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Today I was talking with a 37 year old man with a computer engineering degree from the University of Illinois. I've talked with him socially for about a year now. Today I was discussing the Democratic convention's speakers. I mentioned Teddy Kennedy a few times. Finally, he looked at me and said, "Now, who is Teddy Kennedy?" When I told him, he said he thought "Teddy" was the name of "that President". I brought him up to speed with the info that "John", "Jack" was the name of that past President.
I know this country has a massive lazy uneducated generation or two who think it's uncool or not necessary to be educated, but I'm still stunned when confronted with this. I'm sad, frightened and just...sad. What a waste. He should have been embarrassed to tears.
I used to believe as you do, but I've since changed my mind. The fact is that there are so many issues and topics to be educated in that you couldn't hope to keep up with all of them--even those which are considered essential. I don't know what you do for a living, but if you're like most of us, you don't know 1/10th of what that man knows about computers, and even if you do know as much as he does, chances are that he knows a lot about something else you don't know about and he considers essential. Some people could just care less about politics. I doubt that the man is lazy--Teddy flew under his radar is all--I think we all have "holes" in our educations. I know there's a lot I don't know about or care about for that matter, but I try to not let it worry me, and I keep plugging away at learning new things. I would really hate to be judged for what I don't know, rather than for what I do know.
Most PhD physicists would be hard pressed to answer any trivia not pertaining to field let alone have much time to do so....is supposedly "common" knowledge a measure of intelligence?
I've never heard Senator Ted Kennedy referred to as "Teddy." The only political "Teddy" I can think of was Roosevelt.
He probably isn't very interested in politics. I'm sure he probably wouldn't know who currently holds the office of Secretary of State, but you might know off the top of your head.
By contrast, you probably don't know what TCP-IP stands for, something he likely would know immediately.
There are some things that people should just know by having been alive for nearly four decades. Not knowing who Ted Kennedy is just speaks to a total lack of awareness and apparent lack of concern about the world around him. It is like he's never read a newspaper, watched the news on TV, or read an article about current events or politics. But I'm sure he'll give you an opinion on a political matter if you ask him.
If he wanted to know who Ted Kennedy (or Teddy Roosevelt, or John F. Kennedy) was, all he had to do was look it up or ask someone knowledgable. Knowing random trivia and memorizing rote (and negligibly useful) information is not a mark of intelligence, or even education... third graders can be trained to spit out the names of the US Presidents in order... that does not make them more educated, more intelligent, or less lazy than a computer engineer who can't. Sometimes I think people confuse "intelligence" with "the number of facts one knows."
I guess it depends where you guys live. If he lived in massachusetts for 12 years or so and didn't know whom his senator was then yes. If he wasn't an east coaster, probably not so big a deal not to be up to date on whom Ted Kennedy is.
Many people avoid following political stuff.
Frankly, I find people like that guy more tolerable than the people that would move into your neighborhood and then shun\love you after finding out you voted for the same party as them.
There was a point in time when people who did not follow, nor care about, baseball knew who Babe Ruth was and what he was known for. That is because up until the end of the seventies Americans generally were up-to-date with current issues, politics, and the world around them. Back then, people read a newspaper from front to back on a daily basis and/or they watched an entire news program. So by proxy of effect, they were more knowledgeable about current events, whether they cared for it or not. These days people watch the news for the weather or sports highlights and the same goes for reading newspapers. It is not really a mark of intelligence as much as it is just a lack of concern, which is sad because it allows [corrupt] politicians and corporations to do what they please 'under the radar' since they are well aware that the average American is now more concerned with Brad and Angelina's baby then they are with what is going down in the world around them.
By the way, I do think that it is totally odd that a person who participates in todays society has never heard of Ted Kennedy.
The guy in question is a citizen with full voting rights, presumably. He's doing himself and the rest of us a disservice in his ignorance of common knowledge.
I am not concerned by this computer student's lack of "trivial knkowledge". I am concerned with him as a US citizen of 30 some years. I don't consider the Kennedys trivia. If this man had not known Sam Nunn...OK. The point is Kennedy. The point is being an educated citizen of this country and knowing some history because that's where the future gets its present.
And yes, it is no secret that most US citizens would rather "go shopping" or keep up with celebrity antics. This country is what it is because of what we do or don't do. And I'm no computer engineer, but I make an effort to be an informed US citizen. New US citizens have more care and interest than those of us born here. The Kennedy family, like them or not, is mythic.
Don't make excuses for people. He knows computers and Paris Hilton. I know a nuclear engineer who manages to follow politics. Is anyone too busy or specialized to be bothered by the important things going on in the world? The world laughs harder as we lower the bar.
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