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Join Us! Feedback ARCHIVE 2002-2006 News People Classes @ School Miscellany
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Generation Gap? No, Chasm!
Speaking of class photos, this man was president of the USA when TCHS opened. Can you name him? |
They were prepubescent when the Persian Gulf War was waged.
Black Monday 1987 is as significant to them as the Great Depression.
They were 11 when the Soviet Union broke apart and do not remember the Cold War. They have never feared a nuclear war. "The Day After" is a pill, not a movie. CCCP is just a bunch of letters.
There is only one Germany, and it's a US ally. The only reason to be concerned about Japan is its economic fluctuations.
They are too young to remember the Space shuttle blowing up, and Tienanmin Square means nothing to them.
They have no meaningful recollection of the Reagan era, and did not know he had ever been shot. They can only really remember one president. There has only been one Pope.
They do not know who Moamar Qadafi is.
Their lifetime has always included AIDS. They never had a smallpox vaccination, and likely do not know what poliomyelitis is.
Bottle caps have not only always been screw off, but have always been plastic. They have no idea what a pull top can looks like.
Atari pre-dates them, as do vinyl albums. The expression "you sound like a broken record" means nothing to them. They have never owned a record Player. They may have heard of an 8-track, but chances are they probably have never actually seen or heard one. The Compact Disc was introduced when they were 1 year old.
They have likely never played Pac Man, and have never heard of Pong.
Star Wars" looks very fake and the special effects are pathetic.
There have always been Red M&M's, and Blue ones are not new. "What do you mean there used to be beige ones?
As far as they know, stamps have always cost about 32 cents. Zip codes have always had a dash in them.
They have always had an answering machine. They were born the year that Sony introduced Walkmen.
Most have never seen a TV set with only 13 channels, nor have they seen a black and white TV. They have always had cable. There have always been VCR's, but they have no idea what Beta is. They cannot fathom not having a remote control.
Roller skating has always meant inline for them.
They have never heard of King Cola, Burger Chef, The Globe Democrat, Pan AM or Ozark Airlines. (or for LA teens, The Examiner or the Herald or the Express, or even the Herald-Express... Or even the Herald-Examiner.)
The Tonight Show has always been with Jay Leno.
They have no idea when or why Jordache jeans were cool.
Popcorn has always been cooked in a microwave.
They have never seen and remember a game that included the St. Louis Football Cardinals, the Baltimore Colts, the Minnesota North Stars, the Kansas City Kings, the New Orleans Jazz, The Minnesota Lakers, The Atlanta Flames, or the Denver Rockies (NHL Hockey, that is).
They do not consider the Colorado Rockies, the Florida Marlins, The Florida Panthers, The Ottawa Senators, the San Jose Sharks, or the Tampa Bay Lightning "expansion teams."
They have never seen Larry Bird play, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a football player.
They never took a swim and thought about Jaws.
The Vietnam War is as ancient history to them as WWI, WWII or even the Civil War.
They have no idea that Americans were ever held hostage in Iran.
They can't imagine what hard contact lenses are.
They don't know who Mork was or where he was from.
They never heard the terms "Where's the beef?" "I'd Walk a mile for a Camel", or "de plane, de plane!." They do not care who shot J.R. and have no idea who J.R. is.
The Cosby Show, The Facts of Life, Silver Spoon, The Love Boat, Miami Vice, WKRP in Cincinnati, and Taxi are shows most have never seen.
The Titanic was found? I thought we always knew where it was.
Michael Jackson has always been white.
They cannot remember the Cardinals ever winning a World Series, or even being in one.
Kansas, Chicago, Boston, America, and Alabama are places, not groups.
McDonalds never came in Styrofoam containers.
Do you feel old now? Remember, the people who don't know these things will be in college this year.
(Forwarded by a reader. We suspect this came from a newspaper in the Midwest, possibly in Missouri from some of the references. We'd be delighted if you can help us with an attribution. --Ed.)
Reader Comments
Discuss this article in the forums!
| John Jenkins | Mar 08, 2002 | ||
| I guess it is sfe to say that I was there, being a part of that generation. | |||
| John Jenkins (60) | Mar 08, 2002 | Gavilan Hills, CA | Manager |
| The President was Eisenhower. (I think) | |||
| jessica | Jun 16, 2002 | temple city | student |
| while trying to scrounge up some information on the early temple city days, i came across this article on this site. needless to say, i am from this generation of "not knowing". i find that you "old" people do not give us enough credit. of course i know who Mork is. | |||
