The people who are starting college this fall (1998) across the nation were born in 1980.
They have no meaningful recollection of the Reagan era, and did not know he had ever been shot.
They were prepubescent when the Persian Gulf War was waged.
Black Monday 1987 is as significant to them as the Great Depression.
There has only been one Pope. They can only really remember one president.
They were 11 when the Soviet Union broke apart, and do not remember the Cold War.
They have never feared a nuclear war. “The Day After” is a pill to them, not a movie.
CCCP is just a bunch of letters.
They have only known one Germany.
They are too young to remember the Space shuttle blowing up, and Tienamin Square means nothing to them.
They do not know who Colonel Moamar Qadafi is.
Their world has always included AIDS.
They never had a Polio shot, and likely, do not know what it is.
Bottle caps have not only always been screw off, but have always been plastic.
They have no idea what a pull top can looks like.
Atari predates them, as do vinyl albums and cassette audio tapes.
They may have heard of an 8-track, but probably never actually seen (or heard) one.
The digital Disc was presented to Wall street when they were 1 year old.
From their earliest years, a camera was something you used once and threw away.
As far as they know, stamps have always cost about 32 cents.
Few, if any, have lived without an answering machine.
Few have used a TV set with only 13 channels, nor have they seen a black and white TV.
They have always had cable.
In fact they have always known ESPN 2.
There have always been VCR’s, but they have no idea what Beta is.
Some use the word “clickers” for “remote control”, yet they do not know why they say it.
They were born the year that Walkmen were introduced by Sony.
The expression “you sound like a broken record” means nothing to them.
They have never owned a record Player.
They have likely never played PacMan, and have never heard of Pong.
“Star Wars” looks very fake and the special effects are pathetic.
There have always been Red M&M’s, and Blue ones are not new. “What do you mean there used to be beige ones?”
Zip codes have always had a dash in them.
Roller skating has always meant in-line for them.
They have never heard of New Coke, PAN AM, Trump Airlines, or TAB cola.
The Tonight Show has always been with Jay Leno.
They have no idea when or why Jordache jeans were cool.
Popcorn has always been cooked in a microwave.
They have no clue about “Jiffy Pop!”
They have no idea what the USFL is.
They have never seen and remember a game that included the St. Louis Football Cardinals, the Baltimore Colts, the Minnesota North Stars, the Kansas City Kings, the New Orleans Jazz, The Atlanta Flames, the San Diego Clippers, Chicago Blitz or LA Express.
They do not consider the Colorado Rockies, the Florida Marlins, The Florida Panthers, The Ottawa Senators, the San Jose Sharks, or the Tampa Bay Lightning “expansion teams”.
They have never seen Larry Bird play, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a Football player.
They never took a swim and thought about Jaws.
The Vietnam War is as ancient history to them as WWI, WWII or even the Civil War.
They have no idea that Americans were ever held hostage in Iran.
They can’t imagine what hard contact lenses are.
They don’t know who Mork was or where he was from. They never heard the terms “Where’s the beef?”, “I’d Walk a mile for a Camel”, or “de plane, de plane!”. They do not care who shot J.R. and have no idea who J.R. is.
The Cosby Show, The Facts of Life, Silver Spoons, The Love Boat, Miami Vice, WKRP in Cincinnati, and Taxi are shows they have likely never seen.
The Titanic was found? I thought we always knew where it was.
Kansas, Chicago, Boston, America, and Alabama are places, not musical groups.
McDonalds never came in Styrofoam containers.