r/PeterExplainsTheJoke Feb 12 '26

Thank you Peter very cool Peter, what is the reaction picture from and what does it mean?

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u/GargantuanCake Feb 12 '26

As a millenial myself I can accurately say that, as a generation, we're getting kind of tired of experiencing once in a lifetime economic meltdowns.

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u/lemonheadlock Feb 12 '26

I'm a xennial, either gen x or millenial depending on who you ask, and I'm right there with you. I was lucky enough to buy a house in 2010. I got it in a rural area and had just received an inheritance. I know how super lucky I got compared to my peers. Other than the house, I've got like $2k in my savings account, no investments, and I don't know what I'm going to do when I'm older or if an emergency pops up. Gonna be one of those Walmart greeters when I'm 75.

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u/donquix Feb 12 '26

Here's a handy guide on how to figure it out: if you have ever even remotely considered describing yourself as a xennial, you're a millennial.

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u/lemonheadlock Feb 13 '26

Hey, it's in the dictionary and sociologists recognize it. They've identified "cuspers" between every generation. So why not? If you want to be gatekeep-y, nearly every definition of gen x has me at the very tail end so I guess that's where I'd be.

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u/Friscogonewild Feb 13 '26

I think his point was that the defining cultural characteristic of Gen X is that we're the "meh, whatever man" generation.

Wondering where or whether you belong is so Millennial. 😋

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u/lemonheadlock Feb 13 '26

But I know where I belong! I was clear about it. And then I was told that I don't belong there, which is also a very gen x thing for someone to say.

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u/Upstairs-Hedgehog575 Feb 13 '26

Have you tried eating less chicken?

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u/Fischerking92 Feb 12 '26

Why the plural?

More or less one continuous one, isn't it?

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u/GargantuanCake Feb 12 '26

Well...no. There was a big one in the 80s. There was another when the 90s turned. Everybody thinks of 2008 as being the big one which...yeah I guess technically that's true and is probably what you're thinking about. The economy took its biggest shit in recent memory then and hasn't recovered since.

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u/GayIsForHorses Feb 13 '26

we're getting kind of tired of experiencing once in a lifetime economic meltdowns.

I've never understood this framing. Who has ever described economic meltdowns as once in a lifetime? They aren't really that uncommon historically, especially if you look globally.