FEELING OLD YET?

Thanks to Beloit College for their annual Mindset List, this one pertaining to the Class of 2010:

1. The Soviet Union has never existed.
2. They have known only two presidents.
3. They have grown up getting lost in “big boxes”.
4. There has always been only one Germany.
5. They have never heard anyone actually “ring it up” on a cash register.
6. They are wireless, yet always connected.
7. A stained blue dress is as famous to their generation as a third-rate burglary was to their parents’.
8. Thanks to pervasive head phones in the back seat, parents have always been able to speak freely in the front.
9. A coffee has always taken longer to make than a milkshake.
10. Smoking has never been permitted on U.S. airlines.
11. Faux fur has always been a necessary element of style.
12. DNA fingerprinting has always been admissible evidence in court.
13. They grew up pushing their own miniature shopping carts in the supermarket.
14. They grew up with and have outgrown faxing as a means of communication.
15. “Google” has always been a verb.
16. Text messaging is their e-mail.
17. Carbon copies are oddities found in their grandparents’ attics.
18. They grew up in minivans.
19. Reality shows have always been on television.
20. They have always known that “In the criminal justice system the people have been represented by two separate yet equally important groups.”
21. They have rarely mailed anything using a stamp.
22. Being techno-savvy has always been inversely proportional to age.
23. “So” as in “Sooooo last season,” has always been a drawn-out adjective modifying a proper noun, which in turn modifies something else.
24. Affluent troubled teens in Southern California have always been the subjects of television series.
25. They have always been able to watch wars and revolutions live on television.
26. They are not aware that “Flock of Seagulls hair” has nothing to do with birds flying into it.
27. Green tea has always been marketed for health purposes.
28. Small white holiday lights have always been in style.
29. Michael Moore has always been showing up uninvited.
30. There have always been live organ donors.
31. Bad behavior has always been getting captured on amateur videos.
32. Disneyland has always been in Europe and Asia.
33. Beach volleyball has always been a recognized sport.
34. Television stations have never concluded the broadcast day with the national anthem.
35. LoJack transmitters have always been finding lost cars.
36. Dolphin-free canned tuna has always been on sale.
37. Disposable contact lenses have always been available.
38. “Outing” has always been a threat.
39. They have always “dissed” what they don’t like.
40. The U.S. has always been studying global warming to confirm its existence.
41. They grew up with virtual pets to feed, water, and play games with, lest they die.
42. Ringo Starr has always been clean and sober.
43. Professional athletes have always competed in the Olympics.