h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Beloit College, in St. Beloit, Wisconsin, claims to be noted "for its passionate engagement with ideas and the world."

The college just released its yearly Beloit College Mindset List, which is alleged to be a "look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college this fall."

The list is supposed to help other faculty members be aware of dated cultural references. An eighteen year old incoming freshman might have studied the Persian Gulf War in her American History class, but she's certainly not going to remember it unfolding in the news as her professors might.

This year, I wasn't able to get past item number four on the Beloit College Mindset List before throwing my head back and laughing so loud, I woke up a snoozing kitty cat. Good news, Beloit College, the kitty is back asleep, as some members of your faculty must surely have been while compiling the list. Here is the amusing item:

"4. The only significant labor disputes in their lifetimes have been in major league sports."

Beloit College is about a 55-mile drive from the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison. As everyone recalls, with the except of the Beloit College faculty and staff who compiled this year's list, Madison Wisconsin has been the site of a lengthy labor dispute with enormous political ramifications since last winter.

The Wisconsin labor disputes over Gov. Scott Walker's push to remove collective bargaining rights is a battle that has moved from the capitol building and nearby streets to the courts and ballot boxes, but which isn't over yet. The liveliness of the twitter hash tag #wiunion attests to the public awareness of the significance of today's labor disputes.

Here's a link to the list which caused cat-awakening mirth:

http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2015/

They probably meant to say, "The only significant labor VICTORIES have been in major league sports."

Clocking in at 52 this year, almost every entry in the list made me laugh. Of course, it is a sobering thought to consider how "the next generation" relates to the world around them based on their experiences while growing up. Ever-changing, ever the same sort of challenges.

B4itakestockoftheeventsthatshapedmylife

I was watching some tv show the other day and in one scene they played Ravel's Bolero. I couldn't help but think how the folks this list is talking about would have no idea what that music is referencing or suggesting.

Wait...wait about 15 minutes and I'll be with you on the significance...



B4thisgoesdownhillquickly

Ravel's Bolero ranks right up there with Pomp and Circumstance as one of the most boring tune to play.

I can't hear Bolero without thinking of a certain animation which used it.

Huh. You've not played the clarinet part to Pomp and Circumstance. Boring is *not* the adjective. "Oh BoB, Oh BoB, why can't I articulate fast enough" is the adjective I usually use.

Bolero is boring because it was written as an orchestration exercise to hear how different instruments sounded together.

>> You've not played the clarinet part to Pomp and Circumstance.

Guilty as charged. Sax, here.