The Anything Goes Youtubery Thread

[Flashermac]

Just what are schools and universities teaching these days?

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRkFDcX_72c

[radioman]

The Last Witness video. So I learned that Canadians might be marginally smarter than Mericans, but they both seem to have taken a good beating with the dumb stick.

 

Shame he didn't ask them what VE day was, or better yet VJ day.

 

In fairness it made me think about my own schooling in history, though I didn't pursue it beyond early secondary school we certainly did learn about a lot of notable points in history though there were several what I would call glaring omissions. The Crimean war and the Boer wars were essentially not mentioned. Maybe they were left for higher study though I suspect not. These were wars that had quite an impact in England. Crimea had happened only 100 years or so before, the Boer war slightly less. I had relatives, still alive when I was a kid who had connections to both of those wars, and they themselves could recall stories told by their relatives of the Napoleonic wars at the beginning of the 19th century.

 

WWII is pretty much that far in the past today and for anyone today in their 20's it must be pretty remote. It's unlikely they have any living relatives who have direct experience of it. Less so for Vietnam though those numbers are getting less every year. I wonder what is taught of the Vietnam/American war in US schools.

 

The general intelligence, basic geography, is to me more mind boggling.

[radioman]

The American Independence video. Brilliant. Another great thwack with the stoopid stick.

 

When I see things like that it does make me wonder what those people go home and think about in their daily lives. What drives them and focuses their interest.

[radioman]

[radioman]

 

True and interesting statements from the speaker

[Flashermac]

When I was a kid, we studied ancient history, English history, colonial history, and American history. From what I've read, it seems that nothing before 1900 is studied in most states any more after the 8th grade. If it happened before 1900, it's not important.

[bust]

Perhaps here's the answer to the poor level of education in the US these days

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3tkFOtM6go

[Flashermac]

Something is certainly going on ... almost enough to make you start believing in conspiracy theories. I had mandatory physical education classes from 1st grade to the 12th grade, plus another two semesters were required in college or university. My nephew only had to take one year of P.E. in high school and none after that. I saw a report in the news not long ago that only about 20% of young Americans are physically fit to serve in the military. The rest are too out of shape or just plain lard buckets.

[Palatkik]

[Palatkik]