Every year Beloit College produces a ‘Mindset List’. It is meant to illustrate the forces, ideas and events that shaped the minds of the incoming batch of students. Whether you teach, design for or otherwise work with students, envisaging their point of view and mindset is essential.
A few of us read the latest Mindset List and felt we ought to ‘Ostrayanise’ it a bit. We acknowledge that we may have made gross and unfair generalisations in our list. But us oldies have to have some fun sometime. And being old means you have to dis your younger colleagues at every opportunity. That’s life kids.
So, Jo, David, Rachel and myself give you: 50 things about the 2006 first-years that you may or may not know.
Politics
1. They don’t remember Czechoslovakia or the USSR
2 They think Pauline Hanson was the drag-queen from a reality TV dancing show
3. They don't realise John Howard stole his best ideas from the reality TV dancing show drag queen when she was still a politician.
4. There has only ever been one Germany.
5. They have never known a Labor Federal Government
6. They think the Cold War has something to do with those Herron ads where they dis Panadol and Neurofen.
7. They don't realise John Howard stole his look from Mr Sheen.
8. They don’t know John Howard lived with his mother until he was 36.
9. And when they do find out they don't see any problem with it.
10. The ‘Dismissal’ is what happens at 3.20pm on a school day.
11. They know only one Gulf War.
12. They know only one Bush.
Media and language
13. They never got to see Fat Cat on television.
14. Khe Sahn is their summer break not a rockin’ tune.
15. They don't like vowels: kwl, yr, ltr, g8t, dnt
16. But they do like acronyms: lol, lmao, imho, idc, omg (FFS!)
17. Wikipedia is a perfectly acceptable reference text.
18. The Croc Hunter is Steve Irwin not Mick Dundee
19. They think reality TV started with Big Brother, not Sylvania Waters.
20. They can't remember television without the Simpsons.
21. Kurt Cobain has always been dead.
22. Kylie has always been a 'recording artist', not a soap star.
23. Triple J has always been broadcast in the country.
Fashion
24. They think they created punk fashion.
25. They think thongs and jeans are the height of fashion, when said combination used to identify westies, bogans and day-release prisoners.
26. They're too young to remember the 80s so they are doomed to repeat it.
27. They think they can be a punk rocker with flowers in their hair, that the Ramones just made t-shirts and that The Jam is a hip abbreviation for Pearl Jam.
28. And they never use words like ‘hip’.
Technology
29. When you say Commodore 64 they say wha?
30. They’ve spent their entire schooling life with a mobile phone.
31. They don't know what to do with a round-dial telephone.
32. They met some of their best friends online.
33. They don't remember life without the internet, let alone life without computers.
34. They quite possibly have never hand-written a letter and actually mailed it.
35. They have never held a camera to their eye to take a photo.
36. They never got to wallow in the smell of a page fresh from a Gestetner.
37. They have never had to get out of their chair to change channels.
38. They never mowed the lawn with a ‘pushie’.
Society
39. Smoking indoors has never been acceptable (except for drinking holes)
40. Religion is cool, especially huge, non-denominational churches.
41. They don't know a world without AIDS.
42. They don't realise Mardi Gras is actually a protest march.
43. And is full of 'gays'.
44. They think feminism has achieved its aims and is now obsolete.
45. The hole in the ozone layer has always been there and is therefore ‘normal'.
46. They've never looked forward to the Queen's birthday firecracker night (or spent half of it in casualty).
Consumerland
47. They think TAA is a retro satchel bag maker, not a defunct airline.
48. They never had a passbook to use their bank account.
49. Flying has always been an affordable option, even on short trips.
50. They think Atari is a T-shirt brand sold exclusively at second hand shops and market stalls.
