From:	Iridios iridios@*********.com
Subject:	the value of education (was: Thoughts: Sourcebook Ideas)
Date:	Mon, 12 Jul 1999 08:42:34 -0400

Josh Munn wrote:
>
> --- Aaron Binns <sparrow@***.net.au> wrote:
> > > badger? - i found that pretty strange too.... <shrug> What, are we
> > to expect
> > > that American Writers actually KNOW that there arent badgers in
> > Australia? (or
> > > thats the whole continent isnt just a myth made up by hollywood...
> > ?
> >
> > Ok, maybe this comment was slightly uncalled for.. but when I last
> > was in the
> > states, I had heaps of americans come up to me and ask such utterly
> > stupid things,
> > like, do you have grass / trees / air (this guy was SERIOUS!) /
> > kangaroos in your
> > backyard / grubs for dinner / tv / rock music / etc etc etc.
> >
> > What do you guys get taught about world geography - let alone common
> > sense
> > (referring to the air question).
> >
> > This brings be to the SR related question..
> >
> > The baisc game is based in seattle.. so whats changed in the
> > education system by
> > 2060? Are UCAS citizens (even the smart ones) still not taught about
> > the rest of
> > the world?
> >
> > GreyWolf
> >
> >
> I don't know how it is in Australia but hear in America we are taught
> about other countries. But, as I am sure it is around the world, most
> students forget it before they walk out the door. American schools do
> ,however, not put a great emphasis on other countries or cultures.

I'd have to disagree a bit. Yes some schools do put emphasis on other
countries and/or cultures while others do not. But that is not, IMO,
the reason people do not seem to know anything about other countries.
For a long time people could and would be allowed to graduate without
knowing about other countries, their own country, their own state, and
a fair amount of them couldn't even read! Why? Because, teachers and
administrators didn't want/couldn't be bothered with "problem
students". Fortunately, within the last 5 or 10 years I'm beginning
to see a change for the better.

>
> I do not expect this to change greatly in the shadowrun world.

By 2060, things could have swung back to the apathetic attitude.


--
Iridios
"Accept what you cannot avoid,
Avoid what you cannot accept."