Ve'hoe

That is the problem glaucon,,, you need to go to another dinner party, rather than liberal ones,,,, regular people know these things, they really do, your average boot on the ground troop knows more about diplomacy and foreign relations than obama, biden, and clinton.....

Bigmac495 Loc: Indiana

Evidently you didn't watch the video all the way through! Where the video said the random se******n was followed as close as possible. No the kids on the video need some education, and evidently they aren't getting it! Can you back up your statement that the video people was hand picked ? I really doubt it!

alabuck Loc: Tennessee

[quote=Bigmac495]Another video asking college kids questions mostly about history . Way to go colleges!

http://www.glennbeck.com/2014/05/29/watch-this-video-proves-just-how-broken-our-education-system-is
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They (the correspondent and his cameraman) were too busy checking out the thongs and boobs to have much of an interview. They interviewed how many, 7-8 different people, and think it's a valid survey of college kids' knowledge? For crying out loud, they're college kids on Spring Break! All they're concerned about is getting drunk and practicing procreation. I suppose all of you "righties" never went on a Spring Break and enjoyed being "young, dumb and full of come-either."

Leno and Letterman have done as much and not tried to use it to condemn the educational system.

It was nice to watch, though. I know, I'm a dirty old man! :mrgreen:

Glaucon

Of course you really doubted those interviewed were hand picked. I would seriously suggest that these bogus interviews would tend to prove what you wanted very badly to believe.

Obviously this “experiment was meant to appeal to the misinformed and low information segment of our poor and middle class. People whom this video was meant to influence would not be sufficiently educated or aware to ask questions about how and why the video was made:
What if they had done the interviews of students exiting the library at 10 PM? Instead of the beautiful people with great tans, wearing scanty bathing suits, on the beach at 11 AM? Would anyone believe the people chosen to interview were a random se******n of subjects ?. Yes, if they desperately wanted to believe what the video was meant to imply.

Jay Leno does the same thing with people in various places. He only uses the interviews with the people who are entertaining or that prove wh**ever points he is trying to make. Audiences really enjoy watching people who are a bit dumber than they are making complete fools of themselves. That is obviously not a random se******n of subjects by any definition.
Who verified that these were students at the University of Maryland?

If they were student at the U of M, what year are they in and what grades are they getting. Any serious attempt at randomization of the sample would have had to avoid selecting only those who were in their first year and were about to drop out.

What do you think were Glenn Beck and Fox “News’,” intentions were for producing and distributing this video?
This is an example of, we hear what we want to hear and disregard the rest.

rumitoid

I went to the U of Maryland back in '65 and part of '66, before I volunteered for the draft. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was very active on campus. The first day I got there, there was a speaker for SDS addressing a crowd in the Student Union building. He asked the students assembled there, "Who ran against George Washington in the first p**********l e******n?" He asked this question because the main government argument at the time about Viet Namese e******n was that Ho Chi Minh was running unopposed. The students named every Founding Father and others well-known from that era. When the possible answers stopped coming, the speaker told them the ugly t***h: "No one ran against Washington." I guess they still haven't cracked the history book.

Ve'hoe

HAHHHAHAHHHAHAHAA!!!
TOOO Funny!!!

But hell,,, people still asked me why we were fighting the Afghans????

Bigmac495 Loc: Indiana

Are you a politician? You never answered my question to you!
You mouth off about the video was r****d but can't back it up!
And what difference does what year of college they were in! They should have been taught that in grade school and high school!

Glaucon

You have a little known fact you know and no one else cares very much about. How do you think they would be better citizens if they did know that fact?

The has been much criticism of our schools and universities for requiring the memorizations of a bunch of facts, most of which are irrelevant and or questionable, instead of teaching them to think.

You may have noticed that the majority of comments on this site strongly suggest an absence of critical thinking sk**ls? The lack of critical thinking sk**ls together with some more or less true facts seems to cause much emotion in people who have not been educated to think for themselves.

rumitoid

It is only a "little known fact" if one had not studied: I knew from it from the Jesuit training I got. It was amusing to me that none of these college students knew the answer. But I agree: it is mostly about getting good grades and not getting a good education. Pass/fail is not the answer to this competition; it is as you said, teaching them to think. This was primary at my high school. Freshman year was the most incredible experience of my life. That thinking had reliable methods to exploring the world was incredible. Pretty much it was "question everything"--and mostly one's own thinking and feelings. One of the tools is playing the Devil's advocate. This helped me realize when my passions were or might be obscuring facts: my reluctance to play Devil's advocate.

Glaucon

I think we may disagree about the value and importance of knowing the fact about Washington and a lot of other facts. I can't think of any situation in which the Washington fact would be helpful or useful. I think there are definitely some things we need to memorize and some things we can look up if for some reason we want or need to know them. Knowing which is which is a basic issue in ecucation.

I am impressed with Jesuit education and I considered going to Gonzaga, but got a better scholarship offer at a public university.

I am in very strong agreement with you about the need to play the devil's advocate on all important issues. We would find many more areas of agreement and solve more problems in personal relations, politics and finances if we practiced that. I an including two of my favorite quotes on that issue.

When making financial bet, keep looking for evidence you may be wrong. George Soros

I'm not entitled to have an opinion unless I can state the arguments against my position better than the people who are in opposition. I think that I am qualified to speak only when I've reached that state. Charlie Munger,

Glaucon

Ve'hoe,

Your bigotry rage and intolerance is obvious and overwhelming.

I don't know what your problems are, but I can tell you that your rage has nothing to do with Liberals, Pelosi, Obama, Biden, or our government. I would guess you are not aware of or not fully aware of the roots of your rage and have found a focus for it that is merely convenient, but unrelated to the real source.

I know you are terrified of any self reflection, so you will probably respond with some insults, foul language and other ways to attack the messenger.

That is my observation and I could be wrong.

Ve'hoe

Of course you are wrong, especially in your diagnosis and labelling. I am quite happy and cheerful, and that does not require that I like you, tolerate your idiocy, or agree with your ignorant rhetoric...

You are wrong, BECAUSE youre a liberal.... I thought everyone understood that!!

If you want to focus on something, try the failures of l*****t ideologies, the lies of the president, and the ignorance of the left.

I know it makes you feel bad,,, but It isnt bigotry to point out that i***ts are i***ts...

rumitoid

One student in that crowd knowing the answer to who ran against Washington would have derailed the whole potency of that SDS speaker, and if he could adequately explain how and why that came about historically, the argument for allowing or honoring the e******n in Viet Nam might have been defeated--and then SDS would have been the disillusioned ones.

It is also an important fact in understanding how even democracy make good and bad exceptions to their ideals. There are no Democrats running in the upcoming e******n for any positions.

Believing that it is not a true e******n without opposition, that fact about Washington would have saved me from embarrassing arguments.

It is sometimes surprising how some trivia can have vital or at least relevant value in a discussion. And what's wrong with looking deeply, not just closely, into all of it?

rumitoid

Thank you very much for those quotes concerning playing the Devil's Advocate. Wish I could be as disciplined to follow the second at all times, and follow it conclusively, but alas no.

Glaucon

YOU: Are you a politician? You never answered my question to you!
ME: I am not a politician. If you asked me a question and I didn’t answer it, I apologize and will answer it if you will give me the question, again.
YOU: You mouth off about the video was r****d but can't back it up!
ME: If you want to have a conversation, it is probably best that you not refer to my comments as mouthing off. The video was represented as a demonstration of the poor quality of students the U. of Maryland is turning out. I was merely pointing out that it wasn’t several questions needed to be answered before I could possibly be considered anything but a joke with pleasant pictures. If that isn’t clear, I don’t think any possible explanation, evidence, or rationale would have any value for you. However, if you are not aware of the obvious fact that this video is bogus I will provide you with the evidence that will attempt to clarify it for you. You haven’t appeared to be someone who asks questions, but more of a person who desperately wants to provide answers from his ideological perspective and avoid incoming information.

YOU: And what difference does what year of college they were in! They should have been taught that in grade school and high school!
ME: If their year in college doesn’t matter, why not reveal it? These people could be just entering college or they could be seniors and that should have some baring on how much they should know. They could also just be pretty people on the beach who dropped out of the 9th grade. Obviously, we would want all of our children to be taught and to learn critical thinking sk**ls, but some of those making comments on this site are totally lacking in these sk**ls and you seem to be one of them. Of course, I could be wrong.