Twinkies, Ding Dongs & Bubblegum

^{ONE GEN X THING}

Gen X is “Culturally Irrelevant”

So, apparently, Generation X has achieved what some say was our ultimate goal all along: becoming culturally irrelevant. Yeah, you read that right. According to this article, all 65 million of us are now celebrating the fact that we’ve successfully faded into the background of the nation's political, cultural, and historical landscape.

Hmm.

One Gen Xer, Clinton Bower, proudly announced: “We did it, man! We fought against the system by voting third-party in every single election, complaining about our jobs, and sticking to the same 10 bands regardless of music evolution.”

Clinton, we respectfully disagree. We actually like 11 bands.

Garett Nusbaum, a sociology bigwig at Rutgers University, puts it this way: "Gen X was all about 'nothing matters anyway.' They rebelled by wearing flannel, playing Dungeons & Dragons, and collectively shrugging off societal responsibilities. They even managed to enjoy some economic prosperity while their parents wrecked the joint."

There you have it. We’ve apparently crowned ourselves as the nation's most forgettable generation.

*****

BONUS STORY: Gen X shares the adult things they’ve learned to love.

^{IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AURA}

What’s Not Irrelevant: Protecting Yourself Against Spammers and Scammers

You know who hasn’t forgotten Gen X? Spammers and scammers. They definitely see us. Luckily, so does Aura.

If you’re tired of unwanted emails, texts, and calls from scammers and spammers, Aura has the solution for you. Aura uses cutting-edge AI technology to scan the internet to identify where your personal information is exposed and being sold.

With Aura, you can take control of your online privacy and secure your personal information. Reduce robocalls and keep your information safe from identity thieves. Try Aura free for 2 weeks and see if your information has been compromised.

Start Your Free Trial

^PRE-TIREMENT

• If you’re contributing to a health savings account, here are some ideas for how to make your HSA work for you during retirement.

• Are you wondering how to catch up on your retirement savings? You’ll find some great tips in this article, from opening new accounts to changing your job.

• You can actually put on a number on how much the rising rate of inflation is affecting your family. Ouch.

*****

BONUS STORY: Scientists have discovered how to reverse gray hair.

^{POLL RESULTS}

Best Year for Movies: 1990s Version

It was a battle royale, but 1990 stuck it out and won the crown for the best year of movies during the 90s. You can check out all the options here, but these are the movies that swept 1990 to victory:

• Home Alone

• Ghost

• House Party

• Goodfellas

• Edward Scissorhands

Well done, Gen X. Here are the numbers:

Which Movie Year Are You Choosing?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 1990 (12)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 1991 (2)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 1992 (1)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 1993 (3)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 1994 (0)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 1995 (1)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 1996 (4)

🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ 1997 (7)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 1998 (0)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 1999 (2)

32 Votes

Latchkey readers chimed in:

• “I'll just watch the Matrix over and over.”

• “I could watch "Home Alone" in the summer...and I have!”

^{YOU MAKE THE CALL}

Best Bubblegum Flavor of the 1980s

We here at Latchkey have some very strong opinions on this one, but we’ll keep quiet so as not to compromise the results of this important study of bubblegum flavors.

What we want to know this week is:

^{… AND THE REST}

• Researchers in Japan are getting closer to developing a drug that regrows teeth, with the hopes of having the treatment available by 2030. This could save Gen X a lot of money on dentures.

• If you’ve got an old iPhone or Android sitting around, you can turn it into a home security camera. In just a few steps, your house will be like Fort Knox.

• Speaking of iPhones, did you know your favorite Apple appendage has a built-in white noise feature? We feel a nap coming on.

• And another iPhone thing: It can also decode those pesky warning lights on your dashboard. Oh, that’s what that light is for.

• We don’t need no thought control, or maybe we do. Scientists have reconstructed Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” by decoding recordings of electrical brain activity. Um, what?

• The geniuses at La-Z-Boy have created the ultimate Gen X accessory: The Decliner. It’s a recliner with built-in technology that generates a cancellation text via SMS. We’ll take two.

• Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols doesn’t think much of Generation Sex, a group made up of Billy Idol and a few members of the Sex Pistols.

• Here are 9 Gen X fashion rules for the younger generations. We’ll swear by #4 until our dying breath.

• And finally …: A list of the all-time bestselling board games, ranked by units sold. We’re kind of surprised that #6 ranked so high on the list.

Milestones. 

August 22, 1975: US President Gerald Ford survives second assassination attempt in 17 days.

August 24, 1992: Hurricane Andrew makes landfall in Florida as a Category 5 storm, resulting in 65 deaths and $26.5 billion damages.

August 25, 1996: "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" is released and goes on to win five Grammies.

^{FROM THE GEN X MEMORY VAULT}

Tasty Memes and Memories

^{WEEKLY EAR WORM}

“Who’s That Girl?” by Madonna

In honor of Madonna’s recent 65th (!!!) birthday, our earworm this week is the title song from her 1987 movie, “Who’s That Girl.” The movie co-starred Griffin Dunne, and tells the story of a street-smart girl (Madonna) who is falsely accused of murdering her boyfriend, is sent to jail and resolves to find the real murderers once she’s released.

The movie was a bust at the box office, but the song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 22, 1987, making Madonna the artist with the most number one hits in the 1980s.

Sing along with us:

¿Quién es esa niña?

That’s it for this week’s Latchkey! If you have any feedback, we’d love to hear from you! Just reply to this email and unload.

Otherwise, we’ll see you back here next Saturday.

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