no 'is' though

Was yesterday "have a go at the younger generation day" ffs.  It is the older generation that brought up the youngsters so take a look in the fkin mirror.  And how many of them suffered conscription, or even national service?  Too many whinging middle aged b.stards in this country for my liking - I bet back in the sixties and seventies they were the young c.nts moaning about the sneering older generation too.

Hypocrites the whole stinking lot of you.

crediter 27 May 10 23:02   
had 3 daughters go thru uni.....came out experts on wines ;lagers;and partying.

Nilsson Schmilsson  27 May 10 23:04   
bet they were ripped to shreds too

Brilliant!

my tuppence worth - I went to Uni (German) and studied history and geography up to GCSE level.

With history, vast numbers of significant events were left untouched. I learnt about the first world war and the second world war, but nothing at all about any others. I learnt about the development of international trade routes to the Far East but nothing about the abolition of slavery or any mention of the Commonwealth. We spent a lot of time studying the Americas, but almost none on UK history.

Schools teach to pass exams, and if it isn;t on the syllabus it doens't get taught - what's the point? So it is surprising that a relative youngster doesn't know what the Commonwealth is? Not particularly, and nor does it give any great indication as to their mental faculties imo.

There was a lot of world history as well by the way, not just UK history.

Consider the British Empire. 

There will be loads of well educated historians who denounce it, and loads of well educated historians who say it was brillian.  They will do loads of research and write papers and books and stuff, but generally they seem to be trying to prove a point rather than trying to find a truth.  I couldn't begin to get in a an argument about it as some well read person would destroy me with facts, but he'd still be biased in some way. 

That bloke that said "History is largely bunkum" or something was about right imo.  The best history i've ever learned is just speaking to parents and older people about the way it used to be, not whose fault a p.ssing war was.

sparkmaster.     28 May 10 01:55 
What I'm driving at, is that a reasonably curious mind, would by age of 16 or so have enquired what the commonwealth in the commonwealth games referred to...


That is where you are going wrong, expecting young people to have curious minds. Kids that grew up in the 1990s had everything handed to them on a plate. They don't need to be curious or take any interest in anything, just take all the handouts and praise that come their way.

Children will always have curious minds, nothing will stop this. Our kids are the most tested in the world, surely blame for any perceived failing in education lies mainly with the educators, not the pupils?

forum - take a bow son.

what an excellent exchange of views!

fwiw my take on the above is -

i wholeheartedly agree that its not the kids fault that the government has dumbed down education but i do find it unbelievable that kids aren't that interested in things. as a genrealisation they seem to have a much narrower range of knowledge in an age where a broad range of basic knowledge is so easy to acquire. type commonwealth into wikipedia and see what i mean. all kids have access to the greatest source of knowledge and entertainment in the world ever; the internet - lucky little blighters. i wish they would get the benefit.

did anyone see an episode of mock the week when david mitchell said (paraphrased) "exams have been made easier and easier and easier until eventually every student will get straight a*'s. what downside is there to that? only civilisation. we'll end up all dressed in gowns in mortar boards grunting at each other me clever you clever"

ok, said for laughs but sadly containing some truth.

So we're all agreed then.  It is the parents fault.

At school in the 1980s and 90s English History between the Tudors/Stuarts and WW1 was not taught.

The whole Empire History was never mentioned.

So I am not surprised at the Commonwealth part in the OP.

But surely not knowing the Eurozone is different from the old EEC is weird given how much it has been in the news the last few years?

I've just been turning the pages of "find the animal" with my 15 month old granddaughter. She threw it on the floor as she reached for my phone and stared blankly at the home screen. A shudder went through me as I had a ghastly vision of 16 years into the future.
I warned her that she'd better not try that when we get on to the Ladybird book of British Monarchs.

Were any of you taught about british/irish history? I think I was lucky enough to get a good education but there was no mention of it. I am embarrassed by my ignorance of this. I've seen /read/heard the wind that shakes the barley, fields of athenry, the troubles etc. but I feel i know f all about it. Also'The winners write the history the losers write the songs' is irish i think and gives food for thought. I have a lot of irish friends but can't quite grasp this. I've been to Ireland a few times and loved it, but there is the odd lock in song that doesn't exactly celebrate brits! can anyone point me in the right direction to educate mysel please? slainte :-)

I'm surprised we don't get more University graduates on here. They must miss getting lectured by old men.

Close them down , or at least 95% of them . Nothing good has come out of our universities for 40 years. or longer ?

We learned all abbout the commonwealth and european history by the age of 14,just before we had to decide History or Chemistry for O'levels if applicable.

My word,that is impressive dogma anx,do you hate everyone on the right ? I got my education from a tory government and have never looked back but then again grammar schools were the best form of social mobility during my lifetime. Who stopped that ? Your guess.

What would you suggest instead?

Very patronising post by the long gone OP.