Now that we're so deeply into Canada-bashing, hitting on Texans, etc.,
perhaps we can reflect on the following perspective that's relevant to what
we do as museums:


>Interesting facts:
>
>The people who are starting college this fall across the nation were
>born
>in 1980. They have no meaningful recollection of the Reagan era and did
>not know he had ever been shot. They were prepubescent when the Persian
>Gulf
>War was waged. Black Monday 1987 is as significant to them as the  Great
>Depression. There has only been one Pope. They can only really  remember
>one president. 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 to them, not a movie. CCCP is just a bunch of
>letters. They have only known one Germany. They are too young to
>remember
>the  Space  shuttle blowing up, and Tiananmen Square means nothing to
>them.
>They do  not know who Momar Qadafi is.
>
>Their lifetime has always included AIDS. They never had a Polio shot and
>likely do not know what it 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 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?
>
>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. 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. 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. They were born the year that
>Walkman
>were  introduced by Sony. 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. The Tonight Show has always been hosted by 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 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 Spoons, The Love Boat, Miami Vice,
>WKRP in Cincinnati, and Taxi are shows they have likely never seen.  The
>Titanic was found? I didn't know it was lost. 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.
>