College Freshmen of 2008

[Dr Archeville]

Freshmen entering college this year were born in 1990.

They completely missed Ronald Reagan's presidency, the USSR, the Iron Curtain, the Cold War (though they may be seeing a new one soon), the Berlin Wall, the (first?) Gulf War, and Margaret Thatcher's UK.

They don't remember a time when the English Channel Tunnel (Chunnel/Eurotunnel) didn't exist.

They don't remember a time when the European Union did not exist.

They don't remember Nelson Mandela being in prison.

They don't remember a time when Time Warner didn't exist as one single entity.

They missed Watchmen when it was first published. They missed the Great Darkness Saga, Legends, Millennium, and Invasion!. They missed the original Crisis on Infinite Earths. Assuming that they didn't start regularly reading comics until they were 5, they completely missed Superman's death and return, Batman's crippling, and Hal Jordan's turn to villainy/madness, as well as the War of the Gods, Panic in the Sky, Bloodlines, Worlds Collide (DC vs. Milestone Comics), Zero Hour, and Underworld Unleashed.

Over at Marvel, they missed the Mutant (Morlock) Massacre, Kraven's Last Hunt, the Armor Wars, Inferno, Atlantis Attack, and the Acts of Vengeance. Assuming again that they didn't start regularly reading comics until they were 5, they also missed the X-Tinction Agenda (when Genosha's anti-mutant government was finally overthrown), the Infinity Gauntlet (and War and Crusade), X-Cutioner's Song (Stryfe and the release of the Legacy Virus), Maximum Carnage, Fatal Attractions (where Wolvie had his adamantium torn out by Magneto, and we later learned he'd always had those claws), the Phalanx Covenant, the Clone Saga, and the Age of Apocalypse.

They don't remember Mike Tyson from his highest point, only from his downward spirals.

They probably don't remember OJ Simpson's slow speed chase, or Kurt Cobain's death (they would've been 4 at the time).

They don't remember the Secret Service raiding Steve Jackson Games.

They never saw Bionic Six, Challenge of the GoBots, Defenders of the Earth, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Inspector Gadget, Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors, M.A.S.K., The Real Ghostbusters, Super Friends (or any of its spin-offs/sequels), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Thundarr the Barbarian, ThunderCats (or SilverHawks or TigerSharks), or Transformers when they first ran, only in reruns. The same goes for The A-Team, Alien Nation, Amazing Stories, Beauty and the Beast, Captain Kangaroo, Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future, CHiPS, Doogie Howser, M.D., Family Ties, MacGyver, Max Headroom, Miami Vice, Misfits of Science, Mr. Wizard's World, Quantum Leap, Silver Spoons, Star Trek: the Next Generation (they'd be 4 when it ended), Tales from the Darkside, and Who's the Boss. They would've been 8 when Babylon 5 ended.

They missed the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster.

They don't remember a time before digital cellular phones, or a time when they could not use text messaging.

They don't remember a time when homosexuality was officially listed as a disease by the World Health Organization, or a time when it was not illegal to discriminate against people with physical disabilities in the United States.

[Folkert]

They missed Watchmen when it was first published. They missed the Great Darkness Saga, Legends, Millennium, and Invasion!. They missed the original Crisis on Infinite Earths. Assuming that they didn't start regularly reading comics until they were 5, they completely missed Superman's death and return, Batman's crippling, and Hal Jordan's turn to villainy/madness, as well as the War of the Gods, Panic in the Sky, Bloodlines, Worlds Collide (DC vs. Milestone Comics), Zero Hour, and Underworld Unleashed.

Over at Marvel, they missed the Mutant (Morlock) Massacre, Kraven's Last Hunt, the Armor Wars, Inferno, Atlantis Attack, and the Acts of Vengeance. Assuming again that they didn't start regularly reading comics until they were 5, they also missed the X-Tinction Agenda (when Genosha's anti-mutant government was finally overthrown), the Infinity Gauntlet (and War and Crusade), X-Cutioner's Song (Stryfe and the release of the Legacy Virus), Maximum Carnage, Fatal Attractions (where Wolvie had his adamantium torn out by Magneto, and we later learned he'd always had those claws), the Phalanx Covenant, the Clone Saga, and the Age of Apocalypse.

Emerald Twilight and the Clone Saga.

Ah, to be born in 1990.

;)

[Veiled Malice]

Way to make me feel old at 26 there, Dr. A. :(

[Dr Archeville]

26? Bah! Ya young whippersnapper....

[golentan]

Wow, I have seniority on Veiled Malice by almost 8 and 1/2 millennia! Seriously, to think that there's nobody else who remembers the agricultural revolution, well, it makes me sad inside. On the plus, indoor plumbing making a comeback is great (I've missed it ever since the Romans fell) and toilet paper! Oh be still my heart.

Oh yeah, and I guess there's radio and internet and junk. That's kind of cool. ;)

[Geez3r]

I remember you could buy something with a dollar and get change.

[Heritage]

They don't remember a time with only three major networks, where you could change the channel by turning a plastic knob or having to fiddle with rabbit ears. Then again, some of you youngin's here might not remember that, either ;)

[Sandman XI]

They don't remember a time with only three major networks, where you could change the channel by turning a plastic knob or having to fiddle with rabbit ears. Then again, some of you youngin's here might not remember that, either

I did that. Then again, I grew up ghetto.

[Veiled Malice]

I laughed when I read about the Secret Service raiding Jackson, though. I got one of the first runs of Cyberpunk, and the story was all over the inside blurb.

If you've never read the story, do it. It's one of those "it's so stupid, it's funny" moments. Except for the stuff they never gave back.

[Dr Archeville]

School's starting soon (students are already moving back in at my college), so I thought I'd bump this.

[N/A]

That list makes me feel OLD!!! GIT OFF MAH LAWN!

I'm not even 30 yet. I shouldn't have to feel this old. :argh:

[KnightDisciple]

I'd throw in that many of those kids don't know what a Sega Genesis is. I know this because my 2 brothers, one about to be a freshman, the other a year behind him, didn't know what one of those was. Years ago, before I was even in college (which was a few years ago).

I wanted to cry when they said "What's Sega?". :(

[angrydurf]

I second the opinion that times inexorable march leads to me feeling old.

Also I remember buying Cyberpunk in its first printing just for the "Buy the book that was seized by the secret service!" emblem on the front. Ok I would have bought it anyway probably but I picked it up before the basic set for that :D

[N/A]

I'd throw in that many of those kids don't know what a Sega Genesis is.

...There are kids who don't know what "blast processing" is? Who don't know that the Sega Genesis did what Nintendidn't?! :shock:

[KnightDisciple]

...There are kids who don't know what "blast processing" is? Who don't know that the Sega Genesis did what Nintendidn't?! :shock:

To be somewhat fair, my family never owned one (budgeting and all). But still. They seemed clueless that it even existed. They'd probably seen Sega-related stuff before, but...*Shrugs*

[Ecalsneerg]

To be fair, an entire nation doesn't know what the Sega Genesis is (it was called Sega Megadrive in the UK)

[Darksider42]

Genesis was also called the MegaDrive over here as well.

I think I still have it somewhere actually. I still remember playing 2D sonic on it.

...Great, now I feel old :(

[April]

It was MegaDrive everywhere but the US (trademark issues).

WELCO

METOT

HENEX

TLEVEL

[N/A]

(In all seriousness, I didn't even have a Genesis. I had a SuperNintendo that we got used at a substantial discount. And for the record, "blast processing" was nothing but an ad campaign. There was no significant gap in processing power between the two consoles.)

[Sandman XI]

Sandman_XI owned both systems.

Sandman_XI still has his Super Nintendo, albeit with no controllers or games.

[Ecalsneerg]

My SNES still works! It's awesome.