Heightsite Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Can't post under political but believe this is as much a local as national issue....Statistics on our knowledge of American history sound dismal. If you don't know where you came from, you don't know where you're going.http://news.yahoo.com/video/whoknew-american-history-know-us-060000812.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEM Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Right you are................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 If you think that's bad, try quizzing your average college grad on world history and geography. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 If you think that's bad, try quizzing your average college grad on world history and geography.Isn't that like the study of dirt or whatever? "And our unique government may never have happened if Columbus hadn’t sailed across the ocean on the Titanic." LMAO! That was great. It is pretty sad. Most people don't even know New York is a state. I guess it depends on the kind of people you come in contact with. I recommend this book: http://www.amazon.com/Peoples-History-United-States-Present/dp/0060838655 It's a great read, and taught me more than the public & private education system. I'd like to think I have a pretty good understanding of world geography, but I get a bit rusty with south east europe, and many of the tiny pacific island nations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specwriter Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 History is, and always has been, fascinating for me. Today is my 53rd birthday and I have seen a lot of history first hand in the last 5+ decades. Yet, there is so much more. if I live another 50 years I will never discover it all but I will continue to enjoy the pursuit. When I was growing up in my world, being informed, intelligent (able to synthesize original thought), and conversant was looked upon favorably. I hope we have not begun to see the dumbing down of our culture as acceptable and irreversible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 My (totally unsupported) hunch is that your average Joe wasn't that much brighter in the past, and that the practice of moaning about how awful those kids today are goes back to the beginning of history. I'd like to think I have a pretty good understanding of world geography, but I get a bit rusty with south east europe, and many of the tiny pacific island nations. My useless skill is that I can name every country by memory. I learned them on a bet when I was a kid, and have kind of kept up with them since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 My (totally unsupported) hunch is that your average Joe wasn't that much brighter in the past, and that the practice of moaning about how awful those kids today are goes back to the beginning of history. Yes and yes. We tend to see things through the lens of how it is today and don't realize that most people 50 years ago didn't even consider college and were less knowledgable in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specwriter Posted October 2, 2013 Share Posted October 2, 2013 My (totally unsupported) hunch is that your average Joe wasn't that much brighter in the past, and that the practice of moaning about how awful those kids today are goes back to the beginning of history. I agree. I think young people are just as bright and intelligent today as ever. It is apparent though that the value placed on certain types of knowledge has changed. Is this for better or worse? I can't say. A lot of what was "practical knowledge" thirty years ago doesn't seem to have the same importance today. That said, it is disappointing to me when I encounter someone who doesn't care to broaden his horizons in any way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Montrose1100 Posted October 2, 2013 Share Posted October 2, 2013 My (totally unsupported) hunch is that your average Joe wasn't that much brighter in the past, and that the practice of moaning about how awful those kids today are goes back to the beginning of history. My useless skill is that I can name every country by memory. I learned them on a bet when I was a kid, and have kind of kept up with them since. I would have to say mine is knowing the name of the 30 tallest buildings in this city, the year they were built, and height in feet. Also, I know every state capital by heart. Useless. I can't remember if I locked my front door this morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specwriter Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 My useless skill is that I can name every country by memory. I learned them on a bet when I was a kid, and have kind of kept up with them since. Congratulations on that feat of mental acuity. Unfortunately, that may be at the top of the list of useless information. [damn, I can't get the smiley face emoticon to insert here] I don't know how old you are but in the 5+ decades I've been on this planet countries changing their names, or the formation of new countries, has become almost commonplace. My grandfather, who was born in 1897, receive a globe sometime during his school years. My father still has it as a decoration in his study. Except for the shape of the oceans and the continents, it would be difficult to recognize it today as a map of Planet Earth. [again with the absent smiley face] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livincinco Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 I agree. I think young people are just as bright and intelligent today as ever. It is apparent though that the value placed on certain types of knowledge has changed. Is this for better or worse? I can't say. A lot of what was "practical knowledge" thirty years ago doesn't seem to have the same importance today. That said, it is disappointing to me when I encounter someone who doesn't care to broaden his horizons in any way.I think that there is a valid argument to be made for not memorizing information that is immediately available at your fingertips. That's not meant as a knock on anyone that has chosen to do that, because that's information about something that you're clearly passionate about. Personally, there's a lot of things that I don't bother to remember if I know I can look it up in 30 seconds. I agree though that it comes down to having that thirst for knowledge. If someone doesn't have that, it doesn't matter what tools or education they have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specwriter Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 I think that there is a valid argument to be made for not memorizing information that is immediately available at your fingertips. Well said, livincinco, since "facts and figures" are so readily available through means such as the internet. Like I wrote earlier, memorizing something like the names of the countries of the world in 1975 would be of little use today. Knowing that Abraham Lincoln defeated Stephen A. Douglas for the U. S. presidency in 1860 is a fact but the useful historical knowledge is knowing why Lincoln won and what the implications were. One must be careful though to assess the veracity of information readily available today. To corrupt a line from a Lewis Carroll poem, "Beware the Wikifact, my son. The lies that bite, the caveats that catch" But real knowledge and understanding is not only useful it can be fun. How many under age 40 can make a bad joke by misquoting "Jabberwocky?" [insert smiley face emoticon here] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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