There was a Crankshaft strip a couple years back where the boomer couple were depressed that hardly anyone recognized Joe Namath at a football game … but I doubt they’d have recognized Cliff Battles or Beattie Feathers themselves, great stars of the 1930s.
I wonder if you asked a teenage Skeezix who Mutsuhito, Alexander Romanov or Friedrich Wilhelm IV were, he’d have looked at you funny … but those were major world rulers about as far back to 1930s Skeezix as Mussolini and Hitler are to today’s teenagers.
The teaching of American history in our schools is a mess. The kids are too busy learning how Europeans despoiled the purity of the wilderness and how mean the white man was to the Indians.
Students ought to learn at least these crucial topics in history before graduating high school: The Revolution, the Civil War, and the World Wars. The common theme is the defense of or assault on human rights and liberty. Understanding these is the beginning of understanding America and the modern world.
Hear, hear, pschearer. The understanding of historical themes and ideals is much more important than the rote learning of names and dates. Unfortunately, rote material is easier to grade and less controversial with parents.
Pretty sad to be called a racist because you believe a kid should know how to read, write, and do simple arithmetic before graduating. What’s that got to do with race?
Why limit yourself? Bismark was a WWII battleship, and is a city in North Dakota, in addition to a late German Chancellor and a pastry.
While I find the low quality of education distressing, what I find really repulsive are the number of presumed adults who take pride in flaunting their ignorance. Not that that’s anything new.
Joe-Allen your from OK. Just heard on the news a small earth quake that happened OK early this morning. I hope everything is ok, although the earth quake wasn’t as big as Haiti.
Also yesterday you talked about Norwich and Kingman. I met my husband not from that area but a way bigger area visiting friends and he lived with his mom just east of there south of 400.
History is not real big in schools today, actually, teaching is not real big in school today. However, if you have a swimming pool or a soccer field, you are top-notch.
The teaching of American history in our schools is a mess. The kids are too busy learning how Europeans despoiled the purity of the wilderness and how mean the white man was to the Indians.
No, they don’t learn that until college now. Kids now spend 1-12 learning to take tests so that educatoin administrators’ stupidity can be quantified.
But I agree, kids need to be schooled in citizenship as well as the 3R’s sciences and arts, and let’s not forget PE as well as nutritious lunches.
(Strictly speaking I’m right - Benito’s youngest son Romano was a pretty good jazz piano player who led his own band. He was also Sophia Loren’s brother in law for a while.)
How many kids in class today would be familiar with the name of Skeezix or even Dick Tracy or Little Orphan Annie? Spiderman maybe or the X-men. Time marches on.
Crunkbot: Name-calling just reveals your character. If you have anything of value to contribute, I’d be glad to hear it.
I deplore the racism that has been a fact of history since forever, and that includes the crimes of many whites against the Indians. But it goes both ways. Lincoln despised Indians because he grew up with the story of how his father witnessed Lincoln’s grandfather’s murder by a passing Indian. What else to expect from tribalistic, marauding, stone age hunter-gatherers? Of course, that is what Europeans were only a few thousand years before.
Llewellenbruce over 14 years ago
Tomorrow he’ll probably bring up Stalin’s name.
Kiba65 over 14 years ago
Not that monster…
Ravenswing over 14 years ago
There was a Crankshaft strip a couple years back where the boomer couple were depressed that hardly anyone recognized Joe Namath at a football game … but I doubt they’d have recognized Cliff Battles or Beattie Feathers themselves, great stars of the 1930s.
I wonder if you asked a teenage Skeezix who Mutsuhito, Alexander Romanov or Friedrich Wilhelm IV were, he’d have looked at you funny … but those were major world rulers about as far back to 1930s Skeezix as Mussolini and Hitler are to today’s teenagers.
lewisbower over 14 years ago
Mussolini didn’t run a pizza house, he ran the trains on time.
pschearer Premium Member over 14 years ago
The teaching of American history in our schools is a mess. The kids are too busy learning how Europeans despoiled the purity of the wilderness and how mean the white man was to the Indians.
Students ought to learn at least these crucial topics in history before graduating high school: The Revolution, the Civil War, and the World Wars. The common theme is the defense of or assault on human rights and liberty. Understanding these is the beginning of understanding America and the modern world.
stringmusicianer over 14 years ago
Hear, hear, pschearer. The understanding of historical themes and ideals is much more important than the rote learning of names and dates. Unfortunately, rote material is easier to grade and less controversial with parents.
Takiniteasy over 14 years ago
I thought Stalin was a German pastry …
ocean17 over 14 years ago
Skeezix: “…then I asked them if they knew who Saddam Hussein was, and they said oh yeah, he runs a Chevy/Olds dealership over on Eighth Street.”
Nina: “Oy, oy, vey iz mir.”
Skeezix: “But you know what? It’s true! I looked it up!”
Nina: “There oughta be a law.”
alondra over 14 years ago
Pretty sad to be called a racist because you believe a kid should know how to read, write, and do simple arithmetic before graduating. What’s that got to do with race?
rcerinys701 over 14 years ago
When I was a kid, a Bismark was a filled jelly doughnut. Which is kind of a comedown from German Chancellor.
PlainBill over 14 years ago
Why limit yourself? Bismark was a WWII battleship, and is a city in North Dakota, in addition to a late German Chancellor and a pastry.
While I find the low quality of education distressing, what I find really repulsive are the number of presumed adults who take pride in flaunting their ignorance. Not that that’s anything new.
Nighthawks Premium Member over 14 years ago
yes, and when the pizza’s are done, instead of putting them in boxes, they hang them on hooks upside down
Steve Bartholomew over 14 years ago
Contrary to popular myth, Mussolini never did get the Italian trains to run on time.
Airboy20 over 14 years ago
Mussolini? Is he still hanging around?
stryper1, I’m curious. True, I’ve seen Obama blamed for everything under the sun (and probably the sun), but how does he figure into today’s strip?
kab2rb over 14 years ago
Joe-Allen your from OK. Just heard on the news a small earth quake that happened OK early this morning. I hope everything is ok, although the earth quake wasn’t as big as Haiti. Also yesterday you talked about Norwich and Kingman. I met my husband not from that area but a way bigger area visiting friends and he lived with his mom just east of there south of 400.
tcambeul over 14 years ago
History is not real big in schools today, actually, teaching is not real big in school today. However, if you have a swimming pool or a soccer field, you are top-notch.
countoftowergrove over 14 years ago
pschearer said, about 8 hours ago
The teaching of American history in our schools is a mess. The kids are too busy learning how Europeans despoiled the purity of the wilderness and how mean the white man was to the Indians.
No, they don’t learn that until college now. Kids now spend 1-12 learning to take tests so that educatoin administrators’ stupidity can be quantified.
But I agree, kids need to be schooled in citizenship as well as the 3R’s sciences and arts, and let’s not forget PE as well as nutritious lunches.
bmckee over 14 years ago
I thought Mussolini was a jazz musician.
(Strictly speaking I’m right - Benito’s youngest son Romano was a pretty good jazz piano player who led his own band. He was also Sophia Loren’s brother in law for a while.)
medcthebaptist over 14 years ago
How many kids in class today would be familiar with the name of Skeezix or even Dick Tracy or Little Orphan Annie? Spiderman maybe or the X-men. Time marches on.
pschearer Premium Member over 14 years ago
Crunkbot: Name-calling just reveals your character. If you have anything of value to contribute, I’d be glad to hear it.
I deplore the racism that has been a fact of history since forever, and that includes the crimes of many whites against the Indians. But it goes both ways. Lincoln despised Indians because he grew up with the story of how his father witnessed Lincoln’s grandfather’s murder by a passing Indian. What else to expect from tribalistic, marauding, stone age hunter-gatherers? Of course, that is what Europeans were only a few thousand years before.