Skip to main content

What We Missed out on In Jr High

Mark Oestreicher posted a really great part of a book that he is writing about Middle Schoolers. He and I must be a similar age, because I really identify with this stuff. Makes me feel old when I think about all that has happened in my lifetime. Enjoy the list...

scott rubin and i need a little help from you for our middle school
ministry book. in the “middle school culture” chapter, we have a list of things
that didn’t exist when we were in middle school (well, at least when i was in
middle school, in the mid-70s). here’s what we have:
- Cell phones
- The internet (meaning, websites and buying stuff online and everything
else that is so completely normal today)
- Text Messages
- IM
- Hybrid Cars
- Social Networking
- “Friends with benefits”
- “Bi-Curious”
- Cable TV
- Digital Video Recording (or TiVo)
- Mp3s and downloadable music
- DVDs
- Hi-Def
- Satellite Radio
- Xboxes and Wiis and other amazing gaming systems (“Pong” was introduced
when I, Marko, was a young teen, and “Space Invaders” had just showed up in the
commons of a local community college).
- Email
- Spam (the email variety – we had the stuff in the can, made of
humans).
- Any kind of camera, video or still, that didn’t need developing.
- Cordless phones
- In-ear headphones
- Ringtones
- Call waiting
- iChat or other video conferencing
- snowboards and wakeboards
- rollerblades
- an African American president and a female Secretary of State- Airport
Security (and National Security levels, and Terrorist threats)
- Internet porn
- snowboards and wakeboards
- rollerblades
- Starbucks
- Viagra
- Plastic Pop Bottles
- X Games
- Energy Drinks
- Home Theaters (?)
- The Simpsons, Spongebob, American Idol and a host of other dependable TV
staples
- Reality TV
- Crack Cocaine
- Minivans
- GPS
- Disposable Cameras
- Disposable Contacts
- Abortion Pill
- Doppler Radar
- Space Shuttle
- USA Today
- HIV
- Paintball and Airsoft
- Laser Tag
- ESPN
- iPods
- MTV (could be in the “started and faded away” list…)
- DNA fingerprinting
- Artificial Heart
- Fantasy Sports Teams (which are still lame)
- Cloning animals
- The SuperBowl as a kind of National Holiday (I’m reaching)
- Cutting (?)
- “Walkman” came & went — remember that!
- Suitcases with wheels on the bottom (seriously …. Nobody had em!)
- most piercings… Besides ears…
- McDonalds Playlands

this second list is things that didn’t exist when we were in middle school,
then came on the scene in a major way, and have already faded:
- Fax
machines
- CDs (seriously – who buys CDs anymore? They’re the betamax cartridge of
this generation.)
- Video tapes
- Internet chat rooms
- Really, we could put email on this list, since teenagers don’t use email
anymore, except to communicate with parents or teachers.
- Music videos played on MTV
- The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
- The Walkman (pre-mp3 cassette and CD players)

what are we missing?? would love to hear as many additional ideas as you
have…
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Should I Bring Jesus to the Poor?

I met this young lady who works for an inner city organization that works with children. She has been working there for 10 years. She said one thing in particular that really struck me. She said, "I used to think that when I came to the inner city to work with these kids that I would bring Jesus to them, but when I got here and started working with them, I started to realize that Jesus was already here." It struck me because I think that we middle class people (not just Christians) think that we should go into the inner-city and "rescue" people from their situation. We often feel as though we have all the answers and they have everything wrong. Is it possible that it is the other way around? Is it possible that people who live on the streets...those who don't worry about tomorrow, those who are not obsessed with money or material possessions actually have something to teach us? I think so. So in response to the question, "Should I bring Jesus to the po...
2 comments
Read more

Broken Hand - And I didn't even hit anyone!

I have been absent from posting for a few weeks mostly for one reason. I broke my hand. I know, I know it is possible to type with one hand...but I found it incredibly frustrating to do so, I can't stand hunting and pecking! Especially with my left hand. How did I injure my hand? I am glad you asked, since I have only told the story about 1000 times in the last two weeks, so you are lucky number 1001. I was in Pinawa at some natural waterslides close to the old Pinawa Dam(n!). I was there with a bunch of youth leaders as part of a leadership retreat that we were doing. We were having a great time going down the rapids on the (relatively?!) smooth rocks for about 45 minutes. My friend Jason and I decided that it would be a great idea to go down on a tube, together. My friend Matt held the tube for us as we got on and released us down the rapids (I mention names here because there is a pending lawsuit, and I am still not sure who is at fault...Jason for rolling off the tube ...
6 comments
Read more

"Christian" Music

The whole idea of "Christian" music has bothered me lately. There is this whole industry that exists to produce and sell "Christian" music. It's as if the music itself could be Christian...I am pretty sure that music itself does not have a soul (well OK there is Soul music, but c'mon!). I prefer to think that music is just music, sometimes Christians play it, sing it or write it. What if Christians did not have the advantage of having Christian labels producing their music, or Christian radio stations playing their music and Christian book stores selling their music? I think it would be wonderful...I think there would be more "Christian" music on secular radio stations and in regular music stores. There would be Christian artists who are more prepared to be honest about their faith. There would be people outside the Christian circles who might be exposed to some good Christian artists (I think there are a couple of those!?). I think this would make...
4 comments
Read more