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I’m Gen X.
I didn’t read history.
I watched it happen live.

In this episode of Confessions of a Gen-X Mind, I reflect on growing up during a time when history unfolded in real time on CNN, Channel One, and nonstop cable news. World events interrupted algebra class. Televisions stayed on in the background. The news was always there.

At the same time, I was learning journalism. The difference between fact and opinion. Why sources matter. Why a free press, trusted expertise, and respect for evidence are essential to a healthy democracy.

Growing up in suburban Texas while listening to NWA and watching CNN, I learned early that power doesn’t treat everyone the same. That justice is often negotiable. And that identity and fear can override facts if you know how to activate them.

This episode traces a Gen X media memory arc through Rodney King, Waco, Ruby Ridge, the Oklahoma City bombing, the OJ trial, 9/11, and the gradual collapse of the information gatekeepers that once separated reporting from rumor.

It’s a radio essay about watching history unfold in real time. About the fine line between healthy skepticism and conspiracy thinking. And about what happens when shared truth disappears.

This is not a hot take.
It’s a witness statement.

This work reflects personal experience, opinion, and publicly available information. It is not intended as a statement of fact about any person beyond matters already on public record.