If you were a Gen X kid, you remember the Cold War and may be having a familiar feeling right now. Global tension you didn’t fully understand but could feel. We didn’t learn about the Cold War from history books. We learned it from Sting songs, Stallone movies, and being told by our teachers that if the sirens ever sounded, we had about 15 minutes to use our school desks as a defensive weapon since particle board could somehow deflect radiation and nuclear blast.
Flash forward to 2025, and it feels like history is doing an encore. Donald Trump is back in office. Iran and Israel are trading missiles. The U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear sites. Russia, ever the opportunist, is offering to mediate while whispering to Iran behind closed doors. If you’re feeling anxious, know this: you’re not crazy. You’re just old enough to recognize the pattern.
The Mixtape of Dread: How Gen X Processed a Nuclear Childhood
Music saved us in the ’80s for more than just boredom, but from despair. It helped us make sense of living under the shadow of the bomb. Here are some examples off the top of my trauma ridden head.
“99 Luftballons” wasn’t just a German pop song; it was a fable about how a handful of red balloons could trigger global annihilation. It climbed the U.S. charts because it was catchy and because it told a truth we all suspected: the people in charge were one bad day away from ending the world. And the current madmen in charge are even less competent.
“Forever Young” by Alphaville asked us to dream of living forever while quietly acknowledging that we might not. It became a prom anthem for a generation that lived like tomorrow wasn’t guaranteed… because it wasn’t. You went to prom not knowing if graduation was going to happen.
Sting’s “Russians” was less a song than a plea. “I hope the Russians love their children too” wasn’t sarcasm. It was sincere. It was a cry to the people on the other side of the Iron Curtain and to the folks in the White House, too. It is also better international diplomacy than the fuckery we are seeing on Truth Social.
Prince’s “1999” made partying an act of defiance. It wasn’t just a club hit; it was a message: if this is the end, let’s at least go out dancing as if we are partygoers at Poe’s Masque of the Red Death. The fact that it became prophetic instead of dated tells you everything about our generation’s relationship to apocalypse.
Genesis’ “Land of Confusion” brought animation and satire to the table, challenging world leaders and calling out the absurdity of power. We watched the Reagan puppet shuffle through a surreal dreamscape and understood the metaphor even as teens: the message was clear. The adults in charge weren’t okay and actually thought they could win this shit.
Our Cinematic Cold War Survival Guide
When music wasn’t enough, we turned to movies.
Red Dawn made us believe a group of high schoolers could fend off a Soviet invasion with grit, rifles, and a disturbing amount of Mountain Dew. We cheered not because it was realistic, but because it let us imagine we had agency.
WarGames taught us that even a teenager with a computer could nearly trigger World War III. The real lesson? The people running things didn’t have a clue what they were doing. (And honestly, with Reagan nodding off during briefings, we weren’t reassured. Feeling that again? I am!)
Spies Like Us gave us Chevy Chase fumbling through a nuclear crisis, making us laugh when we wanted to cry. The bumbling government agents weren’t that far off from what we imagined anyway.
Threads and The Day After weren’t entertainment. They were trauma delivery systems. We watched society collapse, skin peel, and nuclear winter settle like ash. Teachers had us watch these films in school. What the actual fuck were they thinking? Trauma bonding, maybe?
And then there was Rocky IV. Stallone punched his way through Cold War tensions, standing in for all of us who wanted to believe that one good guy with enough heart could end the Cold War.
End of the World 2.0: Now With Push Notifications
In 2025, the vibe is uncomfortably familiar. Only this time, we don’t have to wait for the nightly news. We get our nuclear dread in real time.
- Trump’s back, and while we joke that he couldn’t find the nuclear football if it was in his golf cart… we’re also not totally joking.
- The U.S. launched airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June.
- Iran responded with missile strikes on U.S. bases in Qatar and targets in Israel.
- Trump declared a ceasefire. Israel and Iran didn’t seem to get the memo.
- Russia is making noise but staying just out of reach in classic Cold War theater.
Meanwhile, social media delivers our anxiety in high resolution: missile footage on TikTok, “expert” threads on X, and Instagram stories from people sheltering in place. It’s raw, real, and relentless.
A Message to the Young: We See You
This isn’t just a Gen X story. Younger generations are staring down a future that looks more like a rerun than a revolution. You didn’t ask for this world, it was handed to you by the elder generations (sorry), but you’re doing what we did: surviving it.
You turn fear into memes. Into playlists. Into mutual aid and protests and mutual care. That’s resistance too.
And I want you to know: I’ve felt this kind of fear before. I lived through the Cold War. We turned our dread into art, humor, and a stubborn refusal to give up. We’re still here and some of us are with you and understand our complicity.
Your humor, your activism, your community-building are your Red Dawns and mixtapes. You’re doing it your way, but I recognize it, respect it, and love you for it. Now for some unsolicited advice from a Gen Xer who is not ready to die yet.
How to Survive The End of Everything 2.0 (Gen X Style, Upgraded for Now)
- Laugh, but stay alert. If you can’t find the absurdity, it will eat you alive. But don’t mistake sarcasm for surrender.
- Build your playlist. Whether it’s 99 Luftballons or Phoebe Bridgers, find the music that reminds you you’re alive.
- Unplug strategically. We had to wait for the 6 o’clock news. You don’t. That means you get to step away when your brain says enough.
- Connect. Whether in person or online, talk to someone who gets it. The Cold War was colder when we were alone.
- Remember who the real enemy is. It’s not each other. It’s the systems that keep bringing us back to the brink. It’s the people who treat power like a toy. Like Reagan, who joked about bombing Russia hot-mic style. Like Trump, who might accidentally launch a drone strike while trying to tweet.
- Resist the temptation to numb out. Whether it’s binge-watching, doomscrolling, or tuning out entirely, it’s easy to go passive. Stay engaged, even if it’s in small doses.
From Fallout Shelters to Feeds
If you’re feeling like the world has lost its mind… you’re not wrong. But here’s the thing: we’ve made it through this before. I believe we will make it through again. If I am wrong… existence has had some fun bits.
Gen X didn’t fix the world, but we survived long enough to raise kids, write books, build community, and keep going. Now, unless we are the assholes ranting about participation trophies and claiming woke is a slur, we stand with Millennials, Gen Z, and everyone else trying to make sense of this chaos.
We may not have all the answers, but we’ve got mixtapes, middle fingers, and memories. And we’re not done fighting.
Not by a long shot.
Stay totally awesome!
Stay true to you!
Pat Green is the editor of GenXWatch.com and the author of “Hearts of Glass Living in the Real World,” a novel about trauma, found family, and refusing to give up. Get your copy of the book today in paperback or ebook (on sale now for $1.99).
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