Coming To America

 

1. Where did you find this?

   Posted by Steel Turman       05/27/2005  at  07:12 AM  



2. He made it up, Steel.  The Captain is very clever.

   Posted by Phoenix       05/27/2005  at  10:42 AM  



3. CLASSIC BRILLANCE!

   Posted by mdmhvonpa       05/27/2005  at  10:51 AM  



4. Skipper, this is about the best I’ve seen yet!  BRAVO!! 

   Posted by Tannenberg       05/27/2005  at  11:49 AM  



5. Excellent, Skipper, I LIKE it.

   Yeah, Bob. I still remember the four questions the examiner asked me before he surrendered. I had all the Presidents memorized and he threw this shit at me:

   What was Fulton’s folly?
   What was Seward’s folly?
   What was 54 40 or fight?
   What was “Tippecanoe and Tyler too”?

   He was very complimentary to my history teacher who served as one of my witnesses.

   Posted by StinKerr       05/27/2005  at  02:13 PM  



6. The steamship, Alaska, the Oregon Territory border controversy, and the slogan of the Whig ticket of Harrison and Tyler, if memory serves, Stin.  Am I right?

   

   Posted by Tannenberg       05/27/2005  at  02:55 PM  



7. I taught many foreign exchange students and many immigrants over my twenty years of teaching.  I can state unequivocably that everyone of them knew more American history, geography, government, and English literature than any of my students,- including the honor students.

   Posted by Phoenix       05/27/2005  at  04:42 PM  



8. Absolutely correct, Tannenberg. I must admit to resorting to beating around the bush a little bit on the last one because W.H. Harrison’s name did not come immediataly to mind.

   I’m not surprised that you knew the answers, of course, but you’d be amazed at how many Americans don’t know any of the answers. My own interest in history helped.

   Posted by StinKerr       05/27/2005  at  05:07 PM  



9. Glad I got an A, Stin.  But I wouldn’t really be amazed at how many of us wouldn’t have a clue.  Disappointed yes (very), but not amazed.

   I run into college students practically every day who know nothing about World War II except for a few vague ideas about the Holocaust--and a vituperative America-is-awful PC slogan or two about Hiroshima.

   Tragic, and worse.

   Posted by Tannenberg       05/27/2005  at  10:07 PM  



10. Sometimes the ignorance is jaw dropping. I’ve found myself giving history lessons, on occasion, to adults who should know better.

    Of course, the modern “media” is often the worst offender. When they repeat something often enough it becomes truth. Especially when the story is too good to check and their historical knowledge and critical reasoning is nil.

    Posted by StinKerr       05/28/2005  at  01:19 AM  



11. Bob,

    I’ve watched Leno do that, and I just cringe in disbelief.  But worse than the fact the average person on the street is so ignorant is that the average person on the street could not care less.

    Posted by Phoenix       05/28/2005  at  11:13 AM  

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