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Friday, February 3, 2012

Lunchtime Quickie: I Believe The Children Are Our Future

Posted by on Fri, Feb 3, 2012 at 12:15 PM

Sorry to ruin your sunny Friday lunch. Get more depressed here.

 

Comments (40) RSS

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1
at least they weren't college students
Posted by jeffy on February 3, 2012 at 12:26 PM
gloomy gus 2
There is nothing depressing about that adorable interviewer.
Posted by gloomy gus on February 3, 2012 at 12:27 PM
nicholaus 3
*claps hands enthusiastically* Sexual Chocolate! Sexual Chocolate!
Posted by nicholaus on February 3, 2012 at 12:28 PM
mr. herriman 4
"i was never taught that knowledge."
Posted by mr. herriman on February 3, 2012 at 12:37 PM
piminnowcheez 5
@4 That was my favorite bit, too.
Posted by piminnowcheez on February 3, 2012 at 12:44 PM
6
I went to a small college that was ranked 25 in the nation for private, liberal arts colleges at the time. This is a real quote from a freshman in my class: "Canada. We own that, right?"
Posted by maps on February 3, 2012 at 12:44 PM
7
ALL the children left behind!
Posted by Vitriolforbreakfast on February 3, 2012 at 12:46 PM
8
I have to admit, I went with Uganda and Uruguay without thinking of the USA. Also: "Canada. Oh wait, that's a state."
Posted by jzimbert on February 3, 2012 at 12:46 PM
9
This is one of the reasons we should legalize pot. To try to keep it away from the kiddies until they've had a chance to grow their brains.

(I'm not saying any of those kids are stoners. It's just that weed can slow learning and cognitive development at that age, and some of those kids could ill afford that.)
Posted by Brooklyn Reader on February 3, 2012 at 12:48 PM
10
That was all kinds of depressing.
Posted by Bugnroolet on February 3, 2012 at 12:50 PM
Mattini 11
The girl wearing the gray shirt at the lunch table did pretty well.
Posted by Mattini on February 3, 2012 at 12:51 PM
12
I also thought of Uruguay, Uzbekistan, the Ukraine, and Uganda, but not the United States, and I'm a college graduate.
Posted by girlstyle on February 3, 2012 at 12:54 PM
Fnarf 13
"Bin Laden" is an inspired guess for "Who is the Vice President?".
Posted by Fnarf http://www.facebook.com/fnarf on February 3, 2012 at 1:01 PM
Zebes 14
Selective editing is a bitch, ain't it.
Posted by Zebes http://www.badrap.org/rescue/index.html on February 3, 2012 at 1:10 PM
STJA 15
Utopia?
Posted by STJA on February 3, 2012 at 1:23 PM
Allyn 16
@7, 12

Those kids should get bonus points for those answers. USA is easy, we [should] all know the name of our own country, but to look beyond is good.
Posted by Allyn on February 3, 2012 at 1:26 PM
17
I think the most annoying part is how smug the interviewer is.
Posted by AndyInChicago on February 3, 2012 at 1:32 PM
lizlemon 18
"Canada? Oh wait, that's a state isn't it."
Posted by lizlemon on February 3, 2012 at 1:37 PM
19
I bet if you asked them when they weren't in the presence of their peers, they would do much better. No one wants the be The Smart Kid, at least overtly.
Posted by Liembo on February 3, 2012 at 1:41 PM
Cracker Jack 20
I got 100% on the HuffPo test at the bottom of the article! Suck on THAT, No Child Left Behinders!
Posted by Cracker Jack on February 3, 2012 at 1:47 PM
Knat 21
Who is the VP gets an answer of Bin Ladin? There were some bonehead answers (probably because they were flustered), but that one merited a thump on the head with the mic.
Posted by Knat on February 3, 2012 at 1:55 PM
Foghorn Leghorn 22
But the real question is "is our kids learning?"
Posted by Foghorn Leghorn on February 3, 2012 at 2:13 PM
rob! 23
What does the interviewer say at the very end there? "Also, my mom's a wolf"?
Posted by rob! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZBdUceCL5U on February 3, 2012 at 2:13 PM
24
I saw this at work and immediately had to ask my class the same questions (only altering the state in question). Thank Bob my kids did better (though 2 out of the 27 thought there were 51 stars on the flag too).
Posted by Olaugh on February 3, 2012 at 2:31 PM
aardvark 25
@9 this has nothing to do with mj. 0. it has everything to do with schools sucking and families that don't know shit or care shit about anything beyond what's spoon fed to them.
Posted by aardvark on February 3, 2012 at 2:46 PM
e. ebullient 26
@23, "also, my mom's a luuh--". I think he said "lawyer" and the editing cut off the second half of the word.

@7, 12, 16, I also thought of Uruguay, Uzbekistan, the Ukraine, and Uganda, and was patting myself on the back....and then immediately got knocked off my high horse when I heard "United States" and realized that if that guy had caught me off-guard with the question, "what letter does our country's name start with?", I'd have thoughtlessly answered "A", for America.
Posted by e. ebullient on February 3, 2012 at 2:49 PM
OuterCow 27
@19 There are people who DON'T want to be the smart kid? wtf.
Posted by OuterCow on February 3, 2012 at 2:54 PM
Cato the Younger Younger 28
I'm sure e-books will solve all of these problems....right?
Posted by Cato the Younger Younger on February 3, 2012 at 2:59 PM
jimmy 29
Austin sure does have a pretty mouth.
Posted by jimmy http://www.mybigfatlazyblog.blogspot.com on February 3, 2012 at 3:00 PM
Cato the Younger Younger 30
Oh Did I mention I am pro-choice up to the 18th year? I think I have but wanted to repeat that.
Posted by Cato the Younger Younger on February 3, 2012 at 3:00 PM
bugwitch 31
Back in my high school days I would have known the answers to all of these; however I never would have been asked to be on the school TV program.

So, I imagine there is some bias in their selections. They didn't ask any of my fellow fat, golf-playin', Star Trek quoting band geeks to answer the questions.
Posted by bugwitch on February 3, 2012 at 3:23 PM
32
I'm Canadian and I got all of these. I did answer Uruguay before USA though.
Posted by Amanda on February 3, 2012 at 3:55 PM
33
United States came to mind along with Uruguay and Union of South Africa (I just checked and now they call it Republic of S.A.) But for her to pull up Ukraine and Uzbekistan is awesome. Over all though, the entire thing was fun to watch but ultimately depressing. I can understand them not knowing some geography, but the Revolutionary War? We were taught that early along with George Washington, Ben Franklin, et al. I can remember learning state capitols in the 5th or 6th grade along with the whole discovery and conquest of the Americas. We had to know the Portuguese, Spanish, English and French explorers. Don't they do this anymore?
Posted by No Offense on February 3, 2012 at 6:15 PM
34
That guy quizzing them has an incredibly long finger.
Posted by Jude Fawley on February 3, 2012 at 6:32 PM
treefort 35
that's olympia hs. one of the top schools in the country.
Posted by treefort on February 3, 2012 at 6:42 PM
36
@29 (jimmy): I think what you were going for was, "Austin sure do got a purdy mouth." (Cue "Dueling Banjos.")

@30 (Cato the Younger Younger): You're still not as pro-choice as the Jews, for whom abortion is permissible right up to the point their kids graduate from medical school.

@Everyone: I'm pretty sure it's Uzbeki-beki-beki-stan-stan. And you all forgot the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.

But seriously, guys, remember those literacy tests they used to use in the Deep South to prevent non-whites from registering to vote? Maybe we should bring them back, only make *everyone* take them.
Posted by PCM on February 3, 2012 at 7:42 PM
37
Any ideas on where this 51 or 52 states thing is coming from? Very odd.
Posted by give me pom on February 3, 2012 at 9:36 PM
38
That right to trial by jury? Not lookin' so good now, eh?
Posted by PCM on February 3, 2012 at 10:16 PM
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn 39
And yet 16 year olds are the first to figure out how to jailbreak an iPhone.

One of the things that old farts have never been able to figure out is that the younger generation develops skills that are relevant to their world, not yours.

Also, that Socrates quote from 500 BC: "Something something something, kids today are dumb, something, blah blah blah, and they have it so easy too. Blah blah." Look it up if you don't believe me.
Posted by Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn on February 3, 2012 at 10:16 PM
40
I really want to smack that interviewer.
Posted by clashfan on February 5, 2012 at 10:36 AM

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