California will be just fine, they’ve got this girl to save the state:
In my school district at several of the poorer performing schools, I’ll ask, say, sixth or seventh-graders what title is second in power after the President of the United States; invariably, most of the replies are ‘the mayor’ or the ‘police chief’—— the more astute respondents say the actual name of my city’s mayor and police chief, but….. well, i’m quite sure you get the point, as sorry-ass as it is.
Nikcrit,
I can imagine the level of stupidity that you must deal with. I went to high school in Germany, but in a terrible twist of fate, had to leave in the middle of my senior year and come back to the States. I remember being in my history class and the teacher pulled out a picture of Thomas Jefferson and asked the class who he was. In a class full of high school seniors, no one knew! A nerdy girl that liked to imagine that she was smart said that he was Benjamin Franklin!
Camlost,
Haha! They should’ve pulled that girl off the podium with a giant hook, “Showtime at the Apollo” style.
… Second in power?
I don’t get it. Were you asking the children to estimate who is the second most powerful person in the United States, or the first in the line of succession to the Presidency, or what?
As you can tell from the video I linked I don’t take those kinds of “stupid people” videos very seriously. However, I’m pretty sure the girl in the video Camlost linked voted for Obama. That’s not just wisecrack. Everyone knows she did.
@B Lode,
I was asking who was ‘first in line of the succession of power to the president, etc.”
I perhaps momentarily overlooked the term ‘succession,’ but it was clear what i asked the class; trust that their answers wouldn’t have improved, regardless of how well i framed the question.
For instance, a typical geography question goes like this:\
Q: What country is the city of London located in?
A: it was in America, but they moved it to Canada. (a real reply, which i recall being said last week).
B Lode,
p.s.—–
Basically, the video sagat provided, along with the similar-type segments that Leno often runs on ‘The Tonight Show’ capture the scene perfectly; sad to say, the above vid is really not an exaggeration; public city school kids are routinely and consistently that ignorant in the schools i visit
@fred,
I don’t get the point you’re making (or perhaps making a joke about) in your vid link. but i can assure you that the vid sagat led-off this post with could serve as a verbatim measure of the level of ignorance displayed in many of the poorer schools i visit. i’m sure that’s true all over the nation, depending where you go: in my city, i could take you to five schools in a row where 90% of the kids would answer the same was as those do in the above video; then, I could drive you five to ten miles north to a suburban school district where that ratio would be perfectly reversed….(note: i’m not making or implying some position or political point about education districts in the city vs. suburbs, etc.; i’m just saying the polarities and predicatabilities on this issue are — well, THAT predictable!
@Fred,
hey, re-watch that Santa Cruz moron at the town council meeting vid again; at the 1:30 second mark, she says something that contradicts your sarcastic remark.
Busted!!!
nikcrit writes, “she says something that contradicts your sarcastic remark.”
She says, “…as in the Bush administration which is really good ummm he has funding for small business owners.” It’s confusing because the video has been edited to start in the middle of a sentence. But she’s saying government funding for small business owners is good, not that the Bush administration is “good”. This woman definitely voted for “hope” and “change”.
@fred,
Yeah, I too noted the editing ‘blip’ instant in the vid —— but I felt the irony too delicious to let a little something like ‘actual truth’ get in the way! đ
Oh I get it. Thanks for clearing that up Nikcrit. I was thinking of who the second most powerful person was and I came up with either the Secretary of Defense, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, or the Governor of California.
But first in line to the Presidency, man, I really did think EVERYONE knew that. (Memo to self: there is no fact that EVERYONE knows.)
I think this blog, of all blogs, is the one where I am the most clueless.
I liked both videos. The people were all so cheerful and unconcerned about how dippy they are. It tickled me in an apocalyptic, fin de siecle sort of way.
In my school district at several of the poorer performing schools, Iâll ask, say, sixth or seventh-graders what title is second in power after the President of the United States; invariably, most of the replies are âthe mayorâ or the âpolice chiefâ
Are you too young to remember the Al Haig “I’m in control” controversy after Reagan got shot?
Even people who work in the White House don’t necessarily understand presidential succession…
I was never really sure Haig believed the line of succession passed to him. Reagan wasn’t dead, after all. I think he just asserting he was the highest-ranking executive branch person on the scene.
Thanks for the add.
One thing I noticed about this video and continue to notice about people today is that they will answer questions even when they don’t know the answer. Now, I don’t know what things were like in the old days, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a modern phenomenon what with all of our self-esteem training. There is no “wrong” nowadays, just “kinda wrong” or “almost” or “close”.
Now, I donât know what things were like in the old days, but I wouldnât be surprised if this is a modern phenomenon what with all of our self-esteem training. There is no âwrongâ nowadays, just âkinda wrongâ or âalmostâ or âcloseâ.
Well, the youth today are not ashamed of their ignorance, since their peers find their lack of knowledge amusing. We’ve reached an era where people actually think being laughed at is an accomplishment, because they see any attention given as a positive.
@camlost,
haig’s ‘i’m in charge’ was because reagan was in surgery and GHWB was somehow unable to temporarily assume duties, right? (he was on a plane or something?) I mean, haig knew he wasn’t next in succession to the prez, right? And isn’t the third in succession the speaker of the house? Haig the sec. of defense, if i recall right.
nikcrit writes, “I felt the irony too delicious…”
Yeah. It took a good ear to catch that. I missed it because her idiocy nearly put me to sleep. Regardless of who she voted for I think we can agree on two things. First, she has no business voting. And, second, she has a nice rack. đ
==================
Anytime a president is incapacitated they temporarily surrender control. For example, I’ve read Cheney took over a couple of times when Bush was sedated for minor surgery.
“For example, Iâve read Cheney took over a couple of times when Bush was sedated for minor surgery.”
Yeah, I think Cheney did as much during that famous episode in which GWB choked on a pretzel and passed out and fell on his head…..
Speaking of, that moment is hilariously depicted in oliver stone’s ‘W.’, which despite its rather partisan one-sidedness in terms of rendering sympathy onto W.’s screen character, is still a very funny and entertaining flick; I highly recommend it; furthermore, Josh Brolin in the role of GWB is very well done, particularly when depicting his younger years.
And, second, she has a nice rack.
They look a droopy to me, I’d rather a chick have some perky, proportional A-cups than those freakish casaba melons.
Sagat Says 
California will be just fine, they’ve got this girl to save the state:
In my school district at several of the poorer performing schools, I’ll ask, say, sixth or seventh-graders what title is second in power after the President of the United States; invariably, most of the replies are ‘the mayor’ or the ‘police chief’—— the more astute respondents say the actual name of my city’s mayor and police chief, but….. well, i’m quite sure you get the point, as sorry-ass as it is.
Nikcrit,
I can imagine the level of stupidity that you must deal with. I went to high school in Germany, but in a terrible twist of fate, had to leave in the middle of my senior year and come back to the States. I remember being in my history class and the teacher pulled out a picture of Thomas Jefferson and asked the class who he was. In a class full of high school seniors, no one knew! A nerdy girl that liked to imagine that she was smart said that he was Benjamin Franklin!
Camlost,
Haha! They should’ve pulled that girl off the podium with a giant hook, “Showtime at the Apollo” style.
… Second in power?
I don’t get it. Were you asking the children to estimate who is the second most powerful person in the United States, or the first in the line of succession to the Presidency, or what?
As you can tell from the video I linked I don’t take those kinds of “stupid people” videos very seriously. However, I’m pretty sure the girl in the video Camlost linked voted for Obama. That’s not just wisecrack. Everyone knows she did.
@B Lode,
I was asking who was ‘first in line of the succession of power to the president, etc.”
I perhaps momentarily overlooked the term ‘succession,’ but it was clear what i asked the class; trust that their answers wouldn’t have improved, regardless of how well i framed the question.
For instance, a typical geography question goes like this:\
Q: What country is the city of London located in?
A: it was in America, but they moved it to Canada. (a real reply, which i recall being said last week).
B Lode,
p.s.—–
Basically, the video sagat provided, along with the similar-type segments that Leno often runs on ‘The Tonight Show’ capture the scene perfectly; sad to say, the above vid is really not an exaggeration; public city school kids are routinely and consistently that ignorant in the schools i visit
@fred,
I don’t get the point you’re making (or perhaps making a joke about) in your vid link. but i can assure you that the vid sagat led-off this post with could serve as a verbatim measure of the level of ignorance displayed in many of the poorer schools i visit. i’m sure that’s true all over the nation, depending where you go: in my city, i could take you to five schools in a row where 90% of the kids would answer the same was as those do in the above video; then, I could drive you five to ten miles north to a suburban school district where that ratio would be perfectly reversed….(note: i’m not making or implying some position or political point about education districts in the city vs. suburbs, etc.; i’m just saying the polarities and predicatabilities on this issue are — well, THAT predictable!
@Fred,
hey, re-watch that Santa Cruz moron at the town council meeting vid again; at the 1:30 second mark, she says something that contradicts your sarcastic remark.
Busted!!!
nikcrit writes, “she says something that contradicts your sarcastic remark.”
She says, “…as in the Bush administration which is really good ummm he has funding for small business owners.” It’s confusing because the video has been edited to start in the middle of a sentence. But she’s saying government funding for small business owners is good, not that the Bush administration is “good”. This woman definitely voted for “hope” and “change”.
@fred,
Yeah, I too noted the editing ‘blip’ instant in the vid —— but I felt the irony too delicious to let a little something like ‘actual truth’ get in the way! đ
Oh I get it. Thanks for clearing that up Nikcrit. I was thinking of who the second most powerful person was and I came up with either the Secretary of Defense, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, or the Governor of California.
But first in line to the Presidency, man, I really did think EVERYONE knew that. (Memo to self: there is no fact that EVERYONE knows.)
I think this blog, of all blogs, is the one where I am the most clueless.
I liked both videos. The people were all so cheerful and unconcerned about how dippy they are. It tickled me in an apocalyptic, fin de siecle sort of way.
In my school district at several of the poorer performing schools, Iâll ask, say, sixth or seventh-graders what title is second in power after the President of the United States; invariably, most of the replies are âthe mayorâ or the âpolice chiefâ
Are you too young to remember the Al Haig “I’m in control” controversy after Reagan got shot?
Even people who work in the White House don’t necessarily understand presidential succession…
I was never really sure Haig believed the line of succession passed to him. Reagan wasn’t dead, after all. I think he just asserting he was the highest-ranking executive branch person on the scene.
Thanks for the add.
One thing I noticed about this video and continue to notice about people today is that they will answer questions even when they don’t know the answer. Now, I don’t know what things were like in the old days, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a modern phenomenon what with all of our self-esteem training. There is no “wrong” nowadays, just “kinda wrong” or “almost” or “close”.
Now, I donât know what things were like in the old days, but I wouldnât be surprised if this is a modern phenomenon what with all of our self-esteem training. There is no âwrongâ nowadays, just âkinda wrongâ or âalmostâ or âcloseâ.
Well, the youth today are not ashamed of their ignorance, since their peers find their lack of knowledge amusing. We’ve reached an era where people actually think being laughed at is an accomplishment, because they see any attention given as a positive.
@camlost,
haig’s ‘i’m in charge’ was because reagan was in surgery and GHWB was somehow unable to temporarily assume duties, right? (he was on a plane or something?) I mean, haig knew he wasn’t next in succession to the prez, right? And isn’t the third in succession the speaker of the house? Haig the sec. of defense, if i recall right.
nikcrit writes, “I felt the irony too delicious…”
Yeah. It took a good ear to catch that. I missed it because her idiocy nearly put me to sleep. Regardless of who she voted for I think we can agree on two things. First, she has no business voting. And, second, she has a nice rack. đ
==================
Anytime a president is incapacitated they temporarily surrender control. For example, I’ve read Cheney took over a couple of times when Bush was sedated for minor surgery.
“For example, Iâve read Cheney took over a couple of times when Bush was sedated for minor surgery.”
Yeah, I think Cheney did as much during that famous episode in which GWB choked on a pretzel and passed out and fell on his head…..
Speaking of, that moment is hilariously depicted in oliver stone’s ‘W.’, which despite its rather partisan one-sidedness in terms of rendering sympathy onto W.’s screen character, is still a very funny and entertaining flick; I highly recommend it; furthermore, Josh Brolin in the role of GWB is very well done, particularly when depicting his younger years.
And, second, she has a nice rack.
They look a droopy to me, I’d rather a chick have some perky, proportional A-cups than those freakish casaba melons.