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Blog*Spot ArchivesContactRichard Ceccarelli Josh Mandir |
Wednesday, June 16, 2004Non-baseball: Just the facts ma'amThis item really got my blood boiling (via Baseball Crank).
On the eve of D-Day ceremonies, an association dedicated to the memory of Saint-Lô as it was before the destruction of the city organized a debate in the local theater involving two veterans, survivors of the bombing of the city and high school students aged 15 to 17.When reading the article some of my past experiences chatting with European friends came to mind. It always amazed me how little they knew about world history. That's one of those generalizations you usually hear from Europeans about Americans- that we, as a nation, know very little about world events and geography. Ok, so the geography part is true (I have a story about my brother attempting to find Wisconsin on a map, but I won't bore you with it right now), but I have found that the opposite is true in terms of world events. It's probably just the company I keep- I happen to have smart American friends and dumb European ones, that's all. But then again, my European friends don't seem dumb until you ask them what caused World War I. An actual quote from Luke, my pal from Manchester, England: "It has something to do with Siberia, right?" Keep in mind that Luke is (supposedly) college educated, though not a history major I would assume. I once had the privilege of having an IM conversation with a French high school student who had taken offence to something I wrote on my political blog (join the club, dude). He proceeded to attempt to convince me that 9/11 was justified because it was- now get this- a preemptive strike against George W. Bush. He was also insisted that the Usama Bin Laden was leader of the Taliban, and that the US had no business toppling a "democratically elected government like that." Every time I attempted to correct him (which was difficult, as this guy typed at light speed) he would accuse me of falling pray to "the Bush administration's propaganda." A very entertaining conversation, indeed. Obviously I've never attended grade school in a European nation, but from my experiences with those who have I can come to this conclusion: I think what we have here are two different teaching methods, both lacking in their own distinct way. The European method would appear to be a case of "just the facts, ma'am." Ignoring, to a large extent, the greater themes of history and world events as they happen. I'm sure British school children can reel-off a list of every King and Queen in the history of the realm. As much as I hate to admit it, I can't name all the Presidents of the United States. While that may not make me look too good on a history exam, it has absolutely nothing to do with how I live my everyday life or form opinions about my world. So I can't name all the heads of state that plunged Europe into World War I, but I do understand how it happened and what was to be learned from that event. I find that to be infinitely more valuable. |
