Why do most people here know nothing about anything that happened before 1990?

Question

I'm astonished at the ignorance here.

Answer 1

There is a very sad truth. Most history teachers don't get past WWII, and it's a crying shame.

Another sad truth is that there are lots of young folks who don't believe that history has anything to do with them. They have no concept of the idea that our present and our future are influenced by where we have been.

Fortunately, many will go on to college and learn to appreciate the past as lessons for the future.

Answer 2

~It is because they are too damn lazy or too busy with their Play Stations or watching drivel like "American Idol", "Big Brother" and "Survivor" to read, and too dumb to realize their ignorance and to do something about it. The Intellectual Revolution of the '60s died with disco and with the propaganda that the counter-culture was about 'dope, sex and rock and roll'. The 'me generation' fostered the bogus belief that the kiddies of today deserve whatever they want simply because they want it, and they get away without having to work for it or earn it. It isn't just history or contemporary current events they don't know about. Most are no longer even conversant in the English language and few have the ability to string a few words together into a properly spelled, grammatically correct coherent sentence.

Don't forget, most of the kids on here are here for homework help because they are too lazy to pick up a book or to type a few buzz words into a search engine. Why are you astonished? It is no different on here than it is in the schools, at the workplace or in the streets.

Another sad truth occurs to made as I read the answers here. The kiddies think that it is up to their schools and their teachers to 'teach' them history (or anything else). It has never occurred to them that intelligent people and concerned people 'learn'. Teachers are only there to assist with that process as needed. If it isn't assigned, the kiddies see no reason to read about it. Nuts, they can't be bothered to read what is assigned. How can one not be curious or not want to learn?

Since kids (and adults) understand not the reason to learn of the past (and, more frightening, the recent past) so they can understand the present and make informed choices about the future, they see no need to waste their precious time and energy. The neocons count on that attitude. Usually when some despot tries to take over, the first thing he does is to censor or burn the books. That doesn't seem to be necessary in contemporary society, does it?

Answer 3

In my family history was discussed at every meal practically. I don't think that's the case anymore. I blame a lot of it on cable television, intentional dumming down of school age kids, and short attention spans.

And the fact that kids who come to Yahoo Answers with homework assignments (in summer- hello!) aren't exactly doing it when they aren't too busy piling over crackling pages in white cotton gloves in the special collections room of the nearest university library they haunt.

Edited to add: "And history wise - not a Whole hell of alot has happened in recent decades..."
Vietnam, Watergate, the Cold War, the invention of the Internet, Desert Storm, Oliver North/Iran-Contra, the Sandinista, Black Friday, Rwanda, Darfur genocide... gee, you're right, not a lot to speak of.

I blame a lot of it on the media, as much of a crock as that sounds. Even THE HISTORY CHANNEL have switched from interesting and informative to sensationalist, Nancy Grace and Anne Coulter are considered "experts", Anderson Cooper is considered some sort of in-depth investigative reporter because he stood in hurricane waters (Edward R. Murrow broadcast from a *@#@$ing blitzkrieg and he's forgotten!), and kids don't see a connection between history and themselves or have much natural curiosity about why things are the way they are and don't seem to have a notion that real learning is something you do outside of a classroom.
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Or

it's because that's where Billy Joel's WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE left off. If he'd do a WE DIDN'T START THE NEXT FIRE EITHER! then maybe they'd catch up...

Suggestion:

Perestroika, Berlin Wall,
Desert Storm, Hannibal,
Saddam, Perot, National Debt,
Clinton/Gore, the Internet,
Weaver, Koresh, McVeigh,
Lewinsky and eBay,
Columbine, No Fly Zone,
Matthew Shepard, sheep clone.

Dangling chad, Ken Lay,
Britney Spears, 401K.
World Trade Center, Taliban,
bombing of Afghanistan.
Columbia, Tikrit, Middle East,
Iraq has no WMDs,
gay marriage, stem cells,
don't ask and don't tell!

We didn't start the (next) fire...

Answer 4

Because of the average age group. Being born in the 80's. Maybe teenage in the late 90's to now. Plus, the teaching in the schools have changed, and not for the better.

Answer 5

you are making YOURSELF look ignorant dude. Most people on here are young - young enough to where they were not alive to remember events in the 80's and before. And history wise - not a Whole hell of alot has happened in recent decades and even if it had, kids learn history from latest to most recent starting with columbus and washington and all that - and eventually getting to recent history late in highschool. So that age group that can not remember before the 90's ALSO probably hasn't learned about it in school yet either. So cut them some slack.

Answer 6

Ignorance is rampant here. Most of the people here are students who are asking us to do their homework for them.

Answer 7

I don't think it's a matter of "Ignorance" based on the orientation of your generation. I could only ask you this "How much do you know about their generation"? Probably not as much as you think.

Answer 8

I agree but it may be because most on here were not alive then.
Either that or they are just idiots.

Answer 9

i don't know what ignorance you're referring to, but there is a great deal of apathy not only towards past events but even current events. the kids get this from their parents.

Answer 10

I think there are bigger things to worry about in life than if we all paid attention in history class. As long as we can all find the US on a globe or map I think we're doing ok.

Regean was president in the 80s.
Does that make you happy?

Seriously, lighten up.