Just when I thought I'd seen rock bottom...

[amy4bruce]

Ignorance is no respector of age. We have a friend who wouldn't let her son read Maus because it was a comic book, and probably made fun of the Holocaust. My wife (supplied with information from me) pointed out that it had won the Pulitzer Price for history. So she read it herself and fell in love with it.

My copies are safely in my basement, waiting for DD7 to be a little older so I can show them to her. No idea what age, but I figure I'll know.

 

[MELSMICE]

maybe I'm overreacting but it seems to me that Schindler's List should be viewed by every student in 7th or 8th grade. This is important stuff. And what's that quote about those not knowing history being doomed to repeat it?

I also agree that it should be shown to every teen - think maybe high school would be better than middle school though. I think kids are a little more mature in high school.

I was disturbed by the movie & I watched it as an adult. When it was finished though I looked at DH & said, "It should be mandatory for all high school students to watch that movie." I feel the same about Saving Private Ryan - especially the opening scene.

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

Oy And yet sadly, I am not surprised.

 

[Cass]

I had one woman in a class who had never heard of Nazis;

She must not have seen any of the Indiana Jones movies...

 

[Keli]

I do not understand how anyone could receive a hs education in America and not have any knowledge of the holocaust. I received a public education in a state that isn't rated among the top in the nation and yet I was assigned reading material that dealt with the holocaust by middle school. It blows my mind that there are college students that are so lacking in knowledge of such recent historical events.

 

[Free4Life11]

We had to read Maus I and II in high school, the only books I enjoyed reading in all of high school English.

 

[christineann]

My daughter and I went into a bookstore several years ago to pick up a copy of "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and when we asked the clerk if they had it, she said,

"I'm sorry, we don't have any new releases"

 

[Fitswimmer]

I do not understand how anyone could receive a hs education in America and not have any knowledge of the holocaust. I received a public education in a state that isn't rated among the top in the nation and yet I was assigned reading material that dealt with the holocaust by middle school. It blows my mind that there are college students that are so lacking in knowledge of such recent historical events.

My niece would agree with you, she's a junior in college and she goes crazy when she hears about kids her age that have no concept of history or current events outside of KFed and TomKat.

Sadly, it's not exclusive to the younger generation.

Reading this thread makes me want to read Maus again.

 

[ElizaB39]

For those of you that read Maus in high school or jr. high, will you tell me how old you are now? So I can know if I missed out or not? TIA

Never mind, I found it on line. Now I know why I missed it, I was in the throws of babyhood with my first born!

 

[Tazicket]

Reading this thread makes me want to read Maus again.

I have never read Maus before, although I have learned about the Holocaust. Thanks to the reactions and comments of people on this thread, I have placed it on hold at the library and will be reading it as soon as it comes in.

 

[Forevryoung]

Surprising? no- Horrifying? yes

I'm a first year grad student in my last year of undergrad the question "is Mexico part of the United States?" was asked which is also quite scary

(The professor whose comprehension of English I believe was quite poor said "no, Mexico is not included" )

 

[LindsayDunn228]

I find this so sad and depressing. True, ignorance is not exclusive to any particular age, it does concern me for the future.

I was channel surfing yesterday and Languna Beach: The Real Orange County (or whatever it's called) was on. I have never seen such shallow, materialistic, self-centered people in all my life. That was depressing as well.

 

[Jeanny]

Wow, let's hope she learns something in the class she is taking. I am often amazed at the things people don't know and how little they seem to care about what they don't know.

yep, and that's one reason why some horrid things could happen again.

 

[Tazicket]

yep, and that's one reason why some horrid things could happen again.

That's pretty much what my Dad said when I told him about it.

 

[mrsltg]

I've never read Maus but my first experience with the Holcaust was the War and Remembrance which led me to Winds of War (Herman Wouk). Granted, these are novels but they got the point across. I will look for Maus in the near future.

It's true that different ages don't have a lock on stupidity. We were out with two other couples on Saturday night and we played Catch Phrase. No one but my husband and I knew what Bubonic Plague was. How does anyone not know that? Two of them had never heard of Nancy Pelosi - for the love of bob, read a paper!!!

Truly mind boggling....

 

[MELSMICE]

Has anyone read the book Night? My freshmen DD's have to read it for the Honors English class. It is also about the Holocaust.

 

[Crankyshank]

As sad and as horrifying as it is, I'm really not surprised. It seems like every year there's less and less of an interest in teaching kids about American History, and also about world history. It's depressing really and is going to do no good for the future of this country.

I live in Rhode Island, and used to work at a networks operation center calling various locations all over the country. Do you have any idea how many people I've spoken to didn't know RI was a state? Or when the new nickels came out, had no idea who Lewis and Clark were?

 

[Mono~rail]

History is one of my favorite subjects. I've never heard of these books though. I'll have to ask dh if he's read them.

 

[gmboy95]

two issues here.

1) the fact that most schools have to teach kids to pass some sort of standrdized test in order to graduate, has lent kids to a learning style that leaves any historical perspective or feeling out!!....thank you "no (every) child left behind".

2) Why if this is a college do we need to teach about the holocaust in comic book form.....how about we tell the story through the words and pictures of what actually happened...maybe it is me, but would a comic book depiction of september 11 be more effective then watching those planes fly in on video!!.....the scenes of the holocaust and the retelling of such should be mandatory viewing and listening for all college students

 

[MELSMICE]

History is one of my favorite subjects. I've never heard of these books though. I'll have to ask dh if he's read them.

I thought the OP said that the college student didn't know what the Holocaust was, not the book. I had never heard of the comic book either, but I certainly know what the Holocaust is, as do my 3 high school children.

In fact, my 2 freshmen are reading about the Holocaust in their English class.