August 23, 2006
Damn I'm old....
This year's Beloit College "Mindset List."
75 things that the Class of 2010 doesn't know:
(before you bitch at me, remember this is what the average 18 year old thinks, according to Beloit)
1. The Soviet Union has never existed and therefore is about as scary as the student union.
2. They have known only two presidents.
3. For most of their lives, major U.S. airlines have been bankrupt.
4. Manuel Noriega has always been in jail in the U.S.
5. They have grown up getting lost in "big boxes".
6. There has always been only one Germany.
7. They have never heard anyone actually "ring it up" on a cash register.
8. They are wireless, yet always connected.
9. A stained blue dress is as famous to their generation as a third-rate burglary was to their parents'.
10. Thanks to pervasive head phones in the back seat, parents have always been able to speak freely in the front.
11. A coffee has always taken longer to make than a milkshake.
12. Smoking has never been permitted on U.S. airlines.
13. Faux fur has always been a necessary element of style.
14. The Moral Majority has never needed an organization.
15. They have never had to distinguish between the St. Louis Cardinals baseball and football teams.
16. DNA fingerprinting has always been admissible evidence in court.
17. They grew up pushing their own miniature shopping carts in the supermarket.
18. They grew up with and have outgrown faxing as a means of communication.
19. "Google" has always been a verb.
20. Text messaging is their e-mail.
21. Milli Vanilli has never had anything to say.
22. Mr. Rogers, not Walter Cronkite, has always been the most trusted man in America.
23. Bar codes have always been on everything, from library cards and snail mail to retail items.
24. Madden has always been a game, not a Super Bowl-winning coach.
25. Phantom of the Opera has always been on Broadway.
26. “Boogers� candy has always been a favorite for grossing out parents.
27. There has never been a "skyhook" in the NBA.
28. Carbon copies are oddities found in their grandparents' attics.
29. Computerized player pianos have always been tinkling in the lobby.
30. Non-denominational mega-churches have always been the fastest growing. religious organizations in the U.S.
31. They grew up in minivans.
32. Reality shows have always been on television.
33. They have no idea why we needed to ask "...can't we all just get along?"
34. They have always known that "In the criminal justice system the people have been represented by two separate yet equally important groups."
35. Young women's fashions have never been concerned with where the waist is.
36. They have rarely mailed anything using a stamp.
37. Brides have always worn white for a first, second, or third wedding.
38. Being techno-savvy has always been inversely proportional to age.
39. "So" as in "Sooooo New York", has always been a drawn-out adjective modifying a proper noun, which in turn modifies something else.
40. Affluent troubled teens in Southern California have always been the subjects of television series.
41. They have always been able to watch wars and revolutions live on television.
42. Ken Burns has always been producing very long documentaries on PBS.
43. They are not aware that "flock of seagulls hair" has nothing to do with birds flying into it.
44. Retin-A has always made America look less wrinkled.
45. Green tea has always been marketed for health purposes.
46. Public school officials have always had the right to censor school newspapers.
47. Small white holiday lights have always been in style.
48. Most of them have never had the chance to eat bad airline food.
49. They have always been searching for "Waldo".
50. The really rich have regularly expressed exuberance with outlandish birthday parties.
51. Michael Moore has always been showing up uninvited.
52. They never played the game of state license plates in the car.
53. They have always preferred going out in groups as opposed to dating.
54. There have always been live organ donors.
55. They have always had access to their own credit cards.
56. They have never put their money in a "Savings & Loan"
57. Sara Lee has always made underwear.
58. Bad behavior has always been getting captured on amateur videos.
59. Disneyland has always been in Europe and Asia.
60. They never saw Bernard Shaw on CNN.
61. Beach volleyball has always been a recognized sport.
62. Acura, Lexus, and Infiniti have always been luxury cars of choice.
63. Television stations have never concluded the broadcast day with the national anthem.
64. LoJack transmitters have always been finding lost cars.
65. Diane Sawyer has always been live in Prime Time.
66. Dolphin-free canned tuna has always been on sale.
67. Disposable contact lenses have always been available.
68. "Outing" has always been a threat.
69. Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss has always been the perfect graduation gift.
70. They have always "dissed" what they don't like.
71. The U.S. has always been studying global warming to confirm its existence.
72. Richard M. Daley has always been the mayor of Chicago.
73. They grew up with virtual pets to feed, water, and play games with, lest they die.
74. Ringo Starr has always been clean and sober.
75. Professional athletes have always competed in the Olympics.
h/t Prof. Taylor
I saw this yesterday and was delayed on posting about it because I had class last night. You beat me to it! =)
And the saddest one for me?
There has never been a "skyhook" in the NBA.
I was a big Kareem fan growing up...always wore number 33 when I played...
Posted by: Lisa W. at August 24, 2006 05:32 AMI'm on the cusp, I guess, because while I know what they all refer to, I'm still young enough to not know a lot about some of it.
Posted by: wRitErsbLock at August 24, 2006 06:15 AMSara Lee makes underwear? Does it taste like pound cake?
Posted by: jen at August 24, 2006 11:05 AMSara Lee owns Bali, Hanes, Playtex and WonderBra!
Posted by: caltechgirl at August 24, 2006 11:56 AMThe ones that get me are:
"Smoking has never been permitted on U.S. airlines" -- I don't even smoke; it just freaks me out that it's really been that long already since anyone could do so, because I remember it so clearly (she said, like an old biddy). CIGARETTE SMOKE ON A PLANE: it was like, a summer blockbuster.
And that cash register noise ringy-dingy thingy. Whoo boy. And clerks actually knowing how to -- this is TOO quaint -- "make change."
I guess not having microwave ovens, digital watches, CDs, is out too. And, OMG, NO internet! Aaaaaa!
Oh just shovel the dirt over my face now. I'm so over.
Posted by: dogette at August 24, 2006 04:28 PMGee, you put me to shame, I feel like I still remember the list of what life was like 100 years ago in 1906. I’ll send it to you, you can see how far we have come in a century, and we can speculate on what to next 100 years will bring.
Posted by: Edd at August 25, 2006 04:14 AMSad, but true...
Posted by: Me! at August 25, 2006 01:11 PMDammit...feeling older than ever now. I'm in total agreement with Dogette over this.
Posted by: Mrs_Who at August 26, 2006 07:51 AMYou feel old? Hell, I HAVE smoked on a plane. Some years ago.
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at August 26, 2006 08:16 PM