OT: I despair take 3

Neighbour's teenage grand-daughter was up here from London for a visit. Seeing the Norfolk "Nelson's County" signpost, she asked:

"Who's Nelson?"

Reply to
Davey
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One of Mandela's relations?

Reply to
ARW

But isn't that a good thing?

Norfolk's council/people/whatever put the sign there, and because of that some youngster asked a question.

Hopefully, she'll get an answer, and maybe then ask another question. As many others have said "there are no stupid questions".

Bob

Reply to
WeeBob

I hope you told her to look him up in WikiPedia.

Reply to
Tim Streater

+1 to that.

However, possibly contentious point presented for debate: Since the world is so much more full of stuff to know for day-to-day life than even, say, 30 years ago, isn't it natural for "ancient" history to become less important?

As an example, in generations prior to mine, learning a useless list of the Kings and Queens of England by rote seemed to be de rigour, where I never did (though I suppose we did cover most of them.)

Reply to
Scott M

It's important to know who we are and where we came from. It's also imortant not the repeat the mistakes in the past.

Eg socialists are trying to wipe out the memory of Bliar. But it's important to remember the warmongering socialist scum and his destruction of the UK economy and society.

Reply to
harryagain

I can well recall making the comment, why did they shove the statue of Nelson all the way to the top of a long pole? answer cos he was well known to be a bit of a stinker. IE BO. Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

The official history though, has had manyyears to be manipulated. I seem to recall reading that there are still very old ducuments showing that during the reigns of some kings of the past, parts of England were running themselves and not taking any notice of what the Monarch said. Bit like you see now in Iraq and other places, but of course now its much harder to do it without being detected. Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

I always had problems with school history; I never saw the point in remembering lots of dates. I held the view, which I still hold, that, so long as I knew what happened and in roughly what order, I could always look up the exact date, should I ever need to know it.

However, I do think it is important to know what happened. I also think we need to know even more about it than we did in the past, particularly as others see it. For example, we see WW1 as a war against Germany, but the Germans think of it as a war against France.

Colin Bignell

Reply to
Nightjar

Take comfort in the fact that she hadn't heard of Nelson Mandela either!

Reply to
Bob Henson

Hardly ancient. Nelson was an important character in the story of the Napoleonic wars, something that shaped this country. It was also a lesson about how important naval power is and how we neglect it at our peril.

de rigeur.

I never learnt (at the time) the dates of all the K/Q of England (60s).

Reply to
Tim Streater

Anything before WW2 seems to be treated as ancient history in schools these days.

Colin Bignell

Reply to
Nightjar

I am always amazed when, as yesterday, Ed Balls is on TV being asked about the way that the current Government is running the economy. Why should he make any comment? He and Gordon ruined it for us.

Reply to
Davey

Mandela ? Isn't that an old Bing Crosby song ? 'On the road to Mandelaaaa '

Reply to
fred

I saw him too. You are exactly right.

Reply to
harryagain

He was the living proof that prison works.

Reply to
harryagain

From terrorist to saint? I suppose I wouldn't want to go back into a Suth Effrican prison - but I don't believe in "Road to Damascus" conversions, either.

Reply to
Bob Henson

I suspect that, anything much before WW2 isn't treated at all in schools now.

I tend to think of 'young people' today as being very ignorant of history. However, if I compare the history I learnt at school with that which I have learned in the forty-mumble years since then...

Reply to
Sam Plusnet

I haven't been taught any history since I took my O levels in 1955. But I think I learned some in the intervening years, nevertheless.

Reply to
charles

Last night I dreamed of manderlay...

Reply to
polygonum

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