26% of Americans don't know who US fought to gain its independence

reply to post by IgnoranceIsntBlisss


No offense, but your the type of person who stops getting invited to parties.

My days are are LONG. I start at 6am and don't stop until 10pm. I rarely get a minute to myself. I am exhausted. If I am out and about to enjoy the rare day I get off, and someone tries to take my time to "educate me" on the merits of the 4th and societal problems, I would tell you to bug off and I would walk away.

There is a time and place for everything. You can't force it on people.
And that kind of behavior is what gives conspiracy theorists the tin foil hat reputation.

Want to educate people? Start a club. Where people are willingly going to show up for the discussion.

reply to post by astrogolf


Well a lot of people who are collecting welfare checks right now had great jobs but were laid off because our elected leaders refused to admit a recession was coming and teh insane housing bubble was going to pop.
Damn right they should have the right to vote.

The founding fathers lived in a different time when you could enslave people and there was a class society. But they were also working hard to do away with it.

That was an elitist frame of mind that we should thank the heavens is dying out.

You are not valued based strictly on your wealth.

Kind of hypoctritical if you claiming that people are obsessed with Hollywood instead of world affairs, yet you claim that only those with wealth should be allowed to vote.

Originally posted by sdcigarpig

Originally posted by Hemisphere
reply to post by IgnoranceIsntBlisss

 

What percentage of Americans know we were fighting against the European Bankers for our independence? Some things never change. And I don't think the answer is remotely near 26%.

I was taught, that the reason why the Unites States of America fought the Revolutionary war that is boiled down to several reasons: The Britsh empire and France had fought several wars, one being the 7 years war, and then after that, to pay for the wars that had been fought, the British Parliment, in the name of the King, were imposing taxes on the colonies. As there was no representation in the Parliment on the part of the colonies, they started to grumble and boycott the goods that had the taxes on, combined with the lack of rights and abuses on the part of the military against the colonies, led the colonial government to turn around and revolt. Many of the founding fathers started out believing they were good Englishmen, but were quickly found out that the British did not view them as equal.

Yep, that's what they were selling in the schools. We were all fed roughly the same story. The "founding fathers" were wealthy landlords prior to the war and after the war. How many of them took a bullet during the Revolutionary War? I don't know of any. Do you? They were I believe in league with the British Crown. The British Crown was indebted to the Rothschilds. The best way to get the colonists to explore and develop the new world was to give them some semblance of "freedom". We are not in fact free, our Constitution was largely negated by other treaties.

I suggest reading Protoplasmic Traveler's thread:

All Roads Lead to Rome

Then decide what you think of what you've been taught. I found it fascinating.

reply to post by primus2012


LOL Simple yet effective. Those cartoons probably did more to educate the remaining 74% who knew the answer than some old musty books and a teacher who simply didn't care.


For those who are interested this was another great HBO series.


[edit on 3-7-2010 by SLAYER69]

But, Albanians can be ignorant, too...

Any of y'all speak Albanian, how is the translation, I wonder...

it is a shame, if that statisitic is a truth..

Also proves that we are at a cornerstone, in this country.

Happy 4th of July, to those that understand it!!!

Originally posted by nixie_nox

There is a time and place for everything. You can't force it on people.
And that kind of behavior is what gives conspiracy theorists the tin foil hat reputation.

What? Lol. So, let me get this right, the Fourth of July is not an appropriate day to talk about our nation, what it stands for, etc? Why do you think that day is "a day off," to celebrate the invention of hot dogs and small talk?

If there were ever a day to take a moment and think about our nation it should be that one. Even if it were just one 10 minute speech given by the head of a family before everyone tore into the food.

We give thanks on Thanksgiving, (supposedly) why do we think Memorial Day and the Fourth of July are about barbecues and beer?

Originally posted by nixie_nox
reply to post by IgnoranceIsntBlisss

 

No offense, but your the type of person who stops getting invited to parties.

My days are are LONG. I start at 6am and don't stop until 10pm. I rarely get a minute to myself. I am exhausted. If I am out and about to enjoy the rare day I get off, and someone tries to take my time to "educate me" on the merits of the 4th and societal problems, I would tell you to bug off and I would walk away.

There is a time and place for everything.

Not now, I'm working. I don't want to have to think.

Not now, it's lunch time, I'm trying to gossip not talk about history and liberty.

I worked all day, I'm not trying to watch documentaries, I'm just trying to get away, ah, yes, American Idol is on.

What, it's loud in this club, revolution, huh, freedom what, damn I'm almost out of money, taxes what?

It's Sunday, I'm hungover, and you're trying to call me about how to make the world a better place? I don't have time for this, I'm trying to relax. No I don't grow a garden or go outside. Why would you ask me that?

It's the 4th of July! Wooo I'm so awesome... did you hear what Jenny said about Sally... Joe is such a scumbag... Jane screwed half the party last year... Paul got another DUI, what a loser... my siblings really piss me off lately... hows your sex life... did you see American Idol this week... Oh lasts weeks was better... Simon is so cool... I can't wait until my next vacation... come check out my new rims... my job sucks... I wish I had more money... Obama's new dog is so cute... I like that new Bud Light commercial... I can't wait to get a bigger TV... I love my new steering wheel grip cover... Oh and my new cherry bomb muffler... People are so stupid... Do you like this shirt... I wanted to get a better one but I didn't have the money... I wish I could leave my kids an inheritance... I don't let my kids play out in the forest because they could get scratched by thorns or bit by bugs and stuff... How come so many people we knew are in jail or on probation... No I don't think it's a good idea to decriminalize pot... Hey do you have any more Xanax on you... I can't wait until the next American Idol episode... OMG did you see the picture of JLo she looked so fat... MTV reality shows have been really good lately... But I wish they still played actual music videos on there every now and then... What ever happened to those rave parties... Oh the Federal Government decided to make them a felony... What can you do... ...What, challenge the government? C'mon I'm trying to have a good time here.

Want to educate people? Start a club. Where people are willingly going to show up for the discussion.

They won't, and apparently neither will you.

[edit on 3-7-2010 by IgnoranceIsntBlisss]

Originally posted by IgnoranceIsntBlisss

Get me out of here!

This is mass madness, you maniacs!!

Mouhahahahahaha ! (in a kind of govt demonic way). Once can imagine how it 's to "... chose bad word ... " you guys around. False flaging must be quite easy for govt in USA !

[edit on 3-7-2010 by truthy-bird]

But 26% of Americans couldn't even tell you who the German chancellor is!!



Yet, they are the first to be offended if you don't know who's who in the States.

Ignorance.

Originally posted by nixie_nox
Well a lot of people who are collecting welfare checks right now had great jobs but were laid off because our elected leaders refused to admit a recession was coming and teh insane housing bubble was going to pop.
Damn right they should have the right to vote.

Yeah. And they still don't have time to talk about history or politics, or watch documentaries.

If you don't know who the US fought for independence, should you still have a right to vote?

If you can't accurately name items on the Bill of Rights, should you have the right to vote?

Unfortunately this is the result of several generations of propaganda and general not giving a damn. Pretty much after the second world war things got worse, and by worse i mean easy, we were no longer a nation of hard workers but a nation free of fear, free of sacrifice, we were living the "dream" and soon enough the mind set changed from what can you do for your country, but to what your country can do for you. everyone expects handouts. Respect is a thing of the past, as is honor; how many men do you know these days that can settle a dispute with a good ole fist fight and put it behind them and shake hands when its over? very few.

Society had been brainwashed by TPTB for quite sometime now, we are told that all our problems must be solved in a manner that our government decides is best, contracts mean nothing, nor does a mans word. Our society has become so dependent on this system through its own manipulated design that its laughable and yet hurts those of us that still remember our history.

Many of us here have our differences and yet one thing links us all, our quest for knowledge, we seek answers to questions that don't exist yet and we keep digging deeper and deeper into anything we sink our teeth into. This separates us from most, it makes us unique and dangerous because our knowledge is a direct link to everything TPTB wish to destroy, they want a dumbed down society that no longer remembers the history which set them free.

The status quo is what the next generation will have; and the previous generation is to blame for that. The things we all talk about the ideas and the histories we know to be true and just are concepts that are unknown to this generation. How can they fight for freedoms they don't even know they have? How can they defend something they've never read? These ideas are foreign to them, there from a whole other world.

They are taught to function as a dependent collective and not as independent individuals. And as a result of that teaching they have thus become so dependent upon that system that they will refuse to accept anything you say or do to teach them the truth because they only know how to live under this system, and the thought of anything other than this system scares them.

We are no longer a nation of individuals, rebels, free thinkers and citizens.

[edit on 3-7-2010 by C0le]

Guess I will play devils advocate here. Exactly why is it important that we should know? What does then have to do with now? I mean really, you going to put it on your resume that you know who we gained our independence from? If it's so important to know then everything should be important to know right? Not just the good history but the bad history also.

How many people know free Africans fought to gain our independence from GB also. Once the revolution was over they were enslaved. How many people know Columbus cut off the hands of native children if they didn't gather enough gold for his Queen? How many people know what tribe was forced to march the trail of tears? How many people know when women could finally vote?

If history is so important then we should teach all of it and not some of it.

reply to post by nine-eyed-eel


Wow, they must really have a strong "anti criticism" campaign going on in Albania. Even more striking than the fact that they didnt know what HIV was was how uniformly they were conditioned to believe that one must be positive no matter what.

reply to post by IgnoranceIsntBlisss


I'm going to go out on a limb here, and be the devils advocate for this situation.

Who cares?

Honestly now, if somebody doesn't know that we fought England in 1776, what difference does it make? Barring a person who may be in a foreign diplomatic position, that type of historical knowledge is of no relevance to them. As for the bill of rights? So what if they don't know them or their explicit details. You will probably say knowing them protects you in some way, but it doesn't. If somebody is infringing your rights granted by the amendments to the constitution, they aren't going to stop once you shout "This is against my first amendment rights!"

Even if you know your rights, and see or perceive them to be slipping away, you have no power to change it, save for electing your representatives, but since both parties are filled with people who also don't know the constitutions contents (or worse, willingly ignore it) it really is irrelevant who you vote for?

So what does it end up accomplishing, in the end of the day, to complain about a measely 26% of the population (and that's of a small segment btw, of those polled. Polls and numbers are horribly unreliable, because they are so easy to be skewed by a pollster, and it only represents a small segment of a population) that was polled doesn't know who we fought in the Independence? It doesn't really affect you, it doesn't affect them, it doesn't really do anything to anybody, except boost your own ego and allow you to gloat with intellectual superiority.

Originally posted by Come Clean
Guess I will play devils advocate here. Exactly why is it important that we should know? What does then have to do with now? I mean really, you going to put it on your resume that you know who we gained our independence from?

We posted at the same time but I think my reply above yours answers this for the most part.

If it's so important to know then everything should be important to know right? Not just the good history but the bad history also.
If history is so important then we should teach all of it and not some of it.

I agree and that's part of the problem.

reply to post by IgnoranceIsntBlisss


Well, if you're a legal American, I, among millions of others before me and probably millions after me, fought for your rights and independence. I, and I'm sure many others, spent quite a number of 4th of July holidays sitting in a muddy foxhole training for the defense of our nation, or our way of life, or were on patrols in hostile lands. I don't have a big problem with people not being able to recite the Bill of Rights by heart, but I would appreciate it if you'd at least offer myself or any of my fellow veterans a beer at your barbecue, if we're not already busy making sure we all still have a Constitution/Bill of Rights/etc.

Originally posted by WolfofWar
Even if you know your rights, and see or perceive them to be slipping away, you have no power to change it, save for electing your representatives, but since both parties are filled with people who also don't know the constitutions contents (or worse, willingly ignore it) it really is irrelevant who you vote for?

You are correct! ding ding ding

That's why I say no more self-serving politicians or political parties.

In fact everything you just said confirms what I've been trying to tell people lately as the reason why people are so disconnected from our nation itself. For a lot of people its a 'waste' of time when there is no feedback loop. When voting is even irrelevant.

If we agree I do hope you'll take a moment to go over my proposed solution for this crisis.

I'm not just bitching with this thread about ignorance.

Originally posted by 6EQUJ5
reply to post by IgnoranceIsntBlisss

 

Well, if you're a legal American, I, among millions of others before me and probably millions after me, fought for your rights and independence. I, and I'm sure many others, spent quite a number of 4th of July holidays sitting in a muddy foxhole training for the defense of our nation, or our way of life, or were on patrols in hostile lands. I don't have a big problem with people not being able to recite the Bill of Rights by heart, but I would appreciate it if you'd at least offer myself or any of my fellow veterans a beer at your barbecue, if we're not already busy making sure we all still have a Constitution/Bill of Rights/etc.

Just as a side thing, which war did you fight in where you actually defended American rights? Which war had an actual threat of foreign occupation and dismantling of the US government? The last threat of US constitution and sovereignty was in the American Civil War, and that really was the south defending their states rights (and lost.) The last real fight of the threat of foreign occupation was the War of 1812. Please don't use the old "I'm a veteran and because I was paid to fight on behalf of the US government some how I'm a defender of the constitution and shame on all of you." rhetoric.

reply to post by C0le


I dont disagree, I just dont completely blame the people. We are educated to be ignorant and not think for ourselves. Our political apathy is contrived and deliberately promoted.

Granted, it doesnt excuse us completely, we are making choices to not read, not educate ourselves, but from the time we are very young, the whole of our culture pushes us as far from thinking and as near to passive acceptance as it possibly can.

And for all the smarty pantses in other countries who think we are so pathetic, you are no better. Having America to blame for all the worlds ills is PART of your propaganda so that you dont spend sufficient time educating yourselves about what YOUR government does.