Beloit College Mindset List for 2020

[ClarkKent_DC]

Once again, friends, it's time for the latest guidance from Beloit College. (See last year's list here.)

The drill is the same as it is each year:

If you are unfamiliar, each August, starting in 1998, Beloit College in Beloit, WI presents The Mindset List, "providing a look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college this fall." It initially was meant to be a guide to the faculty to help them understand the incoming freshman class, by pointing out the things that "everybody" knows are different for the teachers as they are for those students, because times have changed. Accordingly, it's a warning to those teachers to "watch their references."

Without further ado, here is the Beloit College Mindset List for 2020. And check out the nifty slideshow!

THE BELOIT COLLEGE MINDSET LIST FOR THE CLASS OF 2020

Students heading into their first year of college this year are mostly 18 and were born in 1998.

Among those who have never been alive in their lifetime are Frank Sinatra, Phil Hartman, Matthew Shepard, Sonny Bono, and Flo-Jo.

Since they arrived on this planet….

1. There has always been a digital swap meet called eBay.
2. Grandpa has always been able to reach for the Celebrex.
3. They never heard Harry Caray try to sing during the seventh inning at Wrigley Field.
4. There have always been Cadillac Escalades, but they just don't seem to be all that into cars. 
5. West Nile has always been a virus found in the U.S.
6. Vladimir Putin has always been calling the shots at the Kremlin.
7. The Sandy Hook tragedy is their Columbine.
8. Cloning has always been a mundane laboratory procedure.
9. Elian Gonzalez, who would like to visit the U.S. again someday, has always been back in Cuba.
10. The United States has always been at war.
11. Euros have always been the coin of the realm...well, at least part of the realm.
12. Serena Williams has always been winning Grand Slam singles titles.
13. SpongeBob SquarePants has always lived at Bikini Bottom.
14. The Ali/Frazier boxing match for their generation was between the daughters of Muhammad and Joe.
15. They have never had to watch or listen to programs at a scheduled time. 
16. James P. Hoffa has always been president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
17. Surprise: There has always been sex in the city.
18. John Hinckley has always been able to get out of the hospital to go for a walk.
19. Each year they've been alive the U.S. population has grown by more than one million Latinos. 
20. TV ads for casinos have always been permitted to mention that there is actually gambling going on in there. 
21. Vaccines have always been erroneously linked to autism.
22. Laws against on-the-job harassment have always applied to parties of the same sex. 
23. Even as the national mood gets glummer, there has always been an annual prize for the most humorous American.
24. Catholics and Lutherans have always been in agreement on how to get to heaven.
25. To greet them with some cheery news, when they were born, India and Pakistan became nuclear powers.
26. If you want to reach them, you’d better send a text—emails are oft ignored.
27. They disagree with their parents as to which was the “first” Star Wars episode.
28. “Nanny cams” have always been available to check up on the babysitter.
29. NFL coaches have always had the opportunity to throw a red flag and question the ref.
30. Bada Bing – Tony and Carmela Soprano and the gang have always been part of American culture.
31. They have no memory of Bob Dole promoting Viagra.
32. Books have always been read to you on audible.com.
33. Citizens have always been able to register to vote when they get their driver’s license.
34. Bluetooth has always been keeping us wireless and synchronized.
35. X-rays have always been digital allowing them to be read immediately.
36. Exxon and Mobil have been one company—and it doesn’t own any gas stations.
37. They have always eaten irradiated food.
38. A Bush and a Clinton have always been campaigning for something big.
39. Physicians have always had unions.
40. Some have always questioned the sexual orientation of certain Teletubbies.
41. Snowboarding has always been an Olympic sport.
42. Students have always questioned where and by whom their sweatshirts are made.
43. While chads were hanging in Florida, they were potty training in all 50 states. 
44. Presidents have always been denied line item veto power.
45. Nigeria has always been a constitutional republic with a civilian government.
46. The once-feared Thalidomide has always been recognized as a cancer fighting drug. 
47. DreamWorks has always been making animated creatures heroic and loveable.
48. Deceased men have always been able to procreate.
49. John Elway and Wayne Gretzky have always been retired.
50. They have never seen billboard ads for cigarettes.
51. The New York Stock Exchange has never reported its ups and downs in fractions.
52. Airline tickets have always been purchased online.
53. There have always been iMacs on desks.
54. Instant, tray-less ice cubes have never been a novelty.
55. Robots have always been surgical partners in the O.R.
56. Peregrine falcons have never been on the endangered species list.
57. Outstanding women basketball players have always had their own Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn.
58. Newt who?
59. War films have always shown horrific battle scenes inspired by Saving Private Ryan.
60. Michael J. Fox has always spoken publicly about having Parkinson's disease.

Copyright© 2016 Beloit College

[ClarkKent_DC]

Luke Blanchard said:

Many thanks, Dave. If I follow that 62% claim correctly the NCMEC recovered children at that rate in 1984 and the article credits the campaign with having helped, which leaves open the question of whether it helped a little or a lot.

It raises this question in my mind: If this program was effective, why was it dropped after a few years? I'm inclined to believe the problem of missing children was overstated -- not that it doesn't happen, of course -- and the milk carton thing wasn't all that useful a tool to find them.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

I heard a story one time (likely an urban legend) that seeing her own face on a milk carton led one runaway to call her mother.

[Richard Willis]

Most of the time it seems that children are taken by the non-custodial parent when couples separate or divorce. Also, sometimes when both parents are considered a danger to a child (drug addiction, etc) they will jointly kidnap the child from foster parents.

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...Runaway...Or , bluntly , " Throwaway " (Parents explicitly kick the child out or are dangerous/get-the-hell-out) underagers also happens , too .

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...I remember glass in milk bottles and other dairy from a milkman , also .

  I do not remember JFK's assassination , though I was 3&3/4 - I remember near-nothing before i was 5-ish .

  I have thought that my lack of 11/22/63 memories separates me from " Classic " boomers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...On my portable , this line and another line have a " Like " that is not visible on this desktop . Whatupski ?

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Over the weekend I read that St. Bernards haven’t been used for alpine rescues since 1955 and I immediately thought: “St. Bernards have never been used for alpine rescues.”

[JohnD]

I had a similar reaction to a story my grandfather once told me. When Pop was just a boy, lightning struck one of the steeples of his church. The whole neighborhood rushed to the scene. Pop mentioned that "the old folks had tears in their eyes" (this struck me as odd. Pop was in his 90's when he told me this). Here's the kicker, his next line was "Then the fire horses showed up". Fire Horses???!!!. Yup. Horse drawn wagons responded. I had to pause and question the possibility (it was true).

Incidentally, I would like to honor the first responder my grandfather praised at this point. His name, to the best of my recollection was Teddy Buchovich (sp?). As Pop told it, he climbed a ladder, placed against the burning steeple, with a fire hose, in order to fight the flames. Again as Pop told it, the crowd cheered him on, as do I to this day.

Jeff of Earth-J said:

Over the weekend I read that St. Bernards haven’t been used for alpine rescues since 1955 and I immediately thought: “St. Bernards have never been used for alpine rescues.”

[Jeff of Earth-J]

"Fire wagons were never drawn by horses." ;)

[Doctor Hmmm?]

"Fortuitous lightning strikes were never the sole source of fire." ;)
 
Jeff of Earth-J said:

"Fire wagons were never drawn by horses." ;)

[JohnD]

You had me thinking on this on (Well, you are Doctor Hmmm?). Got it now. You get three chuckles out of five.

If anyone is interested, the church is still there. Google New Britian CT and check out the images. You will find Sacred Heart with one steeple being notably shorter than the other. As the late Paul Harvey used to say, "now you know the rest of the story."

Doctor Hmmm? said:

"Fortuitous lightning strikes were never the sole source of fire." ;)
 
Jeff of Earth-J said:

"Fire wagons were never drawn by horses." ;)