American History or the lack thereof..
Jul. 6th, 2010 12:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatPosting from work on my lunch break because it's too bloody hot outside to walk around the park, which is never a great idea (posting on lj at work not park walking) but what the heck - as long as I don't post about work.
According to Momster - the news had done a survey of the American public and discovered that over 29% or 27% (can't remember which) did not know who the US fought for and got independence from way back in 1776. Sure they knew that the 4th of July was about getting our independence from another country that we happened to be a colony of, but they didn't appear to know which country.
Now this blew my mind. So, bewildered, I asked Momster, "out of curiousity - who do people think we won independence from?"
Momster: Spain and France - were the leading candidates.
Okay, could be worse. (hint - in case you don't know the answer - what language do the vast majority of Americans speak? I mean seriously folks, if we won our independence from France or Spain, don't you think we'd all be speaking Spainish or French? ) Maybe they are confusing the French/Indian Wars with the Revol War (which was earlier) or the Spainish/American War which was much much later?
Of course this wasn't all - about 29% don't know who the first President of the US is. Uhm okay. That's just sad. Hint - look at the American Dollar Bill or Nickle, and what is the name of Capital of the US? I mean this is not hard people.
And...they can't tell you who the first four Presidents of the US are? Okay, that I can sort of understand - took me a while to get them into the correct order.
Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison...then I think John Quincy Addams.
John Quincy was also Sec of State.
I don't know. Methinks people are spending far too much time on twitter, facebook and the internet in general for their own good. Googling whenever they have to know the answer to anything. As a result, Generation Tech (Gen T)is rapidly turning into Generation Spoiled Stupid (Gen SS).
It would be amusing, if it weren't so sad and pathetic. There's an old adage - those who do not learn from history, let alone remember it, are doomed to repeat it. Which is exactly what we are doing.
Okay - back to work.
According to Momster - the news had done a survey of the American public and discovered that over 29% or 27% (can't remember which) did not know who the US fought for and got independence from way back in 1776. Sure they knew that the 4th of July was about getting our independence from another country that we happened to be a colony of, but they didn't appear to know which country.
Now this blew my mind. So, bewildered, I asked Momster, "out of curiousity - who do people think we won independence from?"
Momster: Spain and France - were the leading candidates.
Okay, could be worse. (hint - in case you don't know the answer - what language do the vast majority of Americans speak? I mean seriously folks, if we won our independence from France or Spain, don't you think we'd all be speaking Spainish or French? ) Maybe they are confusing the French/Indian Wars with the Revol War (which was earlier) or the Spainish/American War which was much much later?
Of course this wasn't all - about 29% don't know who the first President of the US is. Uhm okay. That's just sad. Hint - look at the American Dollar Bill or Nickle, and what is the name of Capital of the US? I mean this is not hard people.
And...they can't tell you who the first four Presidents of the US are? Okay, that I can sort of understand - took me a while to get them into the correct order.
Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison...then I think John Quincy Addams.
John Quincy was also Sec of State.
I don't know. Methinks people are spending far too much time on twitter, facebook and the internet in general for their own good. Googling whenever they have to know the answer to anything. As a result, Generation Tech (Gen T)is rapidly turning into Generation Spoiled Stupid (Gen SS).
It would be amusing, if it weren't so sad and pathetic. There's an old adage - those who do not learn from history, let alone remember it, are doomed to repeat it. Which is exactly what we are doing.
Okay - back to work.
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no subject
Date: 2010-07-07 04:30 pm (UTC)Where are you? Texas? Or still in Ithaca?
Personally I blame the idea of too many kids being badly home schooled or going to religious schools which have agendas other than teaching history, or Government, or languages or or or...
sigh.
Yep. That and the emphasis on standardized testing. People don't learn through lectures and tests, they learn through interactive discussion and being forced to write papers and essays. I forget lectures - they go in one ear and out the other. But if I have to read, discuss, and write about it - I remember.
That said - how can you not know who we fought in the Revolutionary War, and who our first President is? Unless you are living under a rock? Both are integral parts of our culture.
Be like not knowing what baseball is.
no subject
Date: 2010-07-07 06:20 pm (UTC)And yeah, I cannot imagine anyone (even someone illiterate) not picking up on Geo Washington... or knowing that we fought the British ('the British are coming! The British are coming!' certainly cartoons still use that as a punch line like they did when I was a kid?).
Oh well.