This Would Be Hilarious If It Wasn’t So Pathetic….

Speaking from my almost seven years as an adjunct instructor at two community colleges, I can say that you get some real winners every now and again. Fortunately, I’ve found that it is usually the exception and not the norm. I guess I’ve been blessed with generally good students all these years. As a teaching assistant to Dr. Chris Fonvielle at UNC-Wilmington, we’d get responses like this on exams as well. It does make you wonder how they made it to college. But, as Jimmy Buffett would say, “if we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane.”

I laughed when I read the first part of your blog, but after thinking more about it, it made me really sad. I will give you an honest story. My college roommate and I were traveling back and forth between our college campus (Virginia Tech) and our home (Alexandria, VA), many years ago. We were on Route 20 in VA, passing by the Wilderness Battlefield shelter. I asked him, “What war was fought here?!” I am sad to say that I had no idea. One year later, I was taking a course on the Civil War and Reconstruction, taught by James Robertson, and have been hooked on history and the Civil War, ever since. It is just sad that kids can graduate from high school today without any knowledge of, or interest in, the history of this country and the surrounding world. I applaud teachers who try to share these important subjects without those willing to learn, and you, as a writer and historian, are definitely included in that category..

Dear Eric,

I am not surprised at what Brian and some of your readers have encountered. As a Baptist Pastor, I meet people all the time that are shallow and have no interest in asking and answering the deep questions about the meaning and purpose of life. Part of the problem is the hectic pace of our culture. Everytime we blink we are in a new world. Nokia, for example, attempts to introduce a new or improved product every 45 days. This pace leaves us with enough energy and time to concentrate only on the present. Thus we now have a culture that knows more about Paris Hilton than George Washington and where fame is based on mere television exposure instead of solid or courageous accomplishment. This trend will ensure that we know the price of everything but the value of nothing, fulling our stomachs while starving our souls.

Best wishes always,
Lanny

There is an excellent blog called “Steamboats are Ruining Everything.” I think that abou sums up the comments above. Every generation has the same complaint to make about the younger generations; only the content and references differ. In high school I was the kid who wore sunglasses in the back row of my history class and responded with “Word” whenever the teacher said something. On my best days I entered the class before it started an fast forwarded the tape that accompanied the film reel.

Blame the president, political correctness, SOL’s, Nokia, blah, blah, blah…

I want to know how a normal American college student can think the country was experiencing a *sexual* crisis in the antebellum years? What, the problem was entirely because all those studs down South weren’t getting enough?

But, then, we do have RE Lee’s letters to his cousin Markie to explain…

JFE

Robert E. Lee was there defending the boring Texas border. Lee was bored and unhappy with this job so congress offered him a Lieutenant Colonel in the Second Cavalry.

When Lincoln was elected, Georgia met and decided to succeed.

The First Battle of Manassas took place at the injunction in Manassas.

George B. McClellan launched the Penisular Campaign. The Union Army, Robert E. Lee commanding, retreated.

The cavalry attack was led by Jab Stuart.

At the Battle of Antietam, John B. Gordon held “Bloody Lane,” and was wounded in the face. That gave him a scare for the rest of his life.

U.S. Grant steadily climbed the military leader until President Lincoln made him general in chief of all the Federal forces.

The witty General Joe Johnston figured out a way to oppose the massive Union forces.

The dead at Kenesaw Mountain were buried in their gold watches, and finely dressed officers in their chains.

Confederate headquarters in Atlanta lost continence with Sherman’s movement.

The southerners at the battle of New Market had to be reinforced by cadets from the Virgin Military Academy.

In my personal view slavery ended when the north won the Civil War.

The Ku Klux Klan is a chapter in history that for the most part is ignored tentionally and unintentionally.

The fact that the Army of Northern Vagina was eventually defeated by a larger force clearly proves that size does matter.

Jim Morgan

Sadly, our library system is regularly removing books with low circulation. So books on pop idols like Paris Hilton and Madonna are in and Grant and Lee are out. See the following:

http://www.libraryola.com/files/WeedingFairfax.ppt#257,2,Fairfax County’s need to weed