Look at the set-up: who are you and what are you doing here? You're going to play piano? Classical piano? The judges look suitably cynical and once he starts to play there are shots of bored audience members yawning. Then it goes all funky as he does a robotic dance to a pumped up version of Für Elise with orchestra. All is saved! We won't have to listen to boring old piano music after all. Just moments before I read this:
We are living in a time when it seems that most people are not just musically illiterate, but illiterate period.One day, while giving my annual talk in 2005 about the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1856 at a respected East Coast college made famous by Lincoln, I had a eureka moment of sorts. I was trying to explain the deep differences between Northern and Southern Illinois, which reaches well below the Mason-Dixon lineI expected these sterling students – based on their SAT performances – to know about this famous dividing line which was important for Senator Stephen A. Douglas’ support. But I was mistaken. I saw the puzzled look in their eyes, and I realized that these college sophomores had never heard of the Mason-Dixon line. I pressed on. I asked. Where is Illinois?One answered, “near Philadelphia,” most just shrugged their shoulders, with the best of the lot explaining that it was “in Chicago.” In what followed I gave the supposed college students an 8th-grade geography lesson.I had loved teaching history. But it was from that moment on that I began to plan my escape into retirement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRh1zXFKC_o
ReplyDeleteFunny?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRh1zXFKC_o
ReplyDeleteFunny?
Oh yes! Jay Leno used to have people go out on the street with similar quizzes. It is fascinating that everyone seemed to know which blob was Africa even though they couldn't identify any countries in Africa. I'm sure that's the product of a couple of generations of identity politics.
ReplyDeleteI wondered too how everyone seemed to be able to find Africa but not the US. I thought that there must be a tv series or popular movie that showed the map as part of the scenario. I seem to remember in one of the Indiana Jones movies they used maps to help the audience see where the hero was going. Is the map of Africa included on any famous brand packaging or logos? Strange. There are some nice apps to learn simple geography, where countries are, capitals, etc. It shouldn't be such a hard thing to teach in school with access to modern technology. What are kids learning in school these days? When the McCain campaign leaked that Sarah Palin thought that Africa was a country I found it hard to believe it but after watching that video I wonder! Nice rondeau by Rameau by the way! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI am getting the really bizarre idea that people of our generation with our dial phones, dead-tree encyclopedias and pre-woke college courses actually know a whole lot more about the world than the current generation! There also seems to be evidence that IQs have been dropping since 2000.
ReplyDeleteConfession, I just had to Google 'woke'. I've been noticing it but wasn't sure exactly what people meant by it. There are all kinds of ignorance!
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm horrified that the first place you ran into that usage of "woke" was on my blog!
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