Remember last week where a survey was released that showed the majority of Korean students did not know who started the Korean War or when it occurred? Well this just goes to show American students are just as ignorant about history as well:
An informal Stars and Stripes survey conducted at Yongsan Garrison, next door to the Korean War Museum, showed American teens didn’t fare much better than their Korean counterparts in their knowledge of the war.
“I didn’t even know the anniversary was today,” 16-year-old Veronica Gaskey said. “I feel so bad. I’m half Korean.”
When asked when the Korean War started, 16-year-old Ken Fiddler said, “In the past. 1900s.”
Eighteen-year-old Angye Law got a little closer to the mark.
“Nineteen-fifty-two? Was it ’50? In the ’50s,” she guessed.
She was equally unsure of who started the war.
“The Soviet Union? China?”
In addition to not knowing the dates, the students also weren’t entirely clear on who participated.
“Well the Koreans, obviously, and the States,” Fiddler said. [Stars & Stripes]
This is why I can’t criticize the students too badly because American students are just as ignorant of history. However, this still doesn’t explain why the majority of Korean students in this same survey viewed the United States as the greatest threat to Korea.
Popularity: 2%
10:39 am on July 1st, 2008 1
I still think it’s better to be ignorant than wrong.
10:42 am on July 1st, 2008 2
Comparing the two is a little difficult. While the US did fight in the war as well, it was not on their doorstep, nor was it for independence or a result of an invasion.
I would, however, like to see just how many teens know why the US got involved in WWI or WWII. Or perhaps even why we got involved in Iraq. Wait… no one knows.
4:26 pm on July 1st, 2008 3
What does that prove? So what if Americans don’t care about when the Korean war started or ended.
Its Koreans that make the Korean war as part of the fabric of their culture. Ita all part of their victim self image.
http://www.tomcoyner.com/war_of_details.htm
“One such oft-repeated statement is that Korea has always suffered invasions and wars. Koreans often say, “Our history has been tragic, for centuries we have been invaded by powerful enemies and suffered in their hands greatly.” Every visitor to Korea is bound to hear such a remark sooner or later, and most people tend to take it at face value. This statement might correctly describe Korean history of the last one hundred years, but it is hardly applicable to earlier eras.”
4:47 pm on July 1st, 2008 4
Shattered,
Are you kidding? The people on this peninsula have been cursed with awful geography and have endured countless invasions and foreign domination. I agree that Koreans in general often see themselves as the helpless and innocent victims of the world, but it is certainly rooted in a conquered history.
5:30 pm on July 1st, 2008 5
“Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it”.
6:20 pm on July 1st, 2008 6
“endured countless invasions”
Countless huh? Why not list say 50. List who and when. That should be easy, as you have countless to choose from.
Can’t name 50 can you? Why not list as many as you can. Unless… you are lying. Weepy weepy weepy about poor ko-wee-an history. Yet its all lies. Now go hide in the mud Morning Clam.
6:23 pm on July 1st, 2008 7
“Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it”
American middle school kids can’t remember the dates of the Koeran war, therefore they are condemned to repeat it.
I am ok with that, as long as the next war is only China and Korea North and South. Let have one more.
6:29 pm on July 1st, 2008 8
On December 7th 1987 in the Mess Hall of an unamed Military School for wayward boys and girls, one of my classmates was not aware of any particular signifcance for that date. When asked when WWII started for the United States, the confident reply was 1860.
8:34 pm on July 1st, 2008 9
History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.
Hamilton, I often got hazed for asking such questions as table trivia because most of the cows and firsties didn’t even know the answers….
6:50 am on July 3rd, 2008 10
Todays children are NOT taught history anymore, just pc BS. When I was in school, we learned about WWI and WWII, the Korean war was sadly the forgotten one and Vietnam was daily news.
History does come back to haunt you… Someone check out what happened in the 1970’s when the arabs cut us off oil for a time. Anybody see some of the exact same effets happening??
7:40 am on July 3rd, 2008 11
“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.”
Shame, Mark… You are a line thief.
Steal this one, too, while you are at it.
“History repeats itself… fist as tragedy, than as farce.”
The current presidential election is a perfect example of that farce thing.
11:15 am on July 3rd, 2008 12
Its not so much the exact dates as it is why it happened and who fought who. I just watched a news commentary on the Korean war vets (because of the anniversary) and not one word was spoken as to why we even had a war, or who started it. It was like, “we don’t make moral judgements as to who or why these veterans fought”. More than a little disturbing.