Some food for thought

Every year, Beloit College releases its Mindset List to give a snapshot of
the world view of the incoming freshmen class. The list for the Class of
2010:

1. The Soviet Union has never existed and therefore is about as scary as the
student union.

2. They have known only two presidents.

3. For most of their lives, major U.S. airlines have been bankrupt.

4. Manuel Noriega has always been in jail in the U.S.

5. They have grown up getting lost in giant retail stores known as ''big
boxes.''

6. There has always been one Germany.

7. They have never heard anyone actually ''ring it up'' on a cash register.

8. They are wireless, yet always connected.

9. A stained blue dress is as famous to their generation as a third-rate
burglary was to their parents'.

10. Thanks to pervasive head phones in the back seat, parents have always
been able to speak freely in the front.

11. A coffee has always taken longer to make than a milkshake.

12. Smoking has never been permitted on U.S. airlines.

13. Faux fur has always been a necessary element of style.

14. The Moral Majority has never needed an organization.

15. They have never had to distinguish between the St. Louis Cardinals
baseball and football teams.

16. DNA fingerprinting has always been admissible evidence in court.

17. They grew up pushing their own miniature shopping carts in the
supermarket.

18. They grew up with and have outgrown faxing as a means of communication.

19. ''Google'' has always been a verb.

20. Text messaging is their e-mail.

21. Milli Vanilli has never had anything to say.

22. Mr. Rogers, not Walter Cronkite, has always been the most trusted man in
America.

23. Bar codes have always been on everything, from library cards and snail
mail to retail items.

24. Madden has always been a game, not a Super Bowl-winning coach.

25. Phantom of the Opera has always been on Broadway.

26. ''Boogers'' candy has always been a favorite for grossing out parents.

27. There has never been a ''sky hook'' in the NBA.

28. Carbon copies are oddities found in their grandparents' attics.

29. Computerized player pianos have always been tinkling in the lobby.

30. Non-denominational mega-churches have always been the fastest growing
religious organizations in the U.S.

31. They grew up in minivans.

32. Reality shows have always been on television.

33. They have no idea why we needed to ask ''... Can we all get along?''

34. They have always known that ''In the criminal justice system the people
have been represented by two separate yet equally important groups.''

35. Young women's fashions have never been concerned with where the waist
is.

36. They have rarely mailed anything using a stamp.

37. Brides have always worn white for a first, second, or third wedding.

38. Being techno-savvy has always been inversely proportional to age.

39. ''So'' as in ''Sooooo New York,'' has always been a drawn-out adjective
modifying a proper noun, which in turn modifies something else.

40. Affluent troubled teens in Southern California have always been the
subjects of television series.

41. They have always been able to watch wars and revolutions live on
television.

42. Ken Burns has always been producing very long documentaries on PBS.

43. They are not aware that ''flock of seagulls hair'' has nothing to do
with birds flying into it.

44. Retin-A has always made America look less wrinkled.

45. Green tea has always been marketed for health purposes.

46. Public school officials have always had the right to censor school
newspapers.

47. Small, white holiday lights have always been in style.

48. Most of them have never had the chance to eat bad airline food.

49. They have always been searching for ''Waldo.''

50. The really rich have regularly expressed exuberance with outlandish
birthday parties.

51. Michael Moore has always been showing up uninvited.

52. They never played the game of state license plates in the car.

53. They have always preferred going out in groups as opposed to dating.

54. There have always been live organ donors.

55. They have always had access to their own credit cards.

56. They have never put their money in a ''Savings & Loan.''

57. Sara Lee has always made underwear.

58. Bad behavior has always been getting captured on amateur videos.

59. Disneyland has always been in Europe and Asia.

60. They never saw Bernard Shaw on CNN.

61. Beach volleyball has always been a recognized sport.

62. Acura, Lexus and Infiniti have always been luxury cars of choice.

63. Television stations have never concluded the broadcast day with the
national anthem.

64. LoJack transmitters have always been finding lost cars.

65. Diane Sawyer has always been live in Prime Time.

66. Dolphin-free canned tuna has always been on sale.

67. Disposable contact lenses have always been available.

68. ''Outing'' has always been a threat.

69. ''Oh, The Places You'll Go'' by Dr. Seuss has always been the perfect
graduation gift.

70. They have always ''dissed'' what they don't like.

71. The U.S. has always been studying global warming to confirm its
existence.

72. Richard M. Daley has always been the Mayor of Chicago.

73. They grew up with virtual pets to feed, water, and play games with, lest
they die.

74. Ringo Starr has always been clean and sober.

75. Professional athletes have always competed in the Olympics.