News Parents prefer talking drugs to helping with math

[jinglesassy]

Spot on.

I learned from a young age to seek out knowledge for myself (which is how I found Orbiter).

same with me insanity i started looking up info for myself when i was 8. and sometimes i with my sisters knew more about tech stuff becuse my sisters cant even turn on there ps3 and they are 15 and 16 so yeah it gets ridiculous lol

 

[Pilot7893]

Sometimes I loose faith in Humanity. At my lunch table a while ago there was a kid who took 5 tries to get the Alphabet right. He was in 10th grade.

 

[n72.75]

The dumb beget the dumber and the smart ones are to geeky to communicate

Well said.

 

[Krys]

I love maths however as my job does not require it, most of the things I have learnt I have forgotten. This means I would probably have troubles talking to an A Level student (pre-university qualification) about mathematics.

It is possible that the study is also implying that people are more open about their sexuality now than they were in previous generations. To this I say thank goodness!

However, I'm more concerned about young people not learning basics like how to use a washing machine and cook. When it comes to university students being given 'a guide to cooking' and 'instructions on doing laundry' in their induction packs, I am scared. The biggest news item in the uni I work for is that a student produced a guide to cooking...which includes how to scramble eggs, everything from turning the hob on to plating.

 

[willy88]

However, I'm more concerned about young people not learning basics like how to use a washing machine and cook. When it comes to university students being given 'a guide to cooking' and 'instructions on doing laundry' in their induction packs, I am scared. The biggest news item in the uni I work for is that a student produced a guide to cooking...which includes how to scramble eggs, everything from turning the hob on to plating.

You have to consider how often these kids' parents actually cook food, instead of going to a fast food place.

 

[Krys]

Willy88 - I did consider this. I do hope that most children have had at least one home cooked meal!

 

[RisingFury]

Sometimes I loose faith in Humanity. At my lunch table a while ago there was a kid who took 5 tries to get the Alphabet right. He was in 10th grade.

As sad as it is to hear that, you need to remember that the progress of mankind does not lie with the masses, but with a handful of individuals. That's why we remember Copernicus, Gallileo, Newton, Plank, Maxwell, Einstein and a few more, and not the thousands of highschool and university dropouts that never made it.

 

[Belisarius]

Insanity's call on internet-induced complacency is about right. Because I have a Spanish language website specialising in weirdness I see an awful lot of acceptance of things without any critical thinking. I exploit that ignorance myself with some far-reaching hoaxes, but no matter how unlikely the hoax, they always work, i.e. someone buys it. You should see the forum discussion on my fake Reptilian-alien video to believe it.

I almost feel bad exploiting such widespread ignorance, but on the other hand it makes me laugh.

Also Urwumpe's and computerex's emphasis on how education has slipped in status seems correct. The thing is, learning something can be hard and/or boring and doing that seems just so... old fashioned. Unless of course it's skateboarding moves, in which case teens in my neighbourhood will expend infinite amounts of patience in learning them.

Could we be headed toward "Idiocracy" as predicted by Judge? I dunno (wipes snot on sleeve)... but I do know that plants crave electrolytes!

 

[RisingFury]

You should see the forum discussion on my fake Reptilian-alien video to believe it.

I almost feel bad exploiting such widespread ignorance, but on the other hand it makes me laugh.

That puts you in a nice position of power. I think you should use this as a wake-up call at some point, to the people who believe it, by admitting they were hoaxes.

Of course, there will be the certain procentage that will claum the government forced you to do that... and something tells me the procentage might be quite higher then we can reasonably expect.

 

[Belisarius]

That puts you in a nice position of power. I think you should use this as a wake-up call at some point, to the people who believe it, by admitting they were hoaxes.

Of course, there will be the certain procentage that will claum the government forced you to do that... and something tells me the procentage might be quite higher then we can reasonably expect.

I've tried it in another fake ufo video--- and the percentage approaches 100% who prefer to believe in a govt. cover-up than that you have "honestly" faked the evidence.

 

[tblaxland]

The problem these days is that kids aren't inquisitive about the right things...

Getting that attitude right starts in the home.

It was worse in physics, we only had six students, two of which would simply go to the library and not come to class, and two of the four remaining would just go to sleep.

And one of the remaining two was writing addons for Orbiter?

Unless of course it's skateboarding moves, in which case teens in my neighbourhood will expend infinite amounts of patience in learning them.

I see that as a perfect opportunity for teaching about momentum, friction, etc. Context is very important for kids and it makes their learning more enjoyable and makes the content stick. When I am with my kids, even a stroll to the ice-cream shop on a Sunday afternoon offers many opportunities for learning (finance, physiology, biology, etc). Education is as natural a part of life as eating/sleeping.

 

[Andy44]

I've tried it in another fake ufo video--- and the percentage approaches 100% who prefer to believe in a govt. cover-up than that you have "honestly" faked the evidence.

There was an article in a magazine, Skeptical Inquirer I think, just last month in which the author detailed his deliberate creation of a UFO hoax using helium baloons carrying parachute flares (a fire hazard if you ask me...).

He documented the hoax every step of the way with video, detailing everything he had done. After the sightings broke on the local news and even on that stupid History Channel UFO show, he released all his documentation and yet, of course, the UFOlogists thought his documentation was the fake!

I've argued with people about things like the moon hoax and UFO cover-ups, people who are quite intelligent, but they get narrowly focused on government coverups or their need tro believe in aliens and then exclude any data which says otherwise. I think it's some sort of common human trait, maybe a defense mechanism of some sort, but it's destructive and ignorant.

 

[Belisarius]

I've argued with people about things like the moon hoax and UFO cover-ups, people who are quite intelligent, but they get narrowly focused on government coverups or their need tro believe in aliens and then exclude any data which says otherwise. I think it's some sort of common human trait, maybe a defense mechanism of some sort, but it's destructive and ignorant.

I guess if we are honest we'd admit that we all have blind spots and a need to believe in certain things despite the evidence. Until recently I sustained the belief that smoking wasn't really affecting my health, despite evidence to the contrary.

So I agree that "areas of willful ignorance" are apparently universal.

 

[Urwumpe]

I believe that I can code better than DanSteph and Artlav, despite contrary evidence. :lol:

 

[computerex]

I believe that I can code better than DanSteph and Artlav, despite contrary evidence. :lol:

I believe that human beings and fish can coexist peacefully.

 

[Ghostrider]

I believe I can fly, but Newton and Bernoulli disagree so SMACK! goes my face against the pavement.
Can't argue with them guys. They may be dead but they're right, so that makes them dead right.

 

[RisingFury]

I've tried it in another fake ufo video--- and the percentage approaches 100% who prefer to believe in a govt. cover-up than that you have "honestly" faked the evidence.

Well... I was gonna say 20% is gonna blame the government and that the rest would be smacked in the face and wake up. Guess this proves that people are just far dumber then I've thought they could be.

 

[willy88]

You should see the forum discussion on my fake Reptilian-alien video to believe it.

Link?

 

[Belisarius]

It's in Spanish, but here it is...

MundoFreaky Reptilianos http://mundofreaky.com/2008/07/06/%C2%BFquienes-son-los-reptilianos/