 Shhh! Next month I’ll be 42. Yikes! Luckily, I don’t look it. Anyway, I definitely feel it when I’m reviewing this list. Every year, Beloit College releases their Mindset List for the class of incoming freshmen. Basically, it’s a list designed to let college faculty get a good frame of reference for the youngsters sitting in their classes. This year’s list for the incoming class of 2010 is 75 items long. I’m only listing the highlights here.
Pass the Geritol (oh wait, you’ve got to be around 40 to get that reference!)
Mindset list for the Class of 2010
1. The Soviet Union has never existed and therefore is about as scary as the student union.
2. Until, Obama, they have known only two presidents.
3. They have never heard anyone actually "ring it up" on a cash register.
4. A coffee has always taken longer to make than a milkshake.
5. DNA fingerprinting has always been admissible evidence in court.
6. "Google" has always been a verb.
7. Text messaging is their email.
8. Bar codes have always been on everything, from library cards and snail mail to retail items.
9. Madden has always been a game, not a Superbowl-winning coach.
10. Reality shows have always been on television.
11. They have no idea why we needed to ask "...can we all get along?"
12. They have always known that "In the criminal justice system the people have been represented by two separate yet equally important groups..."
13. They have rarely mailed anything using a stamp.
14. They are not aware that "flock of seagulls hair" has nothing to do with birds flying into it.
15. Most of them never had the chance to eat bad airline food.
16. They have always been searching for "Waldo."
17. Bad behavior has always been captured on amateur videos.
18. Disneyland has always been in Europe and Asia.
19. Television stations have never concluded the broadcast day with the national anthem.
20. Disposable contact lenses have always been available.
A columnist from my local newspaper added a few more.
This year’s college freshmen, don’t remember …
1. When dinner didn't come in a carry-out bag.
2. When MTV played music.
3. When belly buttons weren't considered for formal accessories.
4. When tattoos were for sailors.
5. When you would call a customer-service line and talk to a human instead of the mechanical lady.
6. When people laughed instead of LOL.
7. When people, not geckos or cavemen, sold car insurance.
8. When sentences didn't start with "I was, like ..." and end with "you know."
9. When it was kind of embarrassing for your pants to be falling down.
10. When the bank had cameras, but the bedroom didn't.
11. When "Saturday Night Live" was funny.
12. When the Nigerian oil scam was conducted by snail mail.
I’ll add a few of my own
1. They have never had to get up and turn the channel on the television.
2. They have never known life without cable television and just a handful of channels.
3. The Jordache look means nothing to them.
4. They don’t get the musical genius that is Prince.
5. They never had to be home to get a phone call or get a busy signal when someone else was ‘on the line.’
Labels: Me, Memories |
Geesh I feel ancient!!!