Comments on: What Grandpa Knows

By: James Kabala

James Kabala — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:40:05 +0000

” And for many, the reference to Mammon was regarded as obscure and mysterious.”

We can probably blame this one on the New American Bible.

By: polistra

polistra — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:13:03 +0000

The key is that earlier generations were not in fact “self-confident”. I’m thinking especially of my grandfathers, born around 1900, and other members of that generation. These men typically made it through 4th grade, then had to start working for a living. They *knew* they were ignorant, and they valued knowledge tremendously. So they continued reading and studying, tried to consume solid culture whenever possible, and made sure their kids did the same.

By: Patrick Deneen

Patrick Deneen — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:45:31 +0000

SJ,
This much is true: these sketches wouldn’t be funny if most of the viewers didn’t actually know the answers. So I hope and suspect that many (who never make it on air) know these basic facts. The fact that people are laughing at some of these preposterous answers is – oddly – a bit hopeful.

At the same time, there can be no doubt that we are becoming more culturally illiterate. Recently I wrote a column for the Georgetown college newspaper (“The Hoya”) in which I referred to Mammon. The editor (a Georgetown student) added a brief definition, not having been familiar with the reference and wanting to make sure that other students were not perplexed by what seemed an obscure reference. Now keep in mind that this is a top 25 university in America, and a Catholic institution at that. And for many, the reference to Mammon was regarded as obscure and mysterious.

By: SJ

SJ — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:48:30 +0000

Before I give up hope for my countrymen, I’m curious as to just how many different families, couples, and individuals they had to interview before they got their choice bits for television broadcast. They’re plenty of ignorant folks out there, but still…

By: Caleb Stegall

Caleb Stegall — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:43:10 +0000

The Texan was pretty good.

By: Albert

Albert — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:56:16 +0000

The generation that is growing up with Google and Wikipedia, I think, does not memorize specific knowledge because its members do not feel it is necessary to do so in order to achieve their aims, for a computer with an internet connection will give them the data when they want it. The ignorance of concrete details and comfort with abstract concepts like "freedom" and "independence" reveals a lot about how it views knowledge. I think a worthy sequel to this essay here might reflect on what is gained by the memory of concrete details.

By: Mark T. Mitchell

Mark T. Mitchell — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:29:02 +0000

Funny and very sad. My seven year old was answering some of the questions as I watched this. How can we expect to preserve the good things we’ve inherited if we have no idea what we’ve inherited? Jose Ortega y Gasset’s book “The Revolt of the Masses” analyzes this dynamic brilliantly.