First-World Problems...Part Nege En Dertig

At the risk of bringing up a first-world problem that is actually quite serious, over the last 20 years or so I have seen an increasing number of young dumbasses. People out of college who should have some basic knowledge of the facts of world and American history and some appreciation for the tides of change.

I'm not talking about deep knowledge. I don't expect these almost-children to be able to speak authoritatively about the details of historical events. But knowing the broad strokes of history is imperative for an informed electorate, and I haven't seen much proof that our new voters have even the faintest clue about anything.

I'll even grant them the popular misconception that Nazi Germany was right wing. After all, their professors believe that...or lie about it...so I shouldn't be surprised by that one. And the multi-generational glossing-over of communism? Well sure! Most of their professors are closer to communism than to Western democratic principles in their political philosophies.

But damn. They really don't know anything. Who fought WWI? When and how did WWII begin and end? When did we enter Vietnam, and who pushed us into (and out of) that conflict?

And that's just 20th century stuff? Forget earlier. Ask one of these dummies what the 3/5 compromise was or why the South lost the Civil War (War of The Rebellion) or what Karl Marx actually wrote and thought or why there are Protestants in Northern Ireland and you will get a vacuous stare.

Why yes; I was confronted by one of these knuckleheads quite recently! I had to tell him that The Treaty of Versailles ended WWI, not WWII. And that FDR was not the savior of the Jews and Israel. And he didn't believe me.

But I was proud of myself: I didn't respond with my usual, "You can't possibly be that fvcking stupid!"

posted by CBD at 02:10 PM

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