Comments on: Cultural Literacy 2.0

By: RLC

RLC — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 15:33:10 +0000

My mum thinks Admiral Ackbar is an Iraqi comedian. No joke.

By: Nikki

Nikki — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 08:11:39 +0000

I guess I’ve never been culturally connected & am more a fringe dweller. I want to say I haven’t the time, but if I’m not curious enough to delve further, perhaps I’m not as interested in current culture as I’d like to believe. Occasionally I google someone out of momentary curiousity, like the black contessa writer you wrote about… I already forgot her name but found her oddly interesting. But, here’s where I draw the line… after following links for an hour & reading varying articles about & by her, reality kicked back & told me I haven’t the time, this could become a regularly lengthy process. But, she’s now in the back of my mind.

Maybe I’m a bore… I’m perfectly comfortable not knowing anything about any of the actors/musical celebs/wealthy splayed across covers of supermarket gossip mags. I don’t know most of their names, don’t care when they adopt more children or when they divorce. Maybe I’m shallow… I have no interest in those I find unattractive, untalented and/or vapid no matter how many times I’m forced to see their pics online… a la J-Lo, Paris, Lohan or Spears. I’ve never seen a reality show. No one’s home life is interesting enough to be filmed unless partially staged, over-exaggerated or wholly fabricated.

I don’t know 3/4 of the people referenced in this blog, but do enjoy reading others’ opinions & finding out a snippet about them. I mostly visit for a comment which will make me laugh & some of the commentors are quite clever. Occasionally, I’ll take my turn in the queue, but all in all, I enjoy listening, so thanks for that. I’ll return to my corner now. Please carry on.

By: Dru

Dru — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 09:35:32 +0000

TinLizzie- I’m not surprised that your daughter didn’t know who Toulouse-Lautrec was, unless she took classes in art/art history- educational institutions don’t often pay a whole lot of attention to the cultural literacy of their students.

In addition, Sister, I think you’re also operating on a baseline assumption that the people you expect to know about these things are American. I may know who Joseph McCarthy is because I first encountered the name in a Sweet Valley book (I’m not joking), but to an non-American, he might well be a non-entity.

By: Alicia - Sea Of Ghosts

Alicia - Sea Of Ghosts — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 06:00:31 +0000

I thought it was the aim these days to like things specifically because no one else does. You know of Beth Ditto? Suddenly she’s so passe. I’m already onto the next erm, big thing… so to speak, that you haven’t even heard of. But don’t find out about it – or it’ll be instantly uncool. Chyeaahhh, hipsters.

By: TinLizzie

TinLizzie — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 01:35:50 +0000

My jaw dropped when my expensive private HS and college educated daughter (22 yo) did not know who Toulouse Lautrec was. Gah!!!

By: Chelsea Rae

Chelsea Rae — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 21:51:38 +0000

I always find it interesting to see how the internet as “inter”connecting as it is has a distinct ability to polarize. Now, one only has to view content about the things that interest them and are able edit out anything they may find benign. What scares me however is that when people hear about something or someone they haven’t heard about before, they don’t use this same tool to do a quick search in the interest of becoming a better-informed individual whether it be about pop culture or social theorist. I say, everyone should take at least 30 minutes out of their day to watch Jeopardy (preferably with friends so you can school them on words starting with the letter B) and learn something new in a fun social setting.

By: Jaimi

Jaimi — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 09:40:49 +0000

Haha, Dru, regarding September 11, that reminds me of a political economy class I was in freshman year of college (2006). The subject of that day’s lecture was national security, and how concerned nations should be about it as well has how much resources should be devoted towards it. It was September 12th, one day after the fifth anniversary. The professor was a former financial analyst from New York City. One girl, from somewhere in Michigan, commented, “I honestly don’t see why we should be all that concerned about national security in the US. I mean, it’s not like we’ve ever had a major attack on US soil or anything like that.” She was dead serious, definitely absent minded. I’ll never forget the look on the professor’s face. His eyes were bugging out and his face was red and he was clearly restraining himself from jumping over the desk and throttling the girl. He then explained, in the most icily calm voice, that he had been working on Wall Street that day and will never forget the sheer terror and confusion of that day as Manhattan was evacuated. The girl looked about ready to keel over. With comments like that from students at a supposedly “good” school, it’s no wonder the professor is constantly drunk these days.

Also, SW, I had to double check on Idi Amin but when I saw the title he assigned himself, I remembered exactly who that fucker was.

I was also totally mortified when I met a guy recently who didn’t know who Nelson Mandela was. He was like 26 or 27, too. What the fuck.

By: Sister Wolf

Sister Wolf — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 08:08:35 +0000

Years ago, there was a popular book about cultural literacy with a exhaustive list of stuff that the culturally literate person should be able to at least identify. Like for Proust, you just have to say “writer.”

I remember testing my nephew R. with the list, and the scope of his knowledge was astounding! I was jealous. I think we SHOULD all know who Shakespeare is, as well as Freud, Idi Amin, Joseph McCarthy, Karl Marx, Miles Davis, Kurt Cobain, Germaine Greer, Alfred Hitchcock, Steve Jobs, and Saddam Hussein – even if you’re 20.

It would be nice if everyone knew Lenny Bruce and Bjork too, but I agree that Beth Ditto isn’t a must!

By: erika

erika — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 05:01:17 +0000

okay, still don’t really care about Proust. I am guessing that he is someone who’s name is thrown around more because people think it makes them sound smart than people actually like him.
Beth Ditto I know of as an icon for fat people. The Kim girl is some kind of plastic blow up doll girl from television. I used to be a fan of Kanye West but I am sick of hearing about him and how he is so persecuted by everyone. He probably cries every night into his fur pillows. Poor thing.
Lara Stone is the model who is fat because she has boobs and is a size 2. She doesn’t however think she is too fat to get naked all the time. good for her.
I don’t know who anyone is anymore in “popular culture” I am constantly saying “who ??” My five year old niece keeps me in the loop though. The latest from her is Hannah Montana, no longer cool. Kids always know.

By: Denise (denisekatipunera)

Denise (denisekatipunera) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 04:23:26 +0000

in my third world, no one knows about beth ditto. Heck 70% of the population here don’t know what blog is.