Shocking Mindset

Every year at this time, since 1998, Beloit College in Wisconsin has published its Mindset List of incoming freshmen. For anyone old enough to have voted for or against Bill Clinton the mindset of the Class of 2014 is, well, scary. Hard to believe, but these 18-year olds:

• have never known TV that didn't have 500 channels
• can text the result of a basketball game in 160 characters, but can't write cursively
• know Clint Eastwood as the artistic director of films like Grand Torino-not the testosterone-fueled vigilante detective Harry Callahan
• listen to Kurt Cobain on an oldies channel-if they listen to radio at all
• know Russia as an ally of the U.S.
• have never known phones that have corded receivers
• have never had to study countries like Czechoslovakia or Yugoslavia in geography class
• don't wear wristwatches to tell time

To someone who grew up with 3 network TV stations, enjoyed both Dirty Harry and Grand Torino, who as a Boy Scout passed out flyers on the nearest local shelter from Russian nukes, remembers the pride of a first wristwatch, and who didn't hear of Kurt Cobain until I was 45, this all comes as a shock.

Just thought you might like to know!