Are you Old?
What College Freshmen Of 1999 Know: A Perspective For Older Folks;
Interesting facts
The people who are starting college this fall across the nation
were born in 1981 ~ they have no meaningful recollection of the
Reagan Era and 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 only been one Pope.
They can only really remember one president. They were 11 when
the Soviet Union broke apart and do not remember the Cold War.
They have never feared a nuclear war. "The Day After" is a pill to them,
not a movie. CCCP is just a bunch of letters.
They have only known one Germany.
They are too young to remember the Space shuttle blowing up, and
Tienamin Square means nothing to them.
They do not know who Momar Qadafi is.
Their lifetime has always included AIDS.
They never had a Polio shot and likely do not know what it is.
Bottle caps have not only always been screw off, but have always been
plastic. They have no idea what a pull top can looks like.
Atari pre-dates 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.
Star Wars looks very fake, and the special effects are pathetic.
There have always been red M&M's, and blue ones are not new. What do
you mean there used to be beige ones?
They may have heard of an 8-track, but chances are they probably have
never actually seen or heard one.
The Compact Disc was introduced when they were 1 year old.
As far as they know, stamps have always cost about 32 cents. Zip codes
have always had a dash in them.
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 VCR's, but they have no idea what Beta is. They cannot
fathom not having a remote control. They were born the year that
Walkmans were introduced by Sony.
Roller-skating has always meant inline for them.
They have never heard of King Cola, Burger Chef, The Globe Democrat,
PAN AM or Ozark Airlines.
The Tonight Show has always been hosted by Jay Leno. They have no idea
when or why Jordache jeans were cool. Popcorn has always been cooked
in a microwave. They have never seen and remember a game that included
the St. Louis Football Cardinals, the Baltimore Colts, the Minnesota
North Stars, the Kansas City Kings, the New Orleans Jazz, the Minnesota
Lakers, the Atlanta Flames, or the Denver Rockies (NHL hockey, that
is).
They do not consider the Colorado Rockies, the Florida Marlins, the
Florida Panthers, the Ottawa Senators, the San Jose Sharks, or the
Tampa Bay Lightning "expansion teams." They have never seen Larry
Bird play, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a football player.
They never took a swim and thought about Jaws. The Vietnam War is as
ancient history to them as WWI, WWII or even 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 the terms "Where's the beef?", "I'd Walk a mile for
Camel", or "de plane, de plane!".
They do not care who shot J.R. and have no idea who J.R. is. The Cosby
Show, The Facts of Life, Silver Spoons, The Love Boat, Miami Vice,
WKRP in Cincinnati, and Taxi are shows they have likely never seen.
The Titanic was found? I didn't know it was lost. Michael Jackson has
always been white. They cannot remember the Cardinals ever winning a
World Series, or even being in one. Kansas, Chicago, Boston, America
and Alabama are places, not groups. McDonalds never came in
Styrofoam containers.
Do you feel old now? Remember, the people who don't know these things
will be in college this year!!!
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