England's young adults trail world in literacy and maths

[Coito ergo sum]

I've got more. How about the archeology student who though Egypt was in Eastern Europe?

Shit man, I'm not even that clever but there does seem to be something lacking in general knowledge education.

My friend's wife didn't know that the American Civil War was in the 1800s, or whether it came before or after World War 1. She then proceeded to give a lecture the fact that it didn't matter when things occurred, where they occurred or who was involved. All that mattered is "Why" they happened.

So, smart ass me followed up, while cracking a beer open.....and I asked, "So, why did the Civil War happen?" Her answer was "fuck you."

I laughed my ass off, but of course she couldn't answer it. Without having some skeleton of knowledge of who, what, where and when, you just can't coherently answer why and how. Plain and simple. If you can't place the Civil War before World War 1 -- if you can't puzzle that out -- then you know almost nothing about either event, and can't possibly explain anything to do with why or how things happened. I mean, she couldn't even say which one came first -- if you gave it 2 seconds thought, and realized that there were tanks and airplanes in World War 1, you should at least understand that the Civil War had to come first. So, if you don't know any of the details of these two events, you not only can't put them in the right order, but you can't know the more complex issues of why and how.

I'm a big believer in a good dose of the much-maligned "rote memorization" of names, dates, places, and such. i don't consider that a complete education, but it is the first layer of the pyramid. It's basic. It's the easy part. The more difficult, demanding and complex parts are the whys and the hows.

[Coito ergo sum]

Fukkin smart ass forriners allus shootin off yer mouf bout how smart y'all is. Betcha cain't even skin out a dang deer nor bait a trout line. Sheeit.

All joking aside though, my parents' generation were keenly aware of the value of education, and regarded a third-level qualification especially highly. Now, they give degrees out to anyone.

It would be unfair if stupid people had a disproportionately low share of college degrees, and smart people had a disproportionately high share of the good grades.

[klr]

I've got more. How about the archeology student who though Egypt was in Eastern Europe?

Shit man, I'm not even that clever but there does seem to be something lacking in general knowledge education.

My friend's wife didn't know that the American Civil War was in the 1800s, or whether it came before or after World War 1. She then proceeded to give a lecture the fact that it didn't matter when things occurred, where they occurred or who was involved. All that mattered is "Why" they happened.

So, smart ass me followed up, while cracking a beer open.....and I asked, "So, why did the Civil War happen?" Her answer was "fuck you."

I laughed my ass off, but of course she couldn't answer it. Without having some skeleton of knowledge of who, what, where and when, you just can't coherently answer why and how. Plain and simple. If you can't place the Civil War before World War 1 -- if you can't puzzle that out -- then you know almost nothing about either event, and can't possibly explain anything to do with why or how things happened. I mean, she couldn't even say which one came first -- if you gave it 2 seconds thought, and realized that there were tanks and airplanes in World War 1, you should at least understand that the Civil War had to come first. So, if you don't know any of the details of these two events, you not only can't put them in the right order, but you can't know the more complex issues of why and how.

I'm a big believer in a good dose of the much-maligned "rote memorization" of names, dates, places, and such. i don't consider that a complete education, but it is the first layer of the pyramid. It's basic. It's the easy part. The more difficult, demanding and complex parts are the whys and the hows.

Nowadays, it seems to be neither, from what I can make out. But I agree with your approach.

As for your historically hapless acquaintance ... I fear there are a lot more such people about than we might want to admit.

[Coito ergo sum]

Yes, I suspect there is a significant percentage of the population that would not be sure whether World War 1 or World War 2 came first.

[Audley Strange]

Mathematics. "What can numbers tell us about our emotions?"
Chemistry. "How much is a gram of cocaine."
History. "Name three old skool Nu-Metal artists."
Physics. "How much force would a brick need to break the window of your local Dixons store?"
Sociology. "Deconstruct the inherent oppressor/oppression subtext of Patriarchal Rape anthem "Blurred Lines"
Geography. "Where is waldo in this photograph of Khandahar?
I.T. " Have you installed malwarebytes?"
Biology. "Describe the biological process that leads to the Mullet."

[klr]

Yes, I suspect there is a significant percentage of the population that would not be sure whether World War 1 or World War 2 came first.

On a not unrelated note, QI had a good skit on when WW I got that name:

[Coito ergo sum]

8% of people interviewed here knew what a "browser" was ---

This stuff always makes me laugh. People are fucking stupid.

Part of me thinks that some of this is an inability to articulate an idea, particularly a definition. They kinda know what it is, based on their daily usage, but they can't put it into words to explain it to someone else. There's that, and there does always seem to be this intense desire to spit back what the questioner wants, not to simply think of an answer that is correct independent of the questioner. It's almost as like most of these people are searching for what the questioner is "getting at," and they also get a bit defensive in answering the question, and they answer the question with a question.

[Coito ergo sum]

I like how the history major IN COLLEGE does not know what "DC" stands for in Washington DC. LOL.

Fucking dummies.



I don't fucking get the people who don't know anything about the French and indian War. i mean, that is covered in primary school history in every school in the US. They don't seem to even remember having heard of it.

[Svartalf]

I'm an English major and I learned of that on my own, and late, not in school or college (or forgot after it was mentioned in an unremarkable way)

[klr]

I like how the history major IN COLLEGE does not know what "DC" stands for in Washington DC. LOL.

Fucking dummies.



I don't fucking get the people who don't know anything about the French and indian War. i mean, that is covered in primary school history in every school in the US. They don't seem to even remember having heard of it.

There are plenty of them here as well. It's just that "showing up ignorant Irish/Brits" isn't so popular.

[Animavore]

The "DC" isn "Washington DC" is something people should know by osmosis alone. I mean, I'm fucked if I know why I know what it stands for, I just do. Americans should do even more so I would of thought.

[Svartalf]

I like how the history major IN COLLEGE does not know what "DC" stands for in Washington DC. LOL.

Fucking dummies.



I don't fucking get the people who don't know anything about the French and indian War. i mean, that is covered in primary school history in every school in the US. They don't seem to even remember having heard of it.

There are plenty of them here as well. It's just that "showing up ignorant Irish/Brits" isn't so popular.

Do you know why I just might show up in Dublin nest Easter, if I can muster the funding and the energy to organize a trip?

[Coito ergo sum]

The "DC" isn "Washington DC" is something people should know by osmosis alone. I mean, I'm fucked if I know why I know what it stands for, I just do. Americans should do even more so I would of thought.

yeah...I mean... do people not listen to stuff? Do they not remember? Do they get all giddy when put on the spot and blank out? I'm baffled. It must be the difference between a 100 IQ and 130+ IQ. The average person just knows very little.

[Audley Strange]

Also, bear in mind that stuffing a camera in someone's face and quizzing them puts them on the spot. There is probably a neurological reason for them bumbling through questions that they actually probably do know the answers to but are locked out of their long term memory. People act funny around cameras and inquisitors.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demand_effect

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_effect

[Coito ergo sum]

Also, bear in mind that stuffing a camera in someone's face and quizzing them puts them on the spot. There is probably a neurological reason for them bumbling through questions that they actually probably do know the answers to but are locked out of their long term memory. People act funny around cameras and inquisitors.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demand_effect

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_effect

I hope that's the case. There is also, however, a cultural defense mechanism that people have, I think. It's acceptable and even rewarded to not know stuff. Ever hear people talk about stuff they don't know? Math? History? Science? Almost always it's coupled with a gleeful giggle, and it's almost proudly announced, "Oh, I don't know anything about math..." The same is not true of some areas, like reading. If someone can't read, it's a shame and an embarrassment and nobody would ever brag about it. But, be incapable of identifying Europe on a map, and people find it charmingly funny.

Perhaps we need to put a little bit more of stigma on not knowing stuff....lol