> Subject: Do You Feel Old?
>
> 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 that years
> incoming freshmen. 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 have never feared a nuclear war. They are too young to remember the
> space shuttle blowing up. 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 Ping-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 has always been
> VCRs, but they have no idea what BETA is. They cannot fathom not having
> a remote control. 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 walked 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. is. The Titanic was found? They
> thought we always knew where it was. Michael Jackson has always been
> white. Kansas, Chicago, Boston, America, and Alabama are places, not
> groups. 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? Pass this on to the other old fogies.
>
>
Hard to believe...
Regards,
Alan Pfau
apfau@ismi.net
TC, TD, TF, MGB-GT-V8
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