Worst Personal Reflection on One's Generation Ever

Well, maybe that explains a lot.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...gas-worsened-mental-health-gen-x/76711191007/

Gen X bears an extra burden of conditions such as depression, anxiety, ADHD and neurotic behavior because of the leaded gasoline they were exposed to as children, according to a study published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
Leaded gas was banned in the United States in 1996, but the study said years of exposure during development made them particularly vulnerable. Lead gas peaked from the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s, and children born during that era would later develop some of the highest rates of mental health symptoms, the study said.
"I tend to think of Generation X as 'generation lead,'" said Aaron Reuben, a study co-author and assistant professor of clinical neuropsychology at the University of Virginia. "We know they were exposed to it more and we're estimating they have gone on to have higher rates of internalizing conditions like anxiety, depression and symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder."

 

Yeah but it was so much fun to smell the gas while our parents filled up the stationwagon. Oh well whatever never mind.

 

I was still putting regular in my first car from 87-89.

 

I don’t know about gas fumes, but those chipped off pieces of old paint were delicious!

 

My parents bought a fix-me-up three-family for tax write-off purposes in the mid-80s. Had me and my sister scrape all the paint off the house before my Dad (or someone he hired) applied a fresh coat of paint. I'm sure we're all fine from those chips!!!

 

You might remember Troy McClure from educational films such as “Lead Paint: Delicious But Deadly.”

 

An additional thought that's crystallized in my mind, school shootings.

It gets me to my core that it's become normalized. I told my kid recently, when I went to school the thought of a shooting NEVER entered the realm of possibility. There was the UT sniper and that was it. After Columbine, Sandy Hook, etc. its part of our daily life now.

 

I was a student at University of Iowa in November 1991 when a disgruntled grad student, looking for the university president, killed a university VP and several others in the administration building before killing himself.

Huge national story at the time, and the university phone system literally melted down as so many parents tried to call their students.

Today? Eh, another shooting with a few victims. It would get a quick mention online or on CNN, then be forgotten about a few days later. Very sad how things have changed, and it’s not progress.

 

I was a freshman when Columbine happened. Our principal got on the intercom the next day and told us to basically not bully people. 25 years later, I’m telling my kids about targets of opportunity and how we can knock down a false wall in our room and escape through the other class’s back door. It’s wild.

But on Jan. 6, the Gen Z interns knew how to stay safe. It’s just not ok.

 

Leaded gas, hell. I say it was watching shit like this as a toddler that led to anxiety.



Also, to this day? I occasionally have the nightmare I had as a kid of Sesame Street numbers chasing me.

 

Was a pinball and/or The Pointer Sisters after you as well?

 

What about the second-hand smoke and all the booze you could sneak?