"what
the average American knows"
Does "modern culture" cause people to "forget"
their past? John Hopkins researchers who were conducting surveys
to determine "what the average American knows" posed this
question, and others.
What they discovered was that twenty five percent of folks surveyed
could name all five members of the Simpsons (that dysfunctional
family on television), while only one person out of a thousand could
name the five freedoms in the Bill of Rights. Worse, eighty percent
of respondents could name at least one Simpson family member, and
only twenty percent could recite one of the "freedoms"
in the Bill of Rights. What the heck is happening here?
You know we are collectively sinking to new intellectual lows when
several people questioned about the Bill of Rights thought they
were a new brand of blue jeans! Is this evidence of what some educators
call the "dumbing down" of Americans?
Sadly, twenty percent of young adults claimed that "Pearl Harbor"
was either an alternative rock band or a resort. We're losing our
grip on history, which usually spells trouble for societies. How
did we get so stupid? (Thank goodness this "freedom of speech"
allows me to be so bold and "freedom of press" allows
these comments to be printed).
One university professor in Boston was teaching Russian history
and said she wept in class, when a student wanted to know why John
Lennon of the Beatles was "entombed" in Leningrad for
so long. "How did one of the Beatles get so popular in Russia?"
was this honor student's question. Another student answered, "You
think they didn't have radios in Russia?"
No wonder the professor cried! How did these kids get out of high
school?
A high percentage of Americans believe that New Mexico is not part
of the United States! It got so bad that the state had to change
their license plates to read "USA."
If we don't know geography, perhaps that explains why so many people
don't know our national landmarks. Mount Rushmore is a ski resort!
The Alamo is restaurant chain! Gettysburg is a planned community
for old folks! Yosemite is a beer! Yellowstone? A rare gemstone
sold on QVC!
I asked my teenage grandson what he thought of Paul Newman. He replied,
"He makes good salad dressings." Yes, Dear Readers, the
world as we know it may be coming to an end when Paul Newman is
best known for gracing the bottle of ranch dressing.
What are we to do? It's an uphill battle to teach history and at
the same time be "hip." Hip, for those of us who would
like to achieve this status, is embracing modern culture and technology
by "living in the real world or right now."
We must live in pretty "hip" times. Did you know that
more people could identify Paris Hilton than President Eisenhower?
And more folks (in the millions) tuned in to American Idol than
the Winter Olympics! Everyday, another person "forgets"
why this country fought World War II.
"The important events that fade in a nation's memory have treacherous
ways of being repeated." Who said that? President Bush or Oprah?
Oh, no-it was Bart Simpson!
As for me, I'm still looking for that new brand of blue jeans, called
the "Bill of Rights." Shopping is one sure way to feel
"hip." |
