A glorified colloquial term. An immensely crucial concept. Either way, generation X is, or has become, a fundamental denomination of sorts.

Upon recognition of the term, a myriad of questions come to mind. Who belong to it? Are they the six billion souls on the planet or is there an age limit? What does it connote? Does it only refer to the nameless entities with a book on one hand and a cell phone in the other?

The inquisitions are countless and the answers are beyond unclear; some of them are troublesome and others may be downright nonexistent. In lieu of this, two things can be inferred. First, that since there is no universal way to decipher its meaning, it's essence differs from person to person. Second, as the denomination is an evolving contemporary concept, attaching a concrete definition to it is a linguistic conundrum.

Still we pursue its meaning not so much to pin it down but to learn from it, regardless of how elusive it is.

We do know a few things. We know that when the term is used, it is usually to imply new trends, new things and new people, thus the variable X, suggesting the unknown. We can probably stipulate that political correctness aside, it refers to the up and coming genre, thus eliminating the confusion on the age barrier issue. We can further add that where only affiliations are concerned, we associate the term with "values", be they pleasant or derogatory, tending to lie more and more often in the latter.

This does not come unsupported. Referring to the current generation, Zafra observed, "Each generation tries to out do and surprise the previous one and the thing with this genre is that they are preceded by a generation that is already very difficult to surprise." Time magazine confirms, "… they are a generation blissfully unaware that 10 years from now, they will be 10 years older", referring to the teenage frenzy. (i.e. Britney, Cristina, etc)

It seems, at this point, that a substantial number of people view the generation, and in effect, generation X, as a bizarre genre, most of whom are old enough to make their own decisions, but not mature enough to make the right ones. On the outset, it appears correct, irrefutable even, but as in most things that relate to abstract concepts, the truth in the statement is subjective and relative; to categorically state it is either true or otherwise would backfire with enough rhetorics to last us a couple of lifetimes.

That out of the way, to get to what generation X is, it is essential to grasp what it is perceived to be. In general, it's used to cover all aspects of the developed world and its young appalling inhabitants. It's a parent's quip when a child watches TV while reading. It's a teacher's reaction when an adolescent does not flinch, stutter or look awkward when dealing with "sensitive" matters. It's a traditionalist's tag to a changing society, a friend's sentiments on an impoverished peer, a yuppie's excuse regarding his nightlife.

A glorified colloquial term. An immensely crucial concept. An apparently fundamental denomination.

Not withstanding that it is Globe's punch line or a popular comic book, I think generation X is a question: an inquiry into what we are becoming and what we have become. When we utter the words, we contemplate as to where we are. For this reason, where this definition of generation X is concerned, most of us would accept that this is something we will never fully comprehend, though it's going to be amusing to see us try.