Each year for more than a decade Beloit College has compiled a new Mindset List. The List was created in 1998 by a professor and Public Affairs Director as a practical way to remind Beloit faculty that cultural references become dated with the beginning of each new school year. Since its inception, the List has since become a snapshot of perspective shifts from generation to generation; a handy, quick way to understand just how quickly things change, and a reminder perhaps of how hard it sometimes is to keep up with the changes.
A brief sampling of examples of how dated your brain may be:
- The class of 2014 probably doesn’t know how to write in cursive.
- Email is a pokey method of communication and for all they know, snail mail involves actual snails.
- “Caramel macchiato” and similar coffee-related terms are familiar “street corner lingo” to the class of ’14 (we suspect “lingo,” however, is not familiar lingo to the class of 2014).
- To kids entering college this year, multicolored lapel ribbons are a legitimate gesture of support for a pet cause.
- Bandaids have always been available in multiple skin tones for the class of ’14.
- To far too many newly-minted college freshmen entering the halls of higher learning this year, it will come as a surprise to discover that Beethoven isn’t just a dog.
- Kids set to graduate from college 4 years from now consider Nirvana a staple of any good “oldies” playlist.
If you’re feeling young and brave enough to confront it, you can read the full list here.
[AP]
Follow Steve Huff via RSS. shuff@observer.com
