I Don't believe it!

[Lady Vetinari]

A Victor Meldrew thread here... for all those news stories that shock, anger or just plain dumbfound you!

This morning this caught my eye!

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20090309/tu ... 23e80.html

I don't believe it![/url]

[Jan Van Quirm]

I can believe it regrettably. When the most developed country in the world (USA) have significant sectors of their educational establishments refusing to teach students about evolution (or Darwinism as I believe they still insist on calling it! ) it's not too surprising that loony extreme parents and 'educators' also refuse to acknowledge the vile excesses of Nazi Germany...

[poohbcarrot]

The conclusions in that report are twisted and biased purely for sensational purposes.

Use your second sight and third thoughts and read what it actually says.

It says that 75% of 11-16 know that Auschwitz was a death camp where a lot of innocent people were murdered. I think that's quite a high percentage.

Well done UK teachers!

You could ask 1,000 school kids what 2+2 = . I bet at least two students would say 3 for a joke. The headline (which wouldn't be factually incorrect) would then read,

"UK PUPILS THINK 2+2=3"

[Tonyblack]

I'm inclined to agree with Pooh here - my reading of the statistics say that the vast majority of kids questioned knew the answer. The percentage that didn't is almost negligible.

[Tonyblack]

I remember once listening to a phone-in quiz on the radio. The woman they were calling had to tell them the capital of Russia to win around £10,000. She didn't have a clue, so they asked if there was anyone else in the house who could help. Her two teenage kids were there and they didn't know either.

I was telling my neice about it - she was around 16 at the time. And she didn't know either.

Maybe it's growing up during the Cold War, but I thought everyone would know that.

[poohbcarrot]

If you asked David Irving and that Holocaust denying British bishop what Auschwitz was, they wouldn't say it was a death camp.

HEADLINE

"SHOCK HORROR PROBE!
UK Adults don't know what Auschwitz was!"

(The Truth will make you fret)

[Jan Van Quirm]

Yeah I agree that it was a tiny proportion of the poll and so not really worth getting too incensed over - and of course it also depends how many took part and where they asked it as well...
Maybe polls should be added to the saying Lies, damned lies and statistics

Talking of Moscow this one may be apochryphal but I love it -
Q: What is the capital of France?
A: F

[Lady Vetinari]

Well, when I went to school the standard of teaching was low, and I never felt like I was learning anything... most of what I know now, is from my own research AFTER school.

I didn't learn much Geography in Geography... (we tended to drink tea a lot) I didn't learn much history in History ... and as for science? Don't make me laugh! The only lessons that I felt I was learning just something in, was English, and a lot of my English projects seemed to be twisted into History!

So, I don't think it is too much of a sensation headline... I went to school with idiots, with teachers that didn't seem to care about what was going in, so long as the student won the school football game it didn't matter.

Just my own experience and observations.

[Tonyblack]

I was never a great student when I was in school - I passed very few exams except in what really interested me and I'd say that I've learned a whole lot more stuff since I left school than I did while I was there.

I'm shocked when I find that kids don't know simple facts that as far as I know, I've always known.

In try Victor Meldrew fashion I'd say that school these days is about passing exams and not about actually learning things that might be useful in life. (Miserable old bugger that I am!)

[poohbcarrot]

So, I don't think it is too much of a sensation headline

Have you seen who carried out the survey?

"Miramax and the London Jewish Cultural Centre, which commissioned the survey to mark the DVD release of The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas"

It's deliberately sensationalised to hype a movie.

Don't believe everything you read.

[chris.ph]

its working then you are all talking about it