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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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May I Put in that the name of Russia's leader is very simple? ~ Dr. Bill
*chuckle*
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 261
enthusiast
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OP
enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 261 |
perhaps you too will find yourself "fitting in" better as you get older, as my son has; or, more than likely, it will be that your classmates finally catch up to you.Awww, shucks Jackie!  I don't think I'm all that different from my classmates that they need to 'catch up to' me, I'm just different in my interests and have some different views. But thanks for the encouragement for being myself nevertheless!
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Joined: Feb 2002
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old hand
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old hand
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May I Put in that the name of Russia's leader is very simple?Nunca Bill, you certainly may poot tit tin, as long as you recognize that someone who gets most of her news from la radio doesn't necessarily know how to spell furrin names. 
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 833
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Feb 2002
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Here's a website...thanks, WW! what a great way to swot before a cocktail party....(like I ever get invited to any of those! anyone else here? I think they must be another urban legend at this point) seriously: very cool, thank you. I have bookmarked it for futher future perusal. 
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296 |
Happy to oblige, MG  I need to do a bit of swotting myself. WW
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Joined: Feb 2002
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Feb 2002
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I feel it's this apathy that's allowing, if not fuelling at least some of the problems in this world.
Ah, to be young again (sez the elderly 35-year-old). It's not necessarily apathy, ackshully. For me, it ain't apathy - it's choice. I can't possibly do things about all the problems I keep hearing about in the world: poverty, disease, waste, destruction, war, and on and on. So I choose not to know about the ones that upset me and I choose my battles (Planned Parenthood International, World Wildlife Fund, Kids' Help Phone) and I go out and vote, not that the latter does a helluva a lot of good, it always turns out to be choosing the least of a whole bunch of evils as far as I can make out.
Apathy certainly is bad - but don't confuse selectiveness (even selectiveness in what information/news people take on board) with apathy. Although, that being said, I don't know what teenagers do or don't do in the way of attempting to better anyone else's lot. I know the teenagers I knew when I was one were, for the most part, thoughtful, intelligent, sensitive, some of them were certainly wot you might call "intellectual" and knew a lot about what was going on in the world, and I think they were helpful sorts, too, who did volunteer work and so on. I don't know what modern teenagers are like coz I don't know any, though I will in a few more years' time when my nephews and niece turn into them!
I suppose it comes back to the whole generalization issue. If you try to make sense of the world by generalizing, you begin to get a rather black-and-white picture. It sure is easy but it ain't pretty.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Getting back to Vika, and her comment on fewer woman with notable awards in sciences than men... (I don't know about States but this is not true for former Soviet Union. for example, we had roughly equal number of boys and girls in my class. Only one boy’s got a degree and approximately 10 girls. The ratio varies but roughly it is 1:1.)2 points: one, every society varies in what career and choices it considers 'appropriate' for women, and russia (and former USSR states)often lead the world in the number of women who pursued medicine... but it lags even behind the US when in comes to women in politics, (and the US is pretty far behind most of europe)and other areas... so your experience might be different than most europeans. 2)woman in western civilization (which would for me most definatelly include russia and all of the former states of the USSR,) have made many advance in the past 100 years. the sufferegettes of england, and the US, (and here, i admit, i know less about other european countries customs, culture and law) set about to change societies views, and demanded political freedom (and the right to vote), and the right not to be chattel (ie, to own them selves, and property in their own name.) the right (and ability) to get an educations, came hard and late... with woman barred from many studies, Dr bill recently sent me a link, pointing out, a Jane Marcet, who wrote chemistry books (read by Michael Faraday, and others.. ) yet her name is general unknown to us, and even she apologies in the introduction of one of her books for being female... since science was general held to be 'to hard for women' http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi745.htm with that kind of societial influence, only the strongest, smartest, and often, the most financially independent woman could persue science in the past, and the current history of the sciences reflects those influences. are there exceptions, but even madam curie realized that she would not, could not become a member of the french academy of sciences, except that she was married, and she joined in partnership with her husband (who was french she was not) what if he were a great writer? or biologist instead of chemist like herself? maybe she would not have gotten the recognition. are woman less intelectual than men? there is quote somewhere (in AWAD, from a long ago favorite quote thread) that had a woman making the point that a smart woman get further ahead in this world by being though of as pretty, not by being thought of as smart.. so the smart choice for women is pretty, not smart..
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Joined: Oct 2002
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newbie
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newbie
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Some random notes in support of the original post:
Political unawareness among the youth of the USA is a major pet peeve of mine. During the reign of King Ronald Reagan (another pet peeve but I won't digress) I wore a T-shirt specifically designed to generate political debeat. It showed Reagan as Robin Hood with the legend "Reagan Hood: Takes from the poor and gives to the military." Response? Nada! One thirty-ish woman had to ask if the shirt was knocking her president, someone she had done hours of volunteer work to help get elected. I told her is was, she replied "Well then I don't like it." I answered "Well if you have to ask then your opinion doesn't count!", a view I still hold but regret expressing.
At the ripe old age of 40-something, I found myself in the (supposedly) enviable position of dating someone not much more than half my age. I don't know how it came up in conversation but I once quizzed her on who had won the war in Viet Nam. Not wishing to appear ill-informed, she confidently responded "The British." I swear to God that this relationship was drifting comfortably towards physicality (My, how tactfully put!) but I broke it off. And don't get me started about how she would mangle the English language!
Related sidenote: With everyone wearing digital watches these days, only a very small minority of children understand the difference between "clockwise" and "counter- (anti-)clockwise," an important distinction in any world at any age.
The solution? Flogging, maybe? I don't know. I imagine I share the opinion with most AWADers that to lead by example is the best way but who knows what the future will bring. All I know is that the British didn't win the damn Viet Nam War!!
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296 |
Hello, Strolin
Your pet peeve considered, I'll play devil's advocate in the way the youth are programmed to play it, and ask, why should the youth of today have any interest in politics? [This may appear to be a dumb question to the politically astute, but, believe me, it's the question many youths ask. And they ain't satisfied easily.]
"Haveaknifeday,"
WW
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Joined: Mar 2000
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981 |
>All I know is that the British didn't win the damn Viet Nam War!!
Yes, I know what you mean. [Although as an eighteen year old who put in (that word again!) her General Studies "A" level that Rommel won the battle of Agincort (hell, they both sounded German to me), I do have some sympathy.] I had a similar reaction when I was told by a young US’n that the USA won the Viet Nam War. But then they were in the middle of telling me that Margaret Thatcher was a socialist, so I held back.
By the way Dodyskin – how is Little Mo?
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