Dumb Britain?

I used to snigger at Americans, such as the one who told my sailor brother that he spoke 'Real good English for a foreigner', but now I know the British can produce at least their fair share of very ignorant people.
Dan Quayle was the one who told a child who was spelling 'potato' that he had left the 'e' off the end. However, Sarah Palin took the prize for stupidity.

I can remember being at a quiz night at our works social club a good few years ago now, one question was, who wrote Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star? The table next to us came up with Little Jimmy Osmond. Another question was, who wrote The Peer Gynt Suite? Their answer, Peer Gynt!

I think every country has it's fair share of dummies, and sometimes they are unfortunately running the country. I believe George "doubleya" allegedly said the French don't have a word for entrepreneur and then I think there was a vice president, might have been Dan Quayle, but not absolutely sure when visiting a Latin American country apologised for not speaking Latin, like they don't have enough Hispanics in America to know what language they would speak!!! maybe he was tongue in cheek, but you never know. An Australian I know was travelling around America when somewhere in the back of beyond she was asked where she came from and she said Australia, where the questioner, an American girl replied OMG you speak fantastic English!!!! My friend, "thanks but it's not that difficult because English is what we speak there" American girl "oh I thought it was German" my friend "no that's Austria" American girl "gee I didn't know that"

Same in my family - politics were often discussed, and we were also encourged to read the great classics of literature. I regret to say that one of my grandsons has gone over to the dark side politically, but I am hoping he will grow out of it.

Same with my GD, Joan. Some of her student friends were going off to do placements in the hospitality industry in America and she spoke to the about civil rights, taking for granted that they would know about the struggle. They may have heard vaguely of Martin Luther King, but nothing more. She is mixed race and so is one of them. She knows a great deal of the history of slavery and emancipation herself and was shocked that they didn't. She also took her friends to task for not voting in the General Election - she's been inducted into politics by her granny!

When my eldest lad was in grade 1 or 2 (age 5 or 6) his teacher told me he had great general knowledge. I asked if she'd got the right lad - I just couldn't see it myself.

Eventually it dawned on me: in our family we sit round the table every evening and discuss, well, anything, including current affairs. But many families don't eat round a table, don't necessarily eat together, and don't discuss politics or the news.

This is why so many young 'uns seem to know nowt!

Our youngest lad got a shock a year or two ago. He was in his late 20s, and borrowed our DVD of Schindler's List to watch with some friends. Afterwards, discussing the film with his mates, he realised his friends had no idea it was a true story, no idea of the Nazi era and no concept of the holocaust. They were shocked it was all true. he was shocked they didn't know.

I think self-confidence plays a part - I used to take part in quizzes at singles' weekends and my team always won because I was not afraid to shout out the answer and did not mind if I got it wrong. I noticed that most of the other women would be muttering the answer to themselves but were too nervous to call it out.

I don't know if this would apply nowadays, but I used to find that, in a competitive quiz, the adrenalin would start pumping and have the effect of stimulating my brain to find answers which ordinarily I might have forgotten.

lilygran those subjects are my weakness as well! I certainly would not put myself up for a television quiz without being really confident about my general knowledge. I cringe at some of the more awful gaffs.

It is easier doing quizzes with a group as you can feed off each others clues to come up with a whole answer.
Its not always a question of just not having a clue what the answer is, sometimes it is finding where in the brain it is stored and how quickly you can retrieve it.

I sometimes ask myself if I would have known the answers to questions about politicians from the 30's and 40's when I was in my own 20's, and I can honestly answer, 'Yes, I would'. (I am a loonie leftie, you see, so my father made sure I knew the enemy!)
There was one Engl. Lit. graduate on Eggheads, who said proudly that he had heard of T.S. Eliot,but not Hemingway. Ye Gods............
However, I am quite sure that there are millions of people of all ages who live their lives untroubled by art, literature, politics, etc. I am just surprised when people put themselves forward for appearing on quizzes. The contestants on '1001 things you should know' yesterday were breath-takingly ignorant. Presumably, they considered themselves to have good general knowledge when they entered.
I am aware that just having a large collection of random facts, or a good memory, does not equate with intelligence or usefulness (cf Eggheads) - but why put yourself in the way of humiliation?

My DH and I do so well on TV quizzes until they ask questions about football, soaps or recent popular music. Anyone watch The Chase? The experts always comment on how dangerous a mixed age team is. I liked one answer yesterday: which London gentlemen's club was the first to admit women to full membership? Answer: Spearmint Rhino!

But Pointless rules.

Anne Robinson: What piece of furniture is meant by the rhyming slang 'Cain and Abel?'
Answer: Chair

Granny23; yes, Sian. But limp biscuit is definately limp biscuit.....

I read this in Private Eye and still giggle when I think of it:

quizmaster: which poet wrote 'oh I wish I'd looked after me teeth'

Contestant: Wordsworth

If only!

Greatnan I agree at 70 we have so much more accumulated knowledge than 30 year olds. It's remembering any of it that's the problem as far as I'm concerned.

Think that would be Sian, unless she has had a sex change.

Yes - he's Seen Life as opposed to most of the others....

Frederick Forsyth was amazing. Nearly got the million.

...Limp Biscuit or whatever his name is/was...

Sean Lloyd was very good on that I think. Changed my opinion of her did that programme. But not of her stupid, then boyfriend.

Jeremy Vine springs to mind, ana.

I have often been shocked when watching celebrity editions of Who wants to be a Millionaire by the lack of general knowledge displayed by the likes of mature news presenters and others in the media business.

That's the point on the Weakest Link - they vote off the best contestants to give themselves a better chance - it's strategy!

And Only Connect - what a brilliant programme.

I have noticed on The Weakest Link that they often vote off the oldest peole first - which is very silly as you have garnered much more general knowledge by the time you are 70 than most 30-year olds.
I was part of a good quiz team in Kent - we had the older people for literature, history, geography, art and politics, and two younger people to cope with sport, pop music, films and popular TV programmes. Most teams in our league were made up of people of similar ages, so we swept the board!

When I was teaching, once all the work was done and dusted, the kids would clamour for a general knowledge quiz on the last day of term. Hands would shoot up all over the place but their actual knowledge was quite poor.

When I was at school a good grasp of general knowledge was the norm. We read, we listened, we remembered. I wonder what Mastermind will be like in twenty years time?