Beloit College Mindset List

[dandy_warhol]

The class of students entering college this month is the first post-Cold War class, according to the Beloit College Mindset List, a compilation of the events, technology, people and social trends that shaped the incoming crop of freshmen.
Mindset List here

imo, some interesting ones:

1. What Berlin wall?

4. They never “rolled down” a car window.

9. Nelson Mandela has always been free and a force in South Africa.

53. Tiananmen Square is a 2008 Olympics venue, not the scene of a massacre.

what other events in history have affected your life that "kids today" haven't experienced?

i imagine BUN and TomR would say Kent State.

[NHPlanner]

I'd probably list the Challenger tragedy as one of the things they didn't live through. Had a huge impact on me as a 6th grader at the time (especially since Christa McAuliffe was from my community).

[mgk920]

-What's a cassette tape? You mean that the record companies were going nutty over them, too?

-'The Mall' and the Big Box 'power center' have always been there;

-WALK to school? "You want me to do what?";

-Brett Favre has always been the starting QB for the Packers;

-(for the Canadians) There has never been a $1 banknote in use and the $2 banknote is just a fuzzy memory;

-What's a 'station wagon'?

-'You mean that 18YOs could once drink beer in an open-to-the-public place with any fear?'

-The 49ers were once GOOD?

-'Coke' has always been 'Classic';

-'What did you do before text messaging and email?

-What's 'DOS'?

Mike

[michiganplanner]

Yeah, I like the kid who was quoted that thought the Berlin Wall was a nice piece of architecture.

[Planderella]

They never had to use an Encyclopedia or become familiar with the Dewey Decimal System in order to do a research paper or homework.

[Greenescapist]

One of my former coworkers said his young son asked him how to use a rotary telephone.

[illinoisplanner]

MTV used to play music videos?

There was actually a time when people had no Internet, or even a computer, mind you?

Times Square used to be a dangerous place at night?

There was another President Bush?

Michael Jackson used to be black and used to make good music?

You actually had to stop at tollbooths and deposit change?

[kjel]

They don't know what vinyl is or how to use a turntable.

Like NHPlanner said...the Challenger disaster was a big thing.

Festival seating concerts that didn't cost $100 a ticket.

Hand writing an essay or report.

Graphing a function without a graphic calculator.

[Planderella]

They don't know what vinyl is or how to use a turntable.

Not quite true. There are quite a few young ones out there, mainly DJ's and music purists, who know a thing or two about vinyl and turntables.

[JNA]

Checkout the full Mindset Listings at http://www.beloit.edu/~pubaff/mindset/index.php

The mindset list is available from the Class of 2002 to 2011.

Also interesting is this press release info:

In 2005, Massey University—a public institution with campuses in various cities in New Zealand—released the inaugural New Zealand Mindset List, which was inspired by the Beloit College Mindset List.

http://mindset.massey.ac.nz/
from their 2005 list

--The United States has always been fighting terrorists.
--Chernobyl has always been a nuclear disaster.
--The Challenger Seven have always been dead astronauts

[michaelskis]

They don’t know who Alex P Keaton is.

Did not know that Jay Leno did Doritos commercials.

Ran the telephone cord under the door for privacy.

Have never heard of Trickle Down Economics.

Can’t tell you where the “Red Square” is.

Think that OJ Simpson became famous for killing two people.

Don’t know who Ernie Harwell or Kirk Gibson are... but still grew up in Detroit.

[Maister]

Never drank 'New' Coke.

[wahday]

Think that OJ Simpson became famous for killing two people.

They'll never guess it was for his Hertz Rental Car ads...

[Suburb Repairman]

Never drank 'New' Coke.

Drank it once... then waited until until they went back to the old formula.

While we're on the topic... does anybody remember Crystal Pepsi?

[kjel]

Not quite true. There are quite a few young ones out there, mainly DJ's and music purists, who know a thing or two about vinyl and turntables.

Ask an average kid and they will give you a blank stare.

[mike gurnee]

Another nostalgia thread. I remember newsclips of the Berlin Wall being built. Ask your elders what has been the most significant innovation over their lifetimes--the responses may amaze you: rural electrification, indoor plumbing, the 40 hour work week. Once my mother said panty hose was the greatest invention. Any one remember girdles and garter belts?

[Planit]

While we're on the topic... does anybody remember Crystal Pepsi?

UGH! That stuff was nasty. Almost tasted like bad mouthwash

[the north omaha star]

Ask an average kid and they will give you a blank stare.

(Off-topic sort of) My son will know, although I've gone digital. There's a program that I used called Serato that I DJ with. With Serato, I can manipulate MP3's on my laptop, as if I was using two vinyl records.

They actually had paper bags to put your groceries in.

What is this paper 'map' you speak of? Where is the navigation system?

Back in the old days, you actually had to get up to change the TV? (I still remember TV's with no remotes).

"Daddy, what's a cable box?"

"Daddy, what's the Cosby Show and who is that funny looking guy who always wears sweaters?

"Daddy, you mean to tell me that you could watch cartoons all morning on Saturday on network TV? Get outta here!

[btrage]

(Off-topic sort of)"Daddy, you mean to tell me that you could watch cartoons all morning on Saturday on network TV? Get outta here!

Those were the days! I still remember when I was young and in school on Fridays I would plan out what cartoons I was going to watch the next morning.

[michaelskis]

"Daddy, you mean to tell me that you could watch cartoons all morning on Saturday on network TV? Get outta here!

Daddy, you mean there was a time where you had only 13 channels and had to get up to turn the channels?

Why is there a key hole on the side of the car door?

Can you imagine the list in the year 2020?

You mean that cars did not have GPS and you had to steer the car to parallel park?

You mean there was a time when you had to have separate phone, e-mail, MP3 player, camera, computers?

Yea, right, you really used coin money... that’s funny.

[mgk920]

-What's a record company and why did it once cost so much to get recorded music?

-They once had SHOPPING MALLS all over the area?

-What's a cathode-ray tube?

-And they used things other than these plastic LEDs for lights?

-Man, those old TV shows had fuzzy, crappy pictures!

-Grampa, what's a wristwatch?

(OTOH, for reasons not related to technology, I do *NOT* see us going totally away from using physical objects for money - in fact the USA's Federal Reserve has been reporting a steady increase in the demand for coins/banknotes in recent years.)

Mike

[mendelman]

[the year 2091]Oh look...an internet forum....how quaint. How did they ever live without telepathic texting implants?[/the year 2091]

[JNA]

-....-Grampa, what's a wristwatch ?...

Taking that one step further - Which way is Clockwise or Counter Clockwise ?

[Maister]

Three years later here's the Beloit College mindset for the graduating class of 2010

http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2010.php

[Cardinal]

I could add:

- Although Saddam Hussein was a valued US ally aligned against Iran, that was about to change.

- Typing formatting codes in Wordstar? These kids have known nothing but a graphical user interface.