Okay, here is Beloit College’s latest rendition of the characteristics of those entering class of 2007, those born in 1985. The school comes out with this list every year to help administrators and professors understand the worldview of new freshmen. Here is the class of 2007:
1. The people who are starting college this fall across the nation were born in 1985.
2. They have no meaningful recollection of the Reagan era and probably did not know he had ever been shot.
3. They were prepubescent when the Persian Gulf War was waged.
4. There has been only one pope in their lifetime.
5. They were 10 when the Soviet Union broke apart and do not remember the Cold War.
6. They are too young to remember the space shuttle blowing up on takeoff.
7. Tiananmen Square means nothing to them.
8. Bottle caps have always been screw off and plastic.
9. Atari predates them, as do vinyl albums.
10. The statement “You sound like a broken record” means nothing to them. (They have never owned a record player.)
11. They have likely never played Pac Man and have never heard of Pong.
12. They may have never heard of an 8-track tape. The compact disc was introduced when they were 1 year old.
13. They have always had an answering machine.
14. Most have never seen a TV set with only 13 channels, nor have they seen a black and white TV.
15. They have always had cable.
16. There have always been VCRs, but they have no idea what Beta was.
17. They cannot fathom not having a remote control.
18. 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.
19. They were born the year that Walkman was introduced by Sony.
20. Roller skating has always meant inline for them.
21. Michael Jackson has always been white.
22. Jay Leno has always been on “The Tonight Show.”
23. They have no idea when or why Jordache jeans were cool.
24. Popcorn has always been cooked in the microwave.
25. They have never seen Larry Bird play.
26. They never took a swim and thought about “Jaws.”
27. The Vietnam War is as ancient history to them as World War I, World War II, and the Civil War.
28. They have no idea that Americans were ever held hostage in Iran.
29. They can’t imagine what hard contact lenses are.
30. They don’t know who Mork was or where he was from. (The correct answer, by the way, is Ork.)
31. They never heard: “Where’s the beef?”, “I’d walk a mile for a Camel,” or “De plane, de plane!”
32. They do not care who shot J.R. and have no idea who J.R. was.
33. Kansas, Chicago, Boston, America, and Alabama are places, not bands.
34. There has always been MTV.
35. They don’t have a clue how to use a typewriter.
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