| The 18 year olds of the year 2000 |
Just in case you weren't feeling too old today, this will certainly change things. Each year staff at Macquarie University in Sydney puts together a list to try to give the faculty a sense of the mindset of the new year's incoming students. Here is the list for the year 2000: The people who are starting university next year across the nation were born in 1982. They were prepubescent when the Gulf War was waged. Black Monday,1987 is as significant to them as the Great Depression. 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. They have never owned a record player. They have likely never played Pac Man. They may have never heard of an 8 track. The Compact Disc was introduced when they were 1 year old. They have always had an answering machine. Most have never seen a TV set with only 4 channels, nor have they seen a black-and-white TV. They have always had cable. There have always been VCRs, but they have no idea what BETAMAX is. They cannot fathom not having a remote control. They were born the year that Walkmans were introduced by Sony. Popcorn has always been cooked in the microwave. They never took a swim and thought about Jaws. The Vietnam War is as ancient history to them as the first and second world wars. They have no idea that Americans were ever held hostage in Iran. They don't know who Mork was or where he was from. 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. Chicago is a place and was never a group. McDonalds never came in Styrofoam (CFC) containers. There has always been MTV. They don't have a clue how to use a typewriter. ... and Michael Jackson has always been white! |
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