The Opiate, Fall Vol. 7
The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same: Douglas Coupland’s Generation X
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h e s ay ing g oes: “T he more t hi ng s ch an ge, th e more they stay the sam e. ” A n d yet, in these times of consta nt f lu x, ad van cement a nd increased ( quo te un q u ote) ease, the gener ation of now, we’ ll call th em mil l ennia l s in spite o f how d erog ator y the moniker ha s beco m e, have a ten d ency to bel ieve their apathy i s a tru ly unique phenomenon. T hey don’t b elieve in the a forementio ned platitu d e, in stead insistent on the noti o n that ever y th ing has cha nged to a poi nt wh ere th e onl y a ppropr iate response i s a ll-ou t d etachment. T his coping mecha n
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-i sm , o f so r ts, p revents m essy em o ti o na l i nvo l vem ents —not that much emotional involvement of any kind is able to flourish in a world dictated by apps and screens that practically mandate social ineptitude. Or so the generation of today would like to tell themselves. But in Douglas Coupland’s debut 1991 novel, Generation X, the issues and self-imposed disengagements of the current epoch remain an equally as souldeadening force to be reckoned with. Focused on the enmeshed lives of three off-the-grid living platonic friends, Claire, Dag and Andy (the primary narrator), Coupland highlights the persistent problem of today in showcasing
