THis piece of writing which i have decided to include as a part of my site was actually my paper written in junior year,  i am not completely sure that it was the finished document or if it was a draft, but i assure you that it was mine, myfirends will back me on this. it was about (if i remember correctly) about Kevin Smith's movies and how they show his intrepretation of generation x, at least thats what i tried to prove. I think i did a good job,  after all i got a "B", i enjoyed writing this paper a lot, so i hope u enjoy reading it as well.

    Many people may wonder just what is Generation X? After all, if they are going to control the planet, should I at least know what they are about? Kevin Smith decided that it was time that he told the world what Generation X really is. But before you see and or learn about his movies you should know about Generation X through the rest of the world's eyes and what they really are like before seeing it from theirs. Generation X has for a while now been known as the generation of slackers. They are looked down upon by the earlier generations that precede them. The Boomer generation took place between 1946 and 1964. After this 18 year span an 11 year "baby bust" took place in which the birth rate dropped significantly. It is because of this that the ratio of Generation X to Boomers is 44 million to 77 million. Clearly, Generation X is outnumbered. It is because of this decrease in number that the need for people in the workplace has increased. Generation X realizes their situation and has been using this to their advantage. It is for this reason that Generation X'ers prefer to take their time when choosing a job, because they look for the best wages that they can earn (Losyk 4). Along with this constant job searching comes the fact that Generation X'ers also view their jobs as only temporary positions. They like to keep watch for a hint that a better job or position is available with better wages. Also, "X-ers are looking to build satisfying relationships with co.-workers and receive recognition for a job well done. 'The personal factor is crucial...'" (Kapner 128). Along with this, Generation X'ers also feel that job security is very scarce, and is something that they value. They have a tendency to be less loyal and show less comittment to their jobs. This tendency occurs because "the events of their childhood impact how they perform in the work place today..." (Kapner 128). These events include the witnessing of their parents getting laid off or fired due to downsizing. (Losyk 5) In a study done on Generation X it was discovered that 70 percent of those surveyed said that they would rather work a lower paying job if they had a greater job security. Also, 83 percent of those surveyed said that they wanted a job where they could be the boss because they feel that they would have the most job security (Dolliver 26). It is for this reason that Generation X'ers like to start their own business. One person interviewed about this subject said that it does not "matter how much money you make for them, you are still just an x. And you can be x-ed off. With my own business, I could come in at 7 a.m. and leave at noon to play golf" (Hornblower 60). Other key factors about Generation X involving the work place is that they often prefer to question authority:

They don't like to take orders...They often ask why when they are told to do something, and they want to know what's in it for them. This generation doesn't automatically respect people because they are older or possibly wiser. They feel that people must prove that they are worthy of respect. Ironically, they themselves want to be respected immediately and unconditionally. (Losyk 5)

    Another key factor about Generation X is that they consider making time for relaxation and fun a high priority. This also has its connections to the desire to own a business so that they can create time for leisure. This desire for leisure time is because they wish to spend much of their time with their families. Due to the fact that many Generation X'ers were latch key kids and or part of families in which the parents were unable to spend much time with their children, Generation X'ers seek to create a more stable family where they can be with their children on a daily basis. 40 percent of Generation X'ers were in a family with a divorce, and many were in single family homes. This separation at an early age is what makes Generation X'ers stay home for a much longer period of time than those of earlier generations (Losyk 5). Generation X also stays home longer because they have large student loans to pay off. Currently there are 22 million people that are over the age of 18 that live with their parents as a way of making ends meet (Kapner 128).

    Generation X has an overall negative view of the world in general. This is due to the numerous violent acts on television and because they live in a period in history with the most violence and murders. Other events such as the Gulf War, crime, pollution and other unpleasant issues create this view. Their single parent homes also contribute to this (Losyk 5). Studies show that "50 percent were latch key kids who learned to be self-reliant at a young age. Television was the surrogate parent and often a poor role model...by age 16 most kids have seen 33,000 murders on television and in the movies" (Kapner 128). Because of Generation X's constant viewing of violence, they have in a way been brought up and taught that they live in a violent and sad world.

    In 1994 a 23 year old Generation X movie director named Kevin Smith released Clerks. The movie was simply about a convenience store clerk that has a bad day. To his own surprise the movie was so popular that it gave him the title "King of Gen-X Cinema" (Hornblower 68). Yet even with this title, people may still wonder just who is Kevin Smith? Although born in Highlands, Kevin Smith is the local hero of Leonardo, NJ. His first film Clerks, was filmed at the Quick Stop and R.S.T. Video stores, two local businesses in which Smith previously worked. His education consisted of the local schools in his hometown and Vancouver film school in British Columbia. Smith dropped out of film school after a short time. He became inspired to make Clerks after seeing Slacker, a movie by Richard Linklater. Smith's reason for making Clerks was:

I was always a big movie fan, I was a Star Wars generation kid. But here was a movie, Slacker, that had no plot, no car chases, no villain and no three acts, and yet it was really engaging because of the dialogue. And dialogue was the thing I did best. I know some people will be offended by the language, but that's just the way me and my friends talk. (Smith)

    It is at this point that Smith wrote Clerks while working at the Quick Stop and living at home. In order to fund the movie, Smith had to sell his entire comic book collection, and borrow 3,000 dollars from his parents. He even went into debt from using his credit cards along with Scott Mosier, his producer. All of the actors used in the film were beginners and the actual shooting took about three weeks. The hours in which each day went were difficult:

Each morning he would open the store at 6 A.M. and work until 11 A.M., then sleep until 4 P.M., at which point he would work the cash register until closing time at 10:30 P.M.. He shot the film from 10:30 until 6 the next morning, at which time he would open the store again. (Chanko 4)

    The film was then shown at various film festivals and won two awards at the Cannes International Film Festival, and the Film Maker's Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival. While at Sundance, Miramax bought Clerks from Smith for "about five times what the film cost to make" (4). Then he paid off his debts, bought his comic collection back, a Dodge Neon and a condo.

    Aside from being an entertaining movie about two convenience store clerks, the movie also shows a representation about Generation X. Clerks is a representation of Kevin Smith's personal view about what Generation X really is along with the stereotypical view. In this case the stereotypical view is the slacker. Other people have also recognized the similarity to the movie and Generation X. One critic wrote that "Clerks is true to the slacker motif of mixing smart twentyish characters with precocious burnouts..." (Maslin 10). Another critic from Entertainment weekly said that "Clerks announces itself as the latest slacker manifesto" (Gleiberman 79). A third critic said that "Clerks arrives as the freshest, funniest, least pretentious and most sympathetic portrait of the so-called "Generation X" yet put on film" (Mittelbach 119). Clerks does in fact show examples of Generation X in its cast of characters. Many of them exhibit qualities of both the modern characteristics and the stereotypical view. One of the main characteristics of Generation X that is easily seen in the movie is the desire to set aside time for leisure use. The character Dante is an excellent example of Generation X's desire to have fun. In the movie "Dante makes clear...that he is drifting. His main priority is essentially leisure. He moans about a hockey game he has to play in the afternoon..." (117). The reason why Dante is upset is because he has to work and he is not going to be able to play. This topic remains as the primary concern for about half of the movie. All is not lost for Dante however, he and his friends "organize a game of roof hockey" (Rolling Stone 104). Unfortunately the game is abruptly ended when a customer, who is angry at Dante because he closed the store to play hockey, takes away their only ball and shoots it into a nearby sewer. Dante then goes on for five to ten minutes complaining about how short the game was. During this time all of his friends are taking all the Gatorade. Their excuse for their actions is that "if were gonna be insubordinate, why not go the full nine?" (Clerks) A second example of Generation X and their leisure time is when Dante decides to close the store just so he can have a private conversation with his ex-girlfriend. Later on he closes the store so he can go and change for his date with her.

    Another characteristic of Generation X that is displayed in Clerks is Generation X's negative view of the world. Throughout the movie, Dante is presented as the character in which everything goes wrong for him. Smith uses Dante as a way as explaining why Generation X has such a negative view of the world. During the movie, Dante is presented with one negative event after another. For example, his bad day starts with being called into work on his day off. "I'm not even supposed to be here today!" (Clerks) repeatedly becomes Dante's excuse for the rest of the movie whenever something goes wrong. At the start of his day he is accused of being a cancer merchant, angel of death, a Nazi and other various insults for selling cigarettes. As it turns out, the only reason why this ever occurred is because a man was stirring up an anti-smoking riot in order to promote the sale of the gum his company manufactures. Other negative events include a fine for 500 dollars for the sale of tobacco to a four year old, and the breakup between his girlfriend and himself. During the movie, Randal asks Dante about his personal preference on which Star Wars movie was better, Return of the Jedi or The Empire Strikes Back. Dante replies "Empire had the better ending. I mean Luke gets his hand cut off, finds out Vader's his father, Han gets taken away by Boba Fett, it ends on such a down note. I mean that's what life is, a series of down endings..." (Clerks). This line is used as an example of how Generation X has their negative view of the world. Dante's day, along with his whole life, has been so bad that he always sees the world negatively, thus saying life is a series of down endings. Dante's comment represents the general Generation X view of the world. Along with the negative events that occur, the entire setting is in a way depressing. There is never a scene where the setting is drab, dirty, depressing, sad etc. The movies opens with Dante's house. Dante's room is very dirty, there are clothes all over the floor, and Dante is even unable to find the phone in the mess. The Quick Stop is very depressing for someone to spend an entire day at. The only other change of location is a funeral home, which is a place that is generally sad. These locations for where the movie takes place, are what add to the negative view of the world. One of the main factors that add to the negative feeling of the convenience store are the everyday customers that come to shop and or just hand outside. During the movie, Randal and Dante both share their dislikes of the certain types of customers that come into the store on a regular basis. Dante expresses his dislike for a certain group of people in which he has nicknamed the "milk maids". These are a group of women that always look in the back of the milk section for the later date on the milk. For some reason, Dante hates these people. Randal also expresses his dislike for all of the people who go in the video store. Another example of the annoying customer is the man who suffers from "shell shock". In the movie there is a man that goes through each carton of eggs in order to find the perfect dozen. Finally the man starts smashing eggs on the glass window of the freezer and Dante will have to ultimately have to clean it up. A third example of the type of people who make Dante's life miserable are Jay and Silent Bob. Jay is a drug dealer that hangs around with Silent Bob all day in front of the store. Numerous times Dante has asked the two to relocate themselves but they refuse to leave. In the end of the movie, Dante expresses his general distaste for his working in the convenience store. Dante feels that he is "stuck in a pit working for less than slave wages and dealing with every backward-assed fuck on the planet" (Clerks). Another key factor about Clerks is that Generation X finds humor in everything even death. This adds to their negative view of the world. In Clerks, the deaths of two people are made into a comical scenario. One of the two deaths involves a young woman whom Dante previously had a relationship with. Smith makes this scenario comical by the way the woman dies. As it turns out the way she dies along with what happens at the wake is what makes it comical. Apparently the woman died of an embolism in her brain after swimming laps in a YMCA pool. At the wake later on in the movie, Randal accidentally knocks over the casket and the woman's body fell out. The second death is also portrayed in a comical way. In this scene, an elderly man has died in the bathroom after being left alone with an adult magazine while Randal and Dante were at the young woman's wake. Also in this scene, Dante's former girlfriend Kaitlin Bree, has sex with the elderly man after he died. The catch is that she thought that it was Dante. The reason why that this is so significant is because this is an example of how Generation X sees the world. Generation X sees the world so negatively, that they try to find humor in a sad and depressing event, even death.

    A key factor about Generation X in Clerks is the stereotypical view that Generation X is a group of slackers. Throughout the movie, Randal plays the role of representing this stereotypical view. In one particular key scene, Randal is sitting on top of the counter of the video store while a woman is trying to speak with him. He is pretending to be involved in reading the paper so that he does not have to talk to her. He even tells her that he does not watch movies and that "I find its best to stay out of other people's affairs" (Clerks). Finally the woman points out that he was not paying attention to her and that his manager would not approve. Randal is displaying the stereotypical view of the lazy worker. Also in this scene, Randal displays the Generation X quality of their desire for immediate respect. In the scene with the annoyed customer, Randal voices how insulted he is with the woman and how she treats him. In fact he makes it seem as if she is the one at fault. In response to the woman's pointing out that he wasn't paying attention to her, Randal responds by saying:

Randal: I hope it feels good.

Woman: Hope what feels good?

Randal: I hope it feels so good to show that you were right, there nothing more exhilarating than pointing out the shortcomings of others.

Woman: Well this is the last time I rent here!

Randal: You'll be missed.

Woman: Screw you! (Clerks)

Following this conversation, Randal locks up the store again, after doing so on and off for about the whole movie so far, and goes next-door to see Dante.