“Adults have always been saying that the new Generation ZZZ will save humanity.” –From The Mindset List for the Class of 2084, born 2062…….. In the recent Time cover story on today’s Millennial generation, the title on the front says that this generation is lazy and self-centered—but will “save us all.” This is partly journalistic hype, and it plays well with the sort of thing writers like: paradox. “They’re lousy, but they’ll redeem all of us in the end.” It’s also part of the thesis as presented by the writer of the story, Joel Stein. He points to Millennial habits that will solve future problems, such as the new generation’s understanding of weak connections to achieve just about anything they Read on »
A Mad Man’s Mindset List®…. In both The Mindset Lists of American History and The Annual Mindset List, Tom McBride and Ron Nief offer an “indispensable” (Brian Williams) and “mesmerizing” (Associated Press) way of tracing the American past…. Here McBride and Nief offer their unique perspective on one of America’s favorite TV characters…. As AMC’s Mad Men continues in its latest season, it is time to take historical stock of its leading character: the outwardly handsome but subtly tortured Don Draper. A brilliantly successful man in the sexist, alcohol-soaked early 1960s, Don’s personal life remains a mess from which we viewers do not wish walk away. A Little Background Don Draper (real name: Richard Whitman) was born in the American South in 1924 and is thirty-six Read on »
Presented to the League of Women Voters on February 10, 2013: 1. When they were toddlers, academics were talking about the “chilly climate” in the classroom for women; now that they are college students, academics are worried about the paucity of males attending American colleges and universities. 2. Although Hillary Clinton was a pioneering feminist, most of them supported Obama in 2008. 3. They fully expect the Democratic Party to be running women on the top or bottom of presidential tickets for the next decade and beyond—and think the Republicans might, too. 4. They are the least surprised people in America to learn that the Army is now bringing women into forward combat roles. 5. Read on »
An Excerpt from the Keynote Address for the NCAA National Convention Dallas, 2013 By Tom McBride and Ron Nief, co-authors of The Mindset Lists of American History (Wiley, 2011) What have today’s young people—those between eighteen and twenty-nine—grown up with in terms of American athletics? What has been “normal” for them? What is their “sports mindset”? There are two ways to answer this question: by offering some items off our famed, patented Lists, and by offering some analysis of a main difference between this sports generation and previous ones. Let’s start with some List items: they supply an immediate (and comic) insight into what has always been “normal”—in terms of athletics—for the current generation of young people: Sports bras Read on »
WeRHistory A Guide to THE MINDSET LISTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY INTRODUCTION WeRHistory is a guide to discussion of the past and do-it-yourself history. As co-authors, we want our readers to explore the underlying message of THE MINDSET LISTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY: From Typewriters to Text Messages, What 10 Generations of Americans Think is Normal. As the first chapter says, “History Has Always Been Us.” Each of us does our bit for history every day. We make personal decisions that alter our individual history and collective decisions that make history. We are all part of the historical parade from birth to grave. We are all historical personages and actors in a historical drama. We not only are history; we can Read on »
THE MINDSET LISTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY Frequently Asked Questions Posed to the Authors, Tom McBride and Ron Nief Q: Why didn’t you just publish a book that included all your Mindset Lists since the beginning in 1998? A: No one would buy such a book when they get all our Mindset Lists free online at www.beloit.edu/mindset or www.themindsetlist.com Besides, we wanted to do something larger: prove that our methods are an illuminating way to pursue historical truth, especially about American life over the past 150 years, from 1880-2030. Q: What do you mean by that? A: We mean that an investigation of what’s normal for one generation, but abnormal for another, reveals how history is all about change. Historical change Read on »
FROM THE MINDSET LIST®…. The Challenging Y Chromosome: Five Mistakes Managers Make With their Gen Y Employees…. Preview: #1: Managers fail to recognize that the high-tech savvy of this generation—unparalleled in history—masks their lack of low-tech skills. #2. Managers fail to perceive the nuances of Gen Y work habits. #3: Managers associate giving new employees what they want with an inevitable and perilous loss of authority. #4: Mangers become overly impressed with the widespread meme about Gen Y: that they expect to change jobs many, many times. #5: Managers will try to tell, not show, Gen Y worker what to do. ••• In some ways Gen Y is like any other young generation. It’s provincial, for instance—not in the Read on »
MINDSET LIST AUTHORS ISSUE 2013 ADVISORY FOR NEW PARENTS Beloit, Wis. – With only days remaining until the announcement of the first child born in 2013, two authors who have dealt for years with the world of the 18 year old, have some advice for new parents. “Start taking notes and preparing for those questions you will have to answer as they graduate from high school in in 2031,” suggest Ron Nief and Tom McBride, creators of the Beloit College Mindset List and authors of The Mindset Lists of American History. “Time will sneak by quickly,” they warn, “and soon they are going to want you to explain yourself and your generation. They will force you to show your age with quizzical looks Read on »