The 3rd one was definitely joking, but the 1st and 2nd's accounts have been 'protected' so we can't see their responses. Out of... embarrassment? Or prolly just masses of harassment.
This is obviously bad, but the "they breed" comment seems a little harsh. No, not everyone who has children is intelligent. But this feels like a cheap shot at some people who at best made a harmless joke and at worst are not very intelligent. And remember, by posting the screenshot, you are setting them up for public ridicule.
I do love the site, that one comment just strikes me as out-of-line with the usual level of discourse I find here. Sorry if it's too nit-picky or I'm missing something.
No apology necessary. I'm occasionally prone to expressing intolerance and lapsing into cattiness and disrespectful commentary. Those moods pass. And I sometimes go back and erase posts if I get really remorseful about what I said.
am I allowed to say that this is what happens when religion (and religious history) isn't taught in schools? Do these kids not know about the "AD / BC" (or if you went to a school like mine, CE/BCE) that goes after a year's designation?
I and my schoolmates never had a minute of religious education in 13 years of school, but we certainly learned what BC and AD mean. And may I add that I couldn't be happier that "the powers that be" have finally started to break away from that antiquated, absurdly western-centric method of denoting time.
Lol, @Anonymous. No, they just renamed it. The arbitrary western-centric line in the sand is in exactly the same place; otherwise you would have been notified that this year is no longer 2012.
I think it's likely that the average TYWKIWDBI reader doesn't interact much with masses of teenagers. Of course there are bright shining lights and some very smart kids -- but the level of ignorance coming out of high schools (with passing grades!) these days is appalling.
I've seen high school seniors who can't make change without a calculator, can't point out the Middle East or China on a globe, and can't read at a rate of one page every five minutes. Yet, they all walk down the aisle with their graduate caps on at the end of the year.
It's every bit as bad as you say, in fact worse: many teenagers cannot read a wall clock or analog watch, having never learned it in school. My own 16YO daughter was one of these casualties and only revealed last year that she couldn't really tell the time (and was ashamed to admit it for years). She knew the rudiments, because I'd taught her those before she went to kindergarten, but nothing else, because THEY DON'T TEACH KIDS HOW TO TELL TIME IN SCHOOL ANY MORE. Nor can they do multiplication, simple addition and subtraction, and so forth.
The entire sorry mess came to light when my daughter became so thoroughly baffled by a watch face with Roman numerals (which, it goes without saying, were also not learned in school) that she lost her temper and blurted it out.
I thought this was an isolated case, but an informal survey amongst friends with teenaged children proves it's disgustingly widespread. And no, they cannot make change without a calculator; they cannot do ANYTHING without a calculator. Maps? Forget about it. History and geography have been lumped into the category of "social studies," which in elementary school is often seen as an unnecessary course, and is nonexistent in high school ... at least it is at my daughter's high school.
So what are they learning? They are learning how to pass the standardized math tests which guarantee school funding. This is done by cramming students with test answers, year after year, so they can make a good show on the scores. Jeez, don't even get me started on THAT. (I will say that my older daughter -- there is quite a difference in ages between my two children -- attended school pre-standardization, when learning to tell time was still part of the standard curriculum.
I got so angry at one point that I pulled both my daughters out of school and taught them at home for two years. Thanks to this educational interlude, they can at least read a map, know something about geography and world history, and are aware of the fact that Beethoven is not a large annoying movie about a large annoying dog.
So seeing the Youth of America being totally baffled by "there's only been 2012 years" (and no, #3 wasn't joking) is not a new experience for me. Far from it.
I raised three children, and realized at an early stage that relying on public schools is foolhardy. What ever happened to the parents taking a hand in the education process? Why didn’t you teach your child to tell time when they were five? Or sit with them and read a book, manage a small checking account, or the hundreds of other things that the school system neglects? In defense of the school system, they are tasked with doing an impossible job of education, discipline, and public baby sitters, while parents are more interested in the soccer games than the level of education achieved. To trust your precious children to the sorry state that is public school is neglect.
They could be joking...?
ReplyDeleteI'm going with joking. I'm hoping for joking.
DeletePoe's law
DeleteI have a feeling most of them are not. And there's more here:
Deletehttp://i.minus.com/iAzASPnShhwve.jpg
The 3rd one was definitely joking, but the 1st and 2nd's accounts have been 'protected' so we can't see their responses. Out of... embarrassment? Or prolly just masses of harassment.
ReplyDeleteThis is obviously bad, but the "they breed" comment seems a little harsh. No, not everyone who has children is intelligent. But this feels like a cheap shot at some people who at best made a harmless joke and at worst are not very intelligent. And remember, by posting the screenshot, you are setting them up for public ridicule.
ReplyDeleteI do love the site, that one comment just strikes me as out-of-line with the usual level of discourse I find here. Sorry if it's too nit-picky or I'm missing something.
No apology necessary. I'm occasionally prone to expressing intolerance and lapsing into cattiness and disrespectful commentary. Those moods pass. And I sometimes go back and erase posts if I get really remorseful about what I said.
DeleteDid their schools just never teach basic history or something?
ReplyDeleteA great unintended consequence of modern communications tech and particularly social media.
ReplyDeleteNow, it's not only your friends who will know you are dumb as a rock. The whole world will find out.
You're all forgetting the world is only 6,000 yrs old...
ReplyDeleteam I allowed to say that this is what happens when religion (and religious history) isn't taught in schools? Do these kids not know about the "AD / BC" (or if you went to a school like mine, CE/BCE) that goes after a year's designation?
ReplyDeleteI and my schoolmates never had a minute of religious education in 13 years of school, but we certainly learned what BC and AD mean. And may I add that I couldn't be happier that "the powers that be" have finally started to break away from that antiquated, absurdly western-centric method of denoting time.
DeleteLol, @Anonymous. No, they just renamed it. The arbitrary western-centric line in the sand is in exactly the same place; otherwise you would have been notified that this year is no longer 2012.
DeleteI think it's likely that the average TYWKIWDBI reader doesn't interact much with masses of teenagers. Of course there are bright shining lights and some very smart kids -- but the level of ignorance coming out of high schools (with passing grades!) these days is appalling.
ReplyDeleteI've seen high school seniors who can't make change without a calculator, can't point out the Middle East or China on a globe, and can't read at a rate of one page every five minutes. Yet, they all walk down the aisle with their graduate caps on at the end of the year.
It's every bit as bad as you say, in fact worse: many teenagers cannot read a wall clock or analog watch, having never learned it in school. My own 16YO daughter was one of these casualties and only revealed last year that she couldn't really tell the time (and was ashamed to admit it for years). She knew the rudiments, because I'd taught her those before she went to kindergarten, but nothing else, because THEY DON'T TEACH KIDS HOW TO TELL TIME IN SCHOOL ANY MORE. Nor can they do multiplication, simple addition and subtraction, and so forth.
DeleteThe entire sorry mess came to light when my daughter became so thoroughly baffled by a watch face with Roman numerals (which, it goes without saying, were also not learned in school) that she lost her temper and blurted it out.
I thought this was an isolated case, but an informal survey amongst friends with teenaged children proves it's disgustingly widespread. And no, they cannot make change without a calculator; they cannot do ANYTHING without a calculator. Maps? Forget about it. History and geography have been lumped into the category of "social studies," which in elementary school is often seen as an unnecessary course, and is nonexistent in high school ... at least it is at my daughter's high school.
So what are they learning? They are learning how to pass the standardized math tests which guarantee school funding. This is done by cramming students with test answers, year after year, so they can make a good show on the scores. Jeez, don't even get me started on THAT. (I will say that my older daughter -- there is quite a difference in ages between my two children -- attended school pre-standardization, when learning to tell time was still part of the standard curriculum.
I got so angry at one point that I pulled both my daughters out of school and taught them at home for two years. Thanks to this educational interlude, they can at least read a map, know something about geography and world history, and are aware of the fact that Beethoven is not a large annoying movie about a large annoying dog.
So seeing the Youth of America being totally baffled by "there's only been 2012 years" (and no, #3 wasn't joking) is not a new experience for me. Far from it.
I raised three children, and realized at an early stage that relying on public schools is foolhardy. What ever happened to the parents taking a hand in the education process? Why didn’t you teach your child to tell time when they were five? Or sit with them and read a book, manage a small checking account, or the hundreds of other things that the school system neglects? In defense of the school system, they are tasked with doing an impossible job of education, discipline, and public baby sitters, while parents are more interested in the soccer games than the level of education achieved.
DeleteTo trust your precious children to the sorry state that is public school is neglect.
If people want to live ignorantly, then so be it. Just leave the voting to the smart people.
ReplyDeleteI wonder Did anyone bother to explain this to these people?
ReplyDelete