42% of Canadians can't name our first Prime Minister

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

And that's our problem.

We have the mentality in most schools to teach only the 'important' stuff. Well, I would argue, that in American history every President was important. Every high school kid should be able to rattle off all 44 of our Presidents.

Yeah, but what use is knowing their individual names if the kids can't identify the presidents with their contributions, their crisis, understand the historical context of each American president and their eras? Names of politicians is far less important than understand the overall breadth of history. how it fits togehter, it's lessons, and being able to grasp the entire flow of these events and how we got here.

Knowing the names of politicians is pretty much useless trivia knowledge in my book unless you know the background that accompanies it, you might as well use the brain space for something else.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Yeah, but what use is knowing their individual names if the kids can't identify the presidents with their contributions, their crisis, understand the historical context of each American president and their eras? Names of politicians is far less important than understand the overall breadth of history. how it fits togehter, it's lessons, and being able to grasp the entire flow of these events and how we got here.

Knowing the names of politicians is pretty much useless trivia knowledge in my book unless you know the background that accompanies it, you might as well use the brain space for something else.

Well, I wasn't advocating simply being able to list them. I believe American History, which is required curriculum in every public school system I've ever been in, should teach all of what you mentioned.

I only presented it in that way in the context of the OP.

[Sylvanfan]

What I'd like to know is who our current PM is, or are we under the rule of that communist coalition yet?

[killer_carlson]

I found that many people would fail the citizenship test that my immigration clients are required to take as part of their getting citizenship.

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

What I'd like to know is who our current PM is, or are we under the rule of that communist coalition yet?

You mean Red Jack's Hidden Agenda?

At the end you celebrate with champaigne

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

Nothing like arguing with philosophy majors about the relevance of their existence.

If this is a reply ..... respond to it.

[llama64]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Stop drinking the Heritage Canada kool-aid and the Canadian history lessons given to you in highschool and look at it all in perspective. It's an excellent thing and natural to be proud of your country but I've always felt the amount of resources and pressure to create and believe in some sense of nationalism and historical idenity rarely succeeds with any gravitas for a country of our youth, size, and of our cultural mix. I happen to have a political science degree which is honestly pretty useless in day to day life and maybe this makes me jaded in my dim view of Canada "trying too hard" to forge an identity from less significant things by exaggerating their importance.

I have a history degree, specializing in Canadian and European history. It too is pretty much useless in day to day life -- except for the fact that it gives me the ability to look beyond face value and understand why things like knowing the name of our first prime minister is important.

To come out and state that knowing background knowledge of Canada is pointless rankels me. It really surprises me that someone with a Poli Sci degree would hold that opinion as well.

We could debate any of the small factoids to death, but in the end, we are better off knowing about them. And that is the only point I was making. Your original post was a tad dramatic.

[T@T]

Once at the airport some american arcehole gave me the gears about a ripped birth certificate and asked me "who's the governor of canada?" I said Flora Macdonald..he said "OK I guess your a Canadian, move along"

LOL, Flora Macdonald was my moms best friend growing up and was never the governor of canada and at that time hadn't been in politics for about 6-7 years...man did i laugh...but i didn't know the answer.

[BuzzardsWife]

The ONLY reason I knew it was Sir John A. Mcdonald is because I went on a tour of his family home in Kingston, and I lived there for a time, so his name was kinda big there If it weren't for that, I know for a fact I couldn't have come up with an answer.

[pepper24]

Every Canadian should know that. Pathetic.

[habernac]

Originally Posted by BuzzardsWife

The ONLY reason I knew it was Sir John A. Mcdonald is because I went on a tour of his family home in Kingston, and I lived there for a time, so his name was kinda big there If it weren't for that, I know for a fact I couldn't have come up with an answer.

see any $10 bills lately?

[Rhetts_the_Best]

Originally Posted by dobbles

16th PM was Joe Clark...

I thought he was the principal of a high school in New Jersey?!?!?!?!

Well Paul martin plays for the new jersey devils!