janstett said:
nomix said:
Makes alot of sence learning about Europe. And South-America. And Africa. And the rest of the world really.
If I must be really frank, I believe it to be horribly arrogant to think "Europe is over there, so it's irrelevant for me", simply because you then ignore one of the most important areas in the world..
Part of the problem is that our public education system has become highly politicized and politically correct. The result of the hippies from the 60's entering positions of power. We now see things like Outcome-Based education where it's impossible to fail a student because that would "make them feel bad". So in other words standards go out the window and feelings become important. In so many ways, the current educators not only shortchange world history, but also do injustice to American history as well in favor of politically correct brainwashing. For example, I've heard that some modern history books reduce the American Civil War to about a paragraph and mention it only in passing. Unthinkable.
It's no wonder American universities are flooded with foreign students.
This is definitely a problem with the lower level schools. My mom was a 4th grade teacher, and recently retired because of a disagreement over the curriculum that was being forced down from the state department of education. It basically made science and history a joke, and over emphasized math and writing (even though personally I think writing and math are important, history is more important).
I must also say that I didn't get the typical high school experience so it may actually be different in the normal classes. I was in a program called International Baccalaureate, which attempted to internationalize the curriculum, by using a set of international standards. Basically as a result of that we spent a whole two school years on 20th century world history, and one year each on regular world history, and US Government. We also were required to take a foreign language, and writing intensive classes. The work prepared me well for the type of work required in college (actually probably better than what I was expected in college).
And actually when I went to college I tried to get as much world history as I could fit into my schedule with my other studies, mostly 20th century history as that was the most interesting to me. So basically the point to this statement was that the opportunities are available for students in the US to learn about the world, it's just a matter of the school systems not forcing the students to learn it.
I'm disappointed in our education system, it really doesn't help students that are interested in fields the US actually needs competent people in. There's so much emphasis on writing and art and not enough on science or mathematics. In my high school I had basically an elective, which was either music or art, and the year after I left, they began offering Computer Science in a pilot program. I have no idea if they are still offering CS as an option, but I wouldn't be surprised if it got cut because it was too hard.
The rest of American life is fine with me, I have health insurance so health care is taken care of. I also enjoy the right to bear arms, and go shooting on a friend of our family's farm whenever I please, without needing permits and government authorization. I have yet to see anything similar to what JC was complaining about, and I chock most of it up to Clarkson being Clarkson. And to those who say they never want to live here or visit, there's so much here to see and experience that you are only depriving yourself.
I don't have the problems with the authorities as JC and the stig did. I highly doubt there was a truck full of soldiers in the mojave, MAYBE a Hummer (3-4 soldiers), but not a whole truck. The Mojave is also a large testing area for many government projects, so it's conceivable that they would have patrols and would question someone with cameras.
Even with all of it's blemishes, I still wouldn't make any other country my home.
