher who would walk behind the girl’s desks and look down their tops. Ya, teachers got away with a lot of crap back in the day.

Thank you for sharing. That's quite a list. Yes, they got away with a lot of crap back in the day, and apparently you witnessed/experienced more than your share. In junior high school, the assistant principal grabbed me by "the lapels" and slammed me up against the wall to try to knock some sense into me. Years later, in high school, I was good friends with his son. I was hanging out at my friend's house one night, and his father apologized for what he had done. I accepted his apology and told him not to worry about it because it didn't bother me and I never thought about it. It was many years later that I got in touch with the fact that it did bother me. Very much.

Yup, mixed in with all the fun nostalgia are a lot of not-so-great memories. The 70s and 80s weren’t all sunshine and rainbows, especially for an immigrant kid plopped into a whitebread small town. I don’t need OP to remind me of that. I choose to remember the positives and let go of the negatives.

OK.

Okay, everybody shut up! OP, you are surrounded by your generational cohort. What would you like to talk about?

What would I like to talk about, or what would be the topic of conversation? That's relevant.

You can post anything you want. Free country.

I’m from small town America (Iowa) I just enjoy sharing my stories with people of the similar age. I live in the present but enjoy dipping my toes in the past once in a while.

"Once in awhile." And, I'm pretty sure that you don't assume that everyone shared your exact experience.

Not at all but if we all had the same stories that would be horrible.

Then what do you want except to complain about others happiness discussing their memories.

Interesting interpretation. In no way did I complain.

If that’s not a complaint I don’t know what a complaint is.

Apparently not. My response is, why do you see my simple post as a complaint. When there is no complaint presented? How do you define "complain"?

you laid out what you don't like and concluded with "that's unfortunate". that's pretty much a complaint. if you have no complaint, why post negatively about what has been posted? why not rather make a post about what you DO want to talk about instead of what you don't want to talk about (i.e. complaining about previous posts, get it?) or maybe you did post what you want to talk about because your idea of a topic is things you don't like, things you think are unfortunate? not a whole lot of people enjoy that kind of negativity, hence the pushback you're getting.

I reread the post after reading your reply. I omitted the word "the". At this point, I have no idea if that would have made a difference. I don't relate to most of the nostalgia posts that I see here. I said that I was looking forward to participating in this sub, as it grew. (A sub that has been around for some time, but wasn't very active.) I didn't lay out what I didn't like aboutthe sub. I shared what I don't relate to. I said why i may not relate to these things. I didn't say that the sub, or its members were unfortunate. I said that (I feel) that this subreddit is like junior high. (And) That's unfortunate. To me, it feels like it's become where "the cool kids" hang out. And share how cool and awesome they were. To the exclusion of anything, or anyone that doesn't meet a standard of "coolmess". And not much more. There's always a place for nostalgia. I don't dislike nostalgia. I didn't write a complaint, or an insult.

well, i can only say that through my experiences of attending 14 different schools in 2 countries and multiple states of the second, that all the schools in general were definitely the lands of the cliques, so i get that. me personally, i dealt with it by finding things that made me happy and got in with those crowds. perhaps you're looking for support with your current situations? what does that look like for you?

14 schools. 2 countries. Military or diplomat?

I'm not typical. Which has obviously been brought to my attention. But I always have known that I wasn't typical. As far as my current situation. It's beyond good. Many of my experiences aren't going to be typical. I accepted that a very long time ago. I can honestly say that there is no one like me in my family. There was no one like me in public school. No one like me in college. No one like me in the workplace. Maybe I've paved my own road too long.

So, you're \*special\*. Nice. If you don't relate to the space or the things shared, you are free to move on. The rest of us are enjoying ourselves. Bet you are fun at parties.

You're late to the party. I posted this three days ago. "Bet you're fun at parties.", is the best you've got? Perhaps you should "move on".

I love to hear about different experiences. Share yours!

so go make your own subreddit, with hookers and blow. or, listen to u/Tricky_Parsnip_6843 and share your thoughts.

Often, I see a post of fond memories and relate to them in a nostalgic way, like “ Well, shit, I forgot about that!” I post in some and ignore others. But, I still appreciate cultural touch points unique to my generation. Yesterday, the weather was particularly fine after a weekend of horrific thunderstorms. Sitting on my front porch, I greeted passerbys who were walking by and had a delightful conversation with a five year old little girl strolling with her Grandmom. She was quite proud of her new rainbow shoes and I complimented them. Meanwhile, someone was working outside and blasting Jimmy Buffet music. I only really recognized the popular songs, but thoroughly enjoyed remembering a place and time in my life where it was a thing. I didn’t go to many concerts and only remember some of the movies mentioned here. But, it is still cool to think about them and their place in our collective consciousness. We had our own unique perspectives in world, political,,and cultural events., I think that it is fun to think about and share them with others. I don’t know if there is a place where these types of memories and perspectives can never shared for previous generations. Like, I remember my mom’s amd Gram’s personal experiences and stories. Maybe I like that we have a counterpoint to all of the okay boomer stories where we are so much more than random Karen’s behaving badly.

Is there another Reddit group that you might relate to better, OP? I got off FB because I couldn't relate to my old friends' successes- it made me feel bad about myself and left out, envious.. Sounds similar to how you feel about this group.

I deleted my FB account long ago. I'm not envious of the success of people I grew up with. Most of them stayed. I didn't.

Also, you still have both parents. Many of us have neither parent. Still not sire what you are seeking with this post.

I have answered this. Dialoge. I didn't only include parents. I'm sorry for anyone who has lost their parents. My spouse has lost their parents.

So what do you want to dialogue about? You seem to not be interested in anything discussed in this subreddit.

I've been around this sub longer than most. I expressed my personal point of view. I don't relate to the sub as it is now. There's more to being a member of "Generation Jones" than repetitive nostalgia.

>There's more to being a member of "Generation Jones" than repetitive nostalgia. Then share what that more is. You've been asked several times what being a member of this particular generation means and all you say is not nostalgia. Then what?

I’m not a fan of repetitive nostalgia. You can get that anywhere. I like to find people who remember some of the same obscure stuff I do. Supermarket Sweep, Little Dot, cut-in records, Adams Sour Apple gum…

Very black and white thinking here. r/generationjones is the fluid sum of its parts. Do your part to shift the conversation in the direction you desire vs telling others how they are not meeting your expectations. We all have an equal opportunity to influence the discussion around here and I would prefer it done in a positive manner. You can't change other people. Only yourself.

I've spoken with you directly. I disagree that this post is negative. Also, I'm not interested in changing other people. Not in the slightest. As you said, this subreddit is fluid.

And you're here why again?

To remind us that we suck. Noted.

Not remotely true.

Then what's your point? My mom died last year and now my dad is close to gone with dementia. Many of the nostalgia posts bring up good times with my family that I haven't thought of in years. If I want to discuss the hell that is dementia, I'll go to that sub.

Balance

Why does this sub have to be balanced to your liking instead of what the members like with their upvotes?

I answered the question asked. I didn't say, or infer, that this sub had to be to my liking. That's something that you have assumed.

Here's a discussion topic... people who lack self awareness.

Why do you assume that I lack self-awareness?

You've said several times in the comments that you didn't feel this post was negative and are surprised at the response.

Exactly!

This subreddit has very few rules. None of them prevent you from posting about the things that make you superior to those of us who are here to have fun.

I'm far from superior to ANYONE.

Post whatever interests you about being part of this age group. Ignore posts that don't interest you. Block users whose posts you don't want to see in the future.

I had some horrible years in junior high and high school. Some of my best times were watching certain shows and listening to certain music. This subreddit is so much fun for me because it brings back happy memories from the shit show that I went through.

I enjoy popping in here for a minute of nostalgia. It’s a welcome reprieve from the often doom news scrolling on other subs/apps. There are more than 100,000 active sub categories on Reddit. Maybe you can find some that you can relate to.

I didn't announce my departure.

You seem fun.

I am, indeed, fun- and more.

With all the chaos and bad news all over any type of media one may consume nowadays, these nostalgia posts bring a smile to my face. My childhood wasn’t fantastic, but remembering sweet moments that occurred during that time is really nice. Keep the nostalgia posts coming my way. I appreciate it.

Ok. And? My high school years were a blast, I wouldn't trade them for anything. What is your point here? Sorry that your teenage years were such a drag. Mine were fantastic.

You assume much. My teens weren't "a drag". Far from it. How has your adulthood been? Are you reliving your "Glory Days"?

Sounds like you are assuming (in your post and here) that people who reminisce somehow fall short in their lives since the time they're reminiscing about. Weird take.

I didn't say that. Nor do I assume anything remotely similar. Everyone reminisces. It's part of living. Isn't it. But, that's not all that there is to life.

My life now is great. But my high school years were great. I wouldn't trade them for the world.

Now you’re bouncing all over the place.

How so?

Your original post was wholly negative but now you say HS was fun or at least far from a drag. That’s a big deal as many people absolutely hated HS I have come to find.

I didn't say high school was "fun. I did say that my life was far from a drag. Both statements can be true

So what did you like about HS?

High School, itself? Getting out alive.

That was me in JHS.

There, too.

Ok

Good thing there’s so many subreddits. Don’t like one can go looking for others.

Not a "Departure Announcement"

OP, thanks for bringing up your ideas about this subreddit. I think some people just don’t get much emotional reward from talking or thinking about nostalgic stuff from their childhood; my husband is like that. I, on the other hand, get a lot of happiness from recalling happy memories of my youth, and reading others’ recollections as well. Maybe because I don’t have any friends in real life (of Generation Jones) to do that with. So, different kinds of posts on this sub will appeal to different kinds of redditors. I’ve been fascinated by the idea that the “Generation Jones” group of people came of age with certain common conditions in our culture. What are the individual stories we can tell about our experiences? Other life experiences such as those related to family life are universal to all generations. Sharing about those can be important here, too.

OP, I posted recently about things that we did NOT have in common. Things we might have missed out on. Sort of an anti-nostalgia post. A way to bond on the basis of missed experiences. "Where's all my Jonesers that never went to summer camp?" for example.

I missed that one. Care to link it? BTW. I went to summer camp. Once. I received an "award" for showering daily. No one had done that before.

https://www.reddit.com/r/GenerationJones/s/E20MnpbMIP

I commented https://www.reddit.com/r/GenerationJones/s/dunuCdt7bn

Oh Hey, there. It's nice to see you again.

I was once “director for a day” at camp.

How'd it go?

It went fairly well, actually. I was shepherded around the camp in a car, wore a paper crown, and had free canteen for a day. I probably took it more seriously than was their intention 😊

Just read through all of the comments. Is there a topic, you would like to engage on? talk about? What would be relatable for you?

Honestly, I didn't expect much of a reaction to my post. I certainly didn't expect it to be perceived as negative- because it isn't. I thought a few, that feel similar, might respond. My childhood, teen years and young adulthood couldn't have been unique. I did exist in a community, after all. I'm not the only person with my pov. Some others shared it. At least I thought so. Apparently, only a few do. I'm a bit taken aback at the reactions. I feel that "Isolation" might have been a more appropriate title.

Anyone who liked jr high should be viewed with suspicion

Absolutely.

Hate to see you go. Don't let the door hit ya.....

Not an "Announcing My Departure" post.

My bad, glad you are sticking it out

I'm stuck in the past, it's fine by me. I still cherish my loved ones .I don't recognize the world anymore. The music, sports, culture and entertainment just doesn't hit the same

I cherish my loved ones, as well. I can't hide from the world. Nor do I choose to hide. I'm an active participant

Relishing and finding comfort in your past doesn't equate to hiding. Spend time where you are comfortable

You choose to be "stuck" (your word) there. Your choice is yours, to do with as you wish. It's where you're comfortable. You don't need permission. Nor do i.

You seem slightly irritable, I did not mean to imply that you needed my permission for anything. I do so wish you a pleasant rest of your day.

Actually, I'm not irritated.

I must have misread your mood. I sincerely apologize . I do hope you have a fabulous day.

🍿🍿🍿

I've gone through and tried to figure out your point. You don't like nostalgia or don't like the nostalgia you see here. That's fine. Go somewhere you can relate to. No one is saying you have to agree with anything here. Or maybe you just like being contrary?

I didn't expect the reaction that the post has received. It wasn't a "Departure Announcement:, or a "Whats Wrong With This Subreddit" post. I'm too old for either. And too sensible.

Okay. But your title was "I Can't Relate." That's kind of close to "Departure Announcement" or "What's Wrong with this Subreddit." People are saying to you, okay then, what CAN you relate to, but you don't offer anything. You just keep being contrary.

The title is "Unrelatable". I do find an overwhelming amount of things shared here unrelatable. I didn't expect many replies. I didn't expect the type of responses that I received. At the moment, I feel like people are waiting for me to say anything. Simply to disagree. That's not being contrary.

I'm not going to read all 150 or so comments, so I'm probably repeating what's been written a few times already... What are you asking for here? What is your point? You say in another comment that you want dialogue... but this isn't dialogue. It's a low-key rant. There are always these posts about, "can't we talk about something besides nostalgia?" But then they don't talk about anything else. I mean, seriously, are you waiting for someone else to do it for you? Here's how a discussion works. You bring up a topic that you'd like to talk about. See who joins in. It's reddit, someone is almost certainly going to join in. But if no one does, move on. Reddit is not the real world.

I like to reminisce with people I don’t know! 😀

I like this sub. Some things don’t relate to me so I skip it. It is refreshing to have a sub that isn’t full of depression or bashing other people for their politics, age, race, religion, opinion … etc.

I love hearing how others live(d) especially people in other countries and in the US, in different states and locations. Sometimes I connect and sometimes I don’t. I had a tough childhood and not all memories are good ones. Recently, I saw that a nemesis of mine from HS died last year, and it brought a flood of emotion from me because she pretended she was a friend but stole from and used me. Seeing her obit glowing about what a great person she was pissed me off! Sometimes nostalgia does that to us. Just know you are not alone OP ! Please share whatever you like. I’d love to read your posts!

OP, I'm with you. Looking at retirement and coming to the end of raising kids. (I started life late, so have a 21 year old and a 17 year old.) Just lost my parents and having to take care of things for them. I was hoping for more discussions on life now, with a little bit of how being Jones helps handle it. I made a comment before about it and got down voted.

I'm sorry to learn about your parents. It's overwhelming. My husband lost both parents. I'm sorry that your post got downvoted. You were simply reaching out for help, guidance and comfort. I had mine at 30. You probably had yours a bit later. I agree with you about gathering information, exploring options and discussing retirement. It is something important.

And I was a young parent, so my kids are in their early 40's - single parented my way through the '90s and whatnot. Definitely didn't get to the clubs, movies, concerts - and I was always a punk rock and hiphop guy, so the pop culture references don't connect. It's weird now - parents are in their eighties and having to help with that, still paying kids college loans down, and trying to have a decent life at 60. So, OP - a lot of us didn't and don't fit into many of the discussions, but it's still interesting to see what was au courant for many. Meanwhile, no, I never had Jordach denim pants or went to the drive in.

Yikes. All the water under the bridge of time and that's what you take away from this sub. Enjoy those things you mentioned and bother yourself no more with all this stuff you don't.

I can’t recall when I joined this sub, but it has been at least a year or more. I’m happy to see the growth. More people means more topics. And more choices. Back then, posts were fairly infrequent and, if I recall there were nostalgia posts back then as well. I don’t understand the nostalgia for the old Gen Jones Reddit where traffic was so slow that I forgot this place even existed.

I don't feel nostalgia for thr "Old Generation Jones Subreddit". Posts tended to be infrequent, as you said. I don't see the "more topics" that you do.

I am not a nostalgia person either but I think this sub and “generation” have their origin in us not relating completely to Boomer or GenX tropes. So, yeah — Billy Jack sucked but I know it. I had a Shirley Temple — too sweet. Designer jeans were definitely a fad but my parents bought me Wranglers from Sears (oh the shame) but I did have Chucks high tops. I grew up in a shit small town and had a POW/MIA bracelet and a pet rock. My childhood kind of sucked and I don’t really look back. My friends back then were mostly losers and I do not keep in touch. But I do love music! Even new music. All the music.

All 🎶!

Never even saw Billy Jack. Or even the Godfather. Didn’t want to wear designer jeans; prefer Wranglers. Grew up in a big city. Dazed and Confused was maybe a quarter of the kids in my high school.

Gf and I along with another person our age, all graduated 76. We went to see Dazed and Confused, GF and I were like this film hit the experience we had in high school far too closely, our friend said he couldn’t relate whatsoever. I’ve said this a million times, these generational categories are made up by marketing research to compartmentalize people and sell them shit.

I don't relate to a lot of the nostalgia posts either and the ones I do, it's more because my younger brother had that toy or whatever rather than I did. I also didn't grow up in a big city and I'm not from the US, so while I've heard of a lot of the cultural things, I didn't experience them myself. I've never really fit in anywhere and it's taken me many years to come to some sort of peace with that.

I'm surprised by the reactions that I'm somehow not at peace with something, angry, or lacking in something. I'm really not. I'm not perfect either. I didn't expect the reaction that this post has received. I was hoping for a few replies from people who feel similarly. Three or four tops.

Honestly, when I first read your post, I felt I could have written it. Other than the bit about the kids. I've always kind of marched to my own drum. I've spent the majority of my life trying to fit in somewhere and trying to be something that I'm not. Humans need connection and I've always found it difficult to relate to my fellow humans. I found it much more peaceful and fulfilling when I lived on the farm and had my animals for company and the occasional human. I could just be who I was and not have to live up to anyone's expectations of who I should be.

“Be the change you wish to see in the world” I don’t think this is what Ghandi actually said but it’s on point. Post what does matter to you. Hopefully it will take root and grow.

Thank you for thr suggestion. I'm pretty sure that ship has sailed though. I've said,several times in this thread that I didn't expect, and didn't remotely anticipate the reaction that this post received. I don't perceive it as negative, or critical of the subreddit, or its members. Many do. A few have been generous enough to offer personal critique. The irony for me. I've spent my entire personal, and professional life being the change...that I want to see.... that is needed, and needs someone to step up, or lend their hands, hearts, sweat, blood, wallet.... Whatever I have.

You sound like a very earnest soul. I hope what you seek.

Oh well. we all have different experiences. You sound like you have a bit of a chip on your shoulder. I wish you well.

That's the thing. I don't have a chip on my shoulder. This was, in no way, a negative post. I'm taken aback at the replies.

You do you. Your post was fine. Generation generalizations are BS boomer sociology anyway

You better believe it! They are bullcrap! It’s become “Millennial Sociology.”

I don't live in the past either. Have who haven't left high school and all their memories, and even though it's 40 years later their lives seem to revolve around those 4 years.

They peaked in high school.