Sunday, February 21, 2010

Today's 21-Year Olds

I was speaking with a good friend this morning and somehow the topic of "things today's 21-year-old has never experienced" came up.

Today's 21-year-olds . . .
  • never made a mix tape off the radio, probably never owned cassettes, and for certain never played records;
  • have never owned a typewriter because they have always had a computer they could use anywhere at anytime, do not know life without the internet and wi-fi and may not know how to write research papers without it;
  • may not have ever been to the drive-in;
  • have never eagerly awaited the premier of Madonna's latest video on Friday Night Videos, adjusting the rabbit ears or the possibilities that exist with less than half a dozen television stations, and have never gotten off the couch to change the channels;
  • may never have met a loved one at the airline gate;
  • will probably never send or receive a love letter in the mail because so few people write them anymore;
  • don't know the frenzy that ensued over the original Super Bowl Shuffle and so may not have gotten just how hideous the remake was in this year's Superbowl;




  • has always had multiple ways to instantly connect via their cell phones, texting, and instant messaging;
  • never relied on Liquid Paper for typo-free term papers;
  • have never let their fingers do the walking in the Yellow Pages;
  • have never waited a week while their photos were being developed;
  • have had their whole lives - the good, bad, and ugly - chronicled on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc. and have not experienced the benefits of making mistakes in privacy;
  • have always known who was on the other end before they picked up the phone;
  • know only a life with instant gratification whether it's dinner cooked in a microwave in 3 minutes or broadband internet connection rather than dial-up or no connection at all;
  • have never used payphones or rotary dial phones and have certainly never gotten a busy signal;
  • have never watched a film strip in class;
  • have never eaten a McDLT where the hot side was hot and the cool side stayed cool;

And suddenly we felt really old.

1 comment:

  1. Ahh, the memories! I certainly remember the original Super Bowl Shuffle back in the day! My grandfather really got a kick out of it!

    And I always remember that I'd have a ton of quarters, dimes, and nickels for the tolls (because it would take one of each to add up to 40 cents).

    By the way, I think I will always think of it as the "Calumet" Expressway! ;)

    Hahaha! I'd forgotten about the McDLT! Wow, what a blast from the past!

    This was a fun jaunt down memory lane.

    ReplyDelete

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