Hiring the class of 2011 (humor)
World News/US News/Politics: They do not remember the USSR and thus have no idea of the evils of communism. If they watch "War Games" or "The Day After" they may wonder what all the fuss was about. They do not remember the Gulf War nor all the patriotism at the time. If they remember Mocica at all it is just a new slang-word. Chances are they do not remember "President Clinton" and absolutely not Ross Perot. Some might remember the events of 9-11, but they will not remember teh World Trade Center except that it was destroyed. Thus we have pretty much been fighting in Afghanistan all of their life that they remember. Hong Kong has always belonged to China. There has never been a "West" Germany nor a Berlin Wall. There has always been a European Union and for that matter a Euro.
Money/Business: They do not unsderstant the term "Big Three" for automakers or TV Networks. Chrysler has never been an independent and publically traded company. Why you would call something "The Cadillac of 'x'" is a mystery. Stocks have never been traded in 1/8s. Why someone would have to "go to Vegas" to gamble when casinos are nearby seems strange. Gas is cheap if it is less than $2/gal, but unless you live in NJ they have never seen someone pump it, let along hear the "bell" when you drive up. They have not seen cigarettes advertised on billboards.
Culture/Entertainment: Frasier Crane lived in Seattle, not Boston. Bart Simpson has been in 4th grade longer than they have been alive. They did not grow up watching saturday morning cartoons, but they have always had "The Cartoon Network." On the subject of TV, TV's have pretty much always been flat-screen and had remotes. They may not even realize you can use the TV without the remote. The NFL has always had 32 teams and unless they grew up in Cleveland they barely know the Browns became the Ravens. With few exceptions, stadiums have always been named after some corporation instead of someone important to the team or locality. HR Pufinstuff, JR Ewing, and Mr Hooper might as well be made-up names.
Technology: The internet has always been around but they will have no memory of dial-up modems and the squeal they made, let alone how happy you were when you first got the computer to make that sound as it meant you connected. A monochrome monitor is something they might see in a museum. The computer maxing its hard drive or not having enough RAM would never occour as something that could happen. Why would someone need to wait "for the news to come on" or "the paper to come" when it has always been there on demand? Chances are they never needed to "wait for a computer" on campus. And WTF is a "floppy disk?" Or any disk?
So, ready to relate to them?
Quote: EvenBobSome of this is true for the ignorant ones, but the smart ones know all about the past. I certainly knew all about the Depression and FDR and WWII and silent movies and no TV and no cars or planes, and it was all long before I was born.
"Knowing about it" and "experiencing it" are two different things. I "know about" the Cuban Missle Crissis, but to have lived thru it would be a different thing.
Quote: AZDuffmanWorld News/US News/Politics: They do not remember the USSR and thus have no idea of the evils of communism. If they watch "War Games" or "The Day After" they may wonder what all the fuss was about. They do not remember the Gulf War nor all the patriotism at the time. If they remember Mocica at all it is just a new slang-word. Chances are they do not remember "President Clinton" and absolutely not Ross Perot. Some might remember the events of 9-11, but they will not remember teh World Trade Center except that it was destroyed. Thus we have pretty much been fighting in Afghanistan all of their life that they remember. Hong Kong has always belonged to China. There has never been a "West" Germany nor a Berlin Wall. There has always been a European Union and for that matter a Euro.
Money/Business: They do not unsderstant the term "Big Three" for automakers or TV Networks. Chrysler has never been an independent and publically traded company. Why you would call something "The Cadillac of 'x'" is a mystery. Stocks have never been traded in 1/8s. Why someone would have to "go to Vegas" to gamble when casinos are nearby seems strange. Gas is cheap if it is less than $2/gal, but unless you live in NJ they have never seen someone pump it, let along hear the "bell" when you drive up. They have not seen cigarettes advertised on billboards.
Culture/Entertainment: Frasier Crane lived in Seattle, not Boston. Bart Simpson has been in 4th grade longer than they have been alive. They did not grow up watching saturday morning cartoons, but they have always had "The Cartoon Network." On the subject of TV, TV's have pretty much always been flat-screen and had remotes. They may not even realize you can use the TV without the remote. The NFL has always had 32 teams and unless they grew up in Cleveland they barely know the Browns became the Ravens. With few exceptions, stadiums have always been named after some corporation instead of someone important to the team or locality. HR Pufinstuff, JR Ewing, and Mr Hooper might as well be made-up names.
Technology: The internet has always been around but they will have no memory of dial-up modems and the squeal they made, let alone how happy you were when you first got the computer to make that sound as it meant you connected. A monochrome monitor is something they might see in a museum. The computer maxing its hard drive or not having enough RAM would never occour as something that could happen. Why would someone need to wait "for the news to come on" or "the paper to come" when it has always been there on demand? Chances are they never needed to "wait for a computer" on campus. And WTF is a "floppy disk?" Or any disk?
So, ready to relate to them?
A lot of these things are true, but having taught high schoolers (Who still haven't graduated college yet), they still understand a lot of the things you state they'd be clueless about. They still like the newspaper when it has their name and stats in it from the varsity game, they know what a floppy disk is, if you mean a 3.5'' (we still used them...lots of schools don't have the newest stuff), they remember dial up (I had it at home until '02-'03...), they still wait for computers at college, but the ones with very specific programs available to their majors. TVs have most definitely not always been flat screen (these kids have been watching TV since birth, and remember schools aren't always the fastest to get the new stuff) . I also am with Bob insofar as most know that things that happened before they lived. And basically 100% of my students remembered the events of 9/11 vividly. Soon they will be too young, but this was a seminal event for anyone born before 1992-3. If you were at least in 1st/2nd grade, it wasn't ignored.
I will say one thing that you didn't mention that I do believe is a big difference. Phones. These kids probably never had to wait by a pay phone for their parents to call back so they could get a ride home from the movies. They probably never had to tie up the home line to talk to their boy/girlfriend all evening (unless they had a bf/gf before they were 12). They never had to SIT AT HOME if they were expecting a call from their coach or their best friend or anyone. How many times were we stuck at home waiting for our best friend to call us back to see if we could do something?
Oh, and I think you are a little off on the "Evils of Communism"...My parents were both born during WWII, and they and I knew the evils of Nazis. To be fair, you didn't have to live through it to have "an idea" of its evils. Now, if you want to get into how Communism is presented in public schools, you could have an argument.
We didn't know the uncertainties that faced the world in WWII. To us it was a done deal. We didn't know what an ice box is, we thought $1 gas was cheap, etc etc etc. We had always had color TV, too, and cheap movies, and fast air travel, etc etc.
