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Positively Gen-X #1 - February, 2025

Feb 01, 2025

Welcome to the February edition of the newsletter.

Hey there. It’s been a minute. I took some time off with this newsletter to really try and figure out what I wanted it to be about. From my short time on Substack, I have noticed that there is not a lot of content focused on my generation (Gen-X) and those folks who have a love of and/or nostalgia for the 1980s. I want to change that. I have been posting on TikTok for almost five years now and the audience over there is amazing, but having it go away for a day made me realize that I need to expand onto other platforms and start building communities in other places in case it does ever actually go away for good.

So, I have decided that I will be talking about all things Gen-X here from now on, from random thoughts to television show premieres (I share these on my TikTok every week and have viewers guess the show from the photo and description). I’m also noodling around with including some other sections, like interviews and cool things I’ve seen. It’s a work in progress, but I wanted to reintroduce the newsletter and see what you all thought. And if you’re Gen-X and on the platform, drop a comment so I can make sure and follow you! The more the merrier….

~Tai

Conversation Starters

Here’s some random thoughts I had in January…

🤩 What television show did you copy your fashion from in the 80s?

There might be something to turning abandoned malls into Gen-X retirement homes.

What’s your top five sci-fi shows from the 80s?

Sunday nights with Wild Kingdom and Wonderful World of Disney were the bomb.

How amazing would an Airwolf and Knight Rider team up have been?

I kinda miss commercial breaks in a weird sort of way.

Remember the pain of your boombox eating your cassette tape?

Remember Choose Your Own Adventure books?

When’s the last time you listened to an album all the way through?

Remember when Saturday morning was cereal and cartoons?

There should be a streaming platform that just plays TV shows from the 80s.

The people who haven’t seen Face/Off constantly not getting the Nic Cage/John Travolta jokes. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Or the folks who haven’t seen Fight Club not getting the Brad Pitt/Edward Norton jokes.

Television Show Premieres in January

Can you name these shows that premiered in January during the 1980s? Drop your answers in the comments along with the numbers!

#1 January 3rd, 1984

🚤 The cases of a private investigations agency run by two Vietnam War veterans and their computer geek friend from high school, armed with toughness, their own helicopter, and the third's technical ability.

#2 January 4th, 1985

🏍️ A desk bound cop secretly fights crime as the test pilot for a prototype combat motorcycle.

#3 January 10th, 1983

👷🏼 The adventures of the various inhabitants of an underground civilization.

#4 January 10th, 1983

🚤 Resplendent with authentic 1980s music, fashion, and vibe, this show follows two undercover detectives and their extended team through the mean streets of Miami, Florida.

#5 January 14th, 1980

🔬 A children’s show explaining various principles of science and their applications.Date

#6 January 22nd, 1984

🚁 As part of a deal with an intelligence agency to look for his missing brother, a renegade pilot goes on missions with an advanced battle helicopter.

#7 January 27th, 1980

🛸 When the Battlestar Galactica finally arrives at Earth, they find they must subtly raise its tech level while protecting it from the Cylons.

#8 January 31st, 1988

🏡 The series depicts the social and family life of a boy in a typical American suburban middle-class family from 1968 to 1973, covering the ages of 12 through 17.

Positively Gen-X Amazon Shop

Sharing 1980s flashbacks & unlocking Gen X memories on the Amazon Influencer platform in the Positively Gen-X Shop.

*As a shop owner I receive a small portion of sales when items are purchased using my special link. Thank you!

Check it out HERE.

Gen-X Nostalgia Creator Spring Shop

I have a few merch items over here, like hats, shirts, hoodies, phone cases, stickers, and pillows. You can check it out HERE.

Recommendations

Here’s where I’m happy to give other creators on the platform a shoutout.

This month’s rec is for somebody I admire from TikTok and Instagram who has been killing it forever. She also decided to get on Substack when it looked like TikTok was going away. Please check out:

Slim Sherri (Unapologetically real, hilariously raw—Slim Sherri is your daily dose of wit, sarcasm, and midlife madness. Laugh, live, and embrace chaos—no apologies required!)

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From the Desk of Tai Freligh

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