Are You Feeling Old?
If not, consider this: ** The Iranian hostage crisis occurred before they were conceived. ** They have no memory of a time before MTV. ** "New Wave" is their parents' musical generation. ** They have no meaningful recollection of the Reagan era. ** They were prepubescent when the Persian Gulf War was waged. ** If they have heard the name "Oliver North," it was probably as a losing congressional candidate or perhaps in some obscure survey history text's reference, such as might be made to Huey Long or Teapot Dome. ** Black Monday 1987 is as insignificant to them as the Great Depression. ** Their world has always included AIDS. ** Having not lived through the Disco Scare, they can romanticize the 1970s. ** They see "Family Ties" as something middle-aged ladies watch. ** Atari predates them, as do vinyl albums and cassette audiotapes. ** From their earliest years, a camera was something you used once and threw away. ** The oil crisis is history of which they probably know nothing -- and why anyone wouldn't buy a suburban is beyond them.
This fall's college freshman class was born after 1980.
Originally published November 14, 2002.
