Just in case you
weren't feeling too old today, this will certainly change things. Each
year the staff at Beloit College in Wisconsin puts together a list to
try to give the Faculty a sense of the mindset of this year's incoming
freshman. Here is this year's list:
The people who
are starting college this fall across the nation were born in 1982.
They have no
meaningful recollection of the Reagan Era and probably did not know
he had ever been shot.
They were prepubescent
when the Persian Gulf War was waged. Black Monday, 1987 is as significant
to them as the Great Depression.
There has been
only one Pope.
They were 11
when the Soviet Union broke apart and do not remember the Cold War.
They are too
young to remember the space shuttle blowing up and they have never feared
a nuclear war.
Tianamen Square
means nothing to them.
Bottle caps
have always been screw off and plastic.
Atari predates
them, as do vinyl albums.
The expression
"You sound like a broken record" means nothing to them.
They have never
owned a record player.
They have likely
never played Pac Man and have never heard of Pong.
They may have
never heard of an 8 track.
The Compact
Disc was introduced when they were 1 year old.
As far as they
know, stamps have always cost about 33 cents.
They have always
had an answering machine.
Most have never
seen a TV set with only 13 channels, nor have they seen a black and
white TV.
They have always
had cable.
There have always
been VCRs, but they have no idea what BETA was.
They cannot
fathom not having a remote control.
They don't know
what a cloth baby diaper is, or know about the "Help me, I've fallen
and I can't get up" commercial.
Feeling old Yet?
There's more:
They were born
the year that Walkmen were introduced by Sony.
Roller skating
has always meant inline for them.
Jay Leno has
always been on the Tonight Show.
They have no
idea when or why Jordache jeans were cool.
Popcorn has
always been cooked in the microwave.
They have never
seen Larry Bird play.
They never took
a swim and thought about Jaws.
The Vietnam
War is as ancient history to them as WWI, WWII and the Civil War.
They have no
idea that Americans were ever held hostage in Iran.
They can't imagine
what hard contact lenses are.
They don't know
who Mork was or where he was from.
They never heard:
"Where's the beef?", "I'd walk a mile for a Camel,"
or "De plane, de plane!".
They do not
care who shot J.R. and have no idea who J.R. was.
The Titanic
was found? They thought we always knew.
Michael Jackson
has always been white.
Kansas, Chicago,
Boston, America, and Alabama are places, not rock bands.
McDonald's never
came in Styrofoam containers.
There has always
been MTV.
They don't have
a clue how to use a typewriter.
Do you feel
old yet?
Submitted
by Rick Stone
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