How come people can name every contestant who's been on American Idol for the past ten years, but cannot name ten U.S. presidents?
Mike from Delaware
Mon, Apr 16, 2012 8:19am
Our society doesn't value education, being smart (don't want to be a geek). Our society values the entertainment world (movies, radio, TV, sports, pop/rock/country/rap music). We pay our celebrities far better than we pay our teachers/professors/scientists, etc., etc. So is it any wonder that our high tech/science oriented corporations import so many foreign people as they have a difficult time filling their need for "geeks" from the American pool of prospective employees?
If it isn't dressed up as a Trivia question, most folks have little to no interest in history, be it American or World. So why would it surprise you that many folks don't know of the Titanic, other than a movie (they apparently didn't pick up on the fact that the movie was based on a real event).
Makes you wonder, if these same folks saw either movie "Jesus of Nazareth" or "The Passion of the Christ" would they realize those movies also were based on a real event?
Yes, the dumbing down of America. We Americans, like the ancient Romans, have our "circuses" and our orgies (our lack of morals today just like the Romans). They keep us busy and distracted.
mrpizza
Mon, Apr 16, 2012 3:09pm
Don't forget all the holocaust deniers!
mrpizza
Mon, Apr 16, 2012 6:22pm
MFD: While we're on the subject of dumbing down, here's an even more bizarre experiment they're conducting in Sweden.
They call it "gender neutrality":
Mrpizza: Knuckleheads have tried that here and it didn't work then either. God has a plan, and created men to be a certain way and women to be another way. Even our brains are wired differently. There's a few scientific studies using MRI scans that show that you and I use a different part of our brain, when reading for example,than a woman does when she reads, etc, etc. The genus' think they know better than God.
mrpizza
Mon, Apr 16, 2012 8:31pm
Yep. Men are from Mars - women are from Venus!
mrpizza
Mon, Apr 16, 2012 8:34pm
Hey, since Teatime mentioned American Idol and MFD mentioned trivia questions, I thought of a trivia question that at least those who have been a radio DJ should be able to answer. The song "Cracklin' Rosie" is NOT about a woman named Rosie. Instead, what was "Cracklin' Rosie"?
Allan Loudell
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 5:42am
Neil Diamond's breakthrough hit refers to the homemade wine consumed in a Canadian First Nation that Diamond visited. "Rosie" is thought to be Rose', sparkling or carbonated. Given that this was the '70's, some equated it to the Portuguese wine favored by college students at the time, Sparkling Mateus Rose', modestly priced, so it fit students' budgets. Maybe Rose' helped Diamond overcome his legendary shyness?
Allan Loudell
mrpizza
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 7:44am
As always, Allan, you are BRILLIANT!
Mike from Delaware
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 8:30am
Sounds like a future trivia question for Allan's noon hour broadcast. It is interesting, people love trivia, but hate history.
People love trivia, even IF there are no prizes to be won. When I did my talk show on WILM, I did what I called the "No Frills Trivia Contest". I'd ask a question or play a song, the first person who called in with the correct answer to the question or knew who the musical artist was won the trivia. I had some wild sound effects that went off when the caller said the correct answer and they had bragging rights for that week that they beat me at trivia.
You'd have thought I was giving away $100. The phone board would light up. Some nights (I was on Saturday nights) I'd stump the audience, but I tried to make them easy enough so that someone would win and it worked great getting folks who'd probably never call in to talk about a topic, to participate.
I had used trivia's back on my days as a DJ on Armed Forces Radio in Alaska back in 1972-73. Same idea, except there as I was doing an all-request, phone-in show from 4 pm - 6 pm. I had a couple of high school kids from the base, pulling records as the requests came in. They also got to co-host and read some of the dedications or community bulletin-board announcements - making these kids "radio stars" in their school. I'd be invited to do sock hops at the base high school and of course my co-hosts were there too. Sorry, I digress, the prize for knowing the answer to the trivia would be they'd get 3 records of their choice played. Sometimes if the trivia was difficult and the audience just wasn't getting the answer, I'd up the ante from 3-4, sometimes even 5-6. It was a popular feature on my show. Both adults and teens listened and all would go nuts trying to guess the trivia. Lots of fun. Lots of callers of all ages depending on the trivia.
mrpizza
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 7:11pm
MFD: I love both trivia AND history. I guess that means I must be dated, right?
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