A few links

[vaznetti]

You know, I don't mean for this journal to be all-religion, all the time. Soon I will get back to talking about all the cool television I have been watching. I mean, did anyone else see Women's Murder Club on Friday night? I really liked it, and although it will never be a great fannish staple, I can see it being the kind of procedural that

Comments

[vaznetti]

There's a funny conversation on Indian culture in the comments to oyceter's post. But yes, I bet you could make that post, and the likelihood is that I would not know any of the answers, despite having consumed a certain amount of frybread in my past.

[vaznetti]

Ha! Yeah, I was pretty vague on all of those questions -- I knew a couple, and that was it. For the record, however, I will be a little sad if a pow-wow princess does not get to wear a sparkly tiara of some sort. *g*

It's really shocking how information which seems completely obvious to one person can be so totally obscure to another, though, and such a valuable thing to be reminded of.

[se_parsons]

It totally sucked back when I was a history teacher that we could barely get anybody to allow us to teach "World History" in the public school curriculum, meaning WESTERN world only (though I tried sneaking other stuff in). Because nobody needs to know about that.

Only American history is required. And it starts with Columbus, you know.

[vaznetti]

Oddly enough, everything I know about Confucianism, I learned in school. Granted, it was a private school, but I get the feeling that where I grew up, the public schools have to be a little more multicultural. *g*

[se_parsons]

In the Midwest, you don't need to know anything about anywhere but the U.S. Or so they think. It was infuriating. I literally got in trouble for things I taught in my class because kids "didn't need to know" that.

I had kids begging me to bring them into my class and had the valedictorian of that year's class break down in my classroom and actually cry because he had the other teacher and he wasn't going to know enough for college. I made him a book list, because our textbook was so poor and full of lies that he was right.

[midnightsjane]

My friend wisewoman rec'd Women's Murder Club too. I missed it this week but I'm going to try to catch it next week.
I read both elishavah and lenadances's posts, and they were both eloquent and very thought provoking.
it's not that I'm stupid, or poorly educated: it's simply that I've never needed to know these things is a statement that so many of us can relate to; if there isn't a need to know about other cultures and societies, there's not much incentive to learn, is there? There is so much noise in our society, so much we need to know about our own cultures to survive in them that it's hard to find time and space to learn about others. One of the best things in my life have been the times I've spent living in other countries, because my eyes were opened to all the differences, and all the similarities, that exist in human societies. The most important thing we can learn is how much we don't know, and how much there is to learn.

[vaznetti]

There is so much noise in our society, so much we need to know about our own cultures to survive in them that it's hard to find time and space to learn about others. One of the best things in my life have been the times I've spent living in other countries, because my eyes were opened to all the differences, and all the similarities, that exist in human societies. The most important thing we can learn is how much we don't know, and how much there is to learn.

Yes -- this is exactly what I was trying to say. Thank you!

[jcalanthe]

Yay, I'm glad someone else liked Women's Murder Club! I could do without the whole "successful women who are unfulfilled because they aren't married" thing, but having multiple women on my tv who get along, and multiple characters of color just made my weekend.

& yea, these posts about common & hidden knowledge have been interesting and thought-provoking.

[vaznetti]

I am kind of hoping that all the WMC storylines won't involve female victims, too -- and yeah, it was a bit focused on their romantic lives -- but still, they solve crimes! and they're friends, not rivals! I really enjoyed it.