Class of 2009 Mindset List

Beloit College in Wisconsin publishes an annual "Class of ## Mindset List." This gives their professors an idea of the political and cultural references that have shaped the lives of incoming students. This year's college freshmen were likely born in 1987. I was in Middle School in 1987! You can read the "Class of 2009 Mindset List" here. The following are the references I found most poignant.

• They don't remember when "cut and paste" involved scissors.
• Heart-lung transplants have always been possible.
• Boston has been working on the "The Big Dig" all their lives.
• With little need to practice, most of them do not know how to tie a tie.
• They never had the fun of being thrown into the back of a station wagon with six others.
• Iran and Iraq have never been at war with each other.
• Al-Qaida has always existed with Osama bin Laden at its head.
• Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker have never preached on television.
• Voice mail has always been available.
• Pixar has always existed.
• It has always been possible to walk from England to mainland Europe on dry land.
• They have grown up in a single superpower world.
• Les Miserables has always been on stage.
• Halogen lights have always been available at home, with a warning.
• There has always been a pyramid in front of the Louvre in Paris.
• Snowboarding has always been a popular winter pastime.
• The Hubble Telescope has always been focused on new frontiers.
• Researchers have always been looking for stem cells.
• They do not remember "a kinder and gentler nation."
• They never saw the shuttle Challenger fly.
• Digital cameras have always existed.
• CNBC has always been on the air.
• Jimmy Carter has always been an elder statesman.
• America's Funniest Home Videos has always been on television.
• They have always been challenged to distinguish between news and entertainment on cable TV.