Explore American Education Bias: Test Your Knowledge of Yuri Gagarin

[Gokul43201]

I wonder why you would think that we would not know about world events? Did you just assume this? Or did someone say this to you?

I think it is somewhat well-known that on average, young Americans have a measurably weaker knowledge of world affairs than people in most other developed countries.

 

[The Dagda]

This poll is useless. You can not establish American bias with this one question on this one global forum. It breathes an odor of anti-Americanism and little else.

Very true, why not ask who supports Israel in the US, then you'd have something that distinctly smacks of bias. I'd be willing to bet if you asked a thousand men on the street in every state the consensus would be in favour of Israel.

It's a silly question though I quite agree, especially because almost everyone here with any knowledge of the space race is likely to know the answer regardless of point of origin.

I think it is somewhat well-known that on average, young Americans have a measurably weaker knowledge of world affairs than people in most other developed countries.

That seems to be my impression also, it is probably to do with the education system. For example how much history and geography does the average USian learn that involves other countries? When people say things like we won world war II without accounting for the fact that the other allies outnumbered the US troops, you can only sigh.

 

[turbo]

When people say things like we won world war II without accounting for the fact that the other allies outnumbered the US troops, you can only sigh.

We can look back to Russia's sacrifices there. They threw so many men into the meat-grinder that was the Eastern Front... It's hardly surprising that they employed a lot of women in heavy industry after the war.

BTW, just a historical point that few Americans know about. The Russians were poorly provisioned in WWII, and when they swept through Latvia and other small countries, their army stripped root-cellars and smoke-houses for food and slaughtered horses, cows, etc, leaving farmers destitute. My friend's father, uncles, and grandfather resisted, and were all shot. He and his mother and an aunt managed to escape and over the course of a year or so, made it across Europe and were allowed to emigrate to the US. When Kredo would hear of a Latvian being accused of being a Nazi war-criminal, he would always say "We hated the Nazis, but after what the Russians did to us, every able-bodied man wanted to join up and kill as many Russians as possible." According to him, the Latvians were so reckless and wild for revenge, the Germans used them as shock-troops and sent them in first.

 

[Astronuc]

Were you still down under during the 6th grade? If you were, that's hardly surprising, given the Aussie-Kiwi rivalry.

I was already two years in the US. My dad bought me The Columbia Encyclopedia (1963 edition) in 4th Grade, and I started reading about chemistry (the elements, and compounds), physics (atoms, nuclei, subatomic particles) and astronomy/cosmology. I just happen to pick up on Kurchatovium (Z=104), well before I heard of Rutherfordium.

 

[JasonRox]

I don't think it's a matter of quality of education. I know who Gagarin is and I will in no way ever say it should be any kind of priority of knowledge for general education.

 

[khemix]

I don't think it's a matter of quality of education. I know who Gagarin is and I will in no way ever say it should be any kind of priority of knowledge for general education.

Its not about quality of education. Its about putting US in every world event. I don't need proof that the US pre-college education sucks... I mean who does?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Im not saying you don't know about world events. I am saying you put yourself into the spotlight more often than not. This was a discussion I had anyway.


But, at least among the educated, knowledge is not lost.

At the time, Yuri Gagarin was known to most Americans. Note that Huntsville is the epicenter of our rocket program - his flight was front-page news in most major US newspapers.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/sts1/gagarin_anniversary.html

 

[The Dagda]

We can look back to Russia's sacrifices there. They threw so many men into the meat-grinder that was the Eastern Front... It's hardly surprising that they employed a lot of women in heavy industry after the war.

BTW, just a historical point that few Americans know about. The Russians were poorly provisioned in WWII, and when they swept through Latvia and other small countries, their army stripped root-cellars and smoke-houses for food and slaughtered horses, cows, etc, leaving farmers destitute. My friend's father, uncles, and grandfather resisted, and were all shot. He and his mother and an aunt managed to escape and over the course of a year or so, made it across Europe and were allowed to emigrate to the US. When Kredo would hear of a Latvian being accused of being a Nazi war-criminal, he would always say "We hated the Nazis, but after what the Russians did to us, every able-bodied man wanted to join up and kill as many Russians as possible." According to him, the Latvians were so reckless and wild for revenge, the Germans used them as shock-troops and sent them in first.

A touching story.

 

[cristo]

Its not about quality of education. Its about putting US in every world event. I don't need proof that the US pre-college education sucks... I mean who does?

But, you're not going to get any proof of that here, and especially not by asking a science question! I do agree with you, though. I've sat in on some gen ed college classes where the students were taught things that I learned in school at 16/17.

Still, if you're arguing that point, I would try to ensure that you're grammar's correct (yea mean "it's").

 

[The Dagda]

But, you're not going to get any proof of that here, and especially not by asking a science question! I do agree with you, though. I've sat in on some gen ed college classes where the students were taught things that I learned in school at 16/17.

Still, if you're arguing that point, I would try to ensure that you're grammar's correct (yea mean "it's").

England has the worst education in Europe outside of the Eastern bloc, that's what happens when the UK starts adopting an American model I suppose. That said I've seen comparisons up to age 16 that place the US education as worse than the UK, but it's hard to compare. I have had this discussion before though. At least their university education is second to none.

 

[cristo]

England has the worst education in Europe outside of the Eastern bloc, that's what happens when the UK starts adopting an American model I suppose. That said I've seen comparisons up to age 16 that place the US education as worse than the UK, but it's hard to compare. I have had this discussion before though. At least their university education is second to none.

I meant I've sat in on some gen ed college classes in the US where they were taught things I'd learned in the UK at 16/17.

(I tend to talk in American on this forum now, since it causes less confusion, hence college really means university, etc..)

 

[The Dagda]

I meant I've sat in on some gen ed college classes in the US where they were taught things I'd learned in the UK at 16/17.

(I tend to talk in American on this forum now, since it causes less confusion, hence college really means university, etc..)

I see. I'll have to get used to the language issues.

 

[brewnog]

Oops, I voted. Did I spoil the result?

 

[Phrak]

Im not saying you don't know about world events. I am saying you put yourself into the spotlight more often than not. This was a discussion I had anyway.


But, atleast among the educated, knowledge is not lost.

Cultural trivia is not knowledge.

 

[turbo]

Cultural trivia is not knowledge.

I don't think that knowing about the achievements of Yuri Gagarin or John Glenn are "trivia". The Russian space program was shrouded in secrecy until after the fact, so that was a detriment, but every single US launch that was televised was an "event" at my little back-woods elementary school. The whole student-body would gather along with all of our teachers (and even the janitor and the cook, if they were still in the building) to watch the launch on the B&W (duh! no other kind, then) TV, and quite often our teachers would have some kinds of activities planned for us that tied into the launch.

I knew when I was young that the Earth's atmosphere got thinner and thinner the higher you went in altitude and I idolized test pilots (exemplified publicly by Chuck Yeager) who were brave enough to strap into a glorified little "flying needle" like the X-15, get a ride to the altitude-limits of the capabilities of a B-52, and get dropped off so they could take a trip to "outer space". It ain't trivia if you lived through it, and were expected to learn from it.

Want some more "trivia"? After Sputnik, US school-kids were given banks of aptitude tests and IQ tests to identify potential high-achievers who could be routed into science and technology curricula later, to help the US dominate the space race. My parents were very poor, and my sisters and I had pretty meager "hauls" on Christmas, not unlike many of my friends in that area. However, the year of our first round of evaluations I got a cheap but usable Newtonian telescope for Christmas (the ball-mount was a *****!) and the next year, I got an Edmund's microscope with 3 objectives and a couple of eyepieces. In another year or so, my father managed to scrape up enough money to buy a set of World Book encyclopedias.

 

[Gokul43201]

Still, if you're arguing that point, I would try to ensure that you're grammar's correct...

<cough, cough>

(I tend to talk in American on this forum now, since it causes less confusion...)

Oh! In that case, I guess your okay!

 

[turbo]

<cough, cough>

Oh! In that case, I guess your okay!

Gokul, it's UR, if UR American (and under a certain age).

 

[cristo]

<cough, cough>

LOL, oh the irony. For the record, I was torn between two phrases: the first of which was something like "ensure you're using grammar correctly"... honest!

 

[OAQfirst]

That shouldn't usually be an issue anyway, cristo. Yours is more like a typo. Even I have been mixing up effect and affect after seeing it misused repeatedly on various forums. But at least I know the difference whereas many do not. If someone repeatedly makes that mistake, then it's not a typo. You usually have your contractions and possessives nailed correctly.

 

[The Dagda]

You can tell a thread is dead or dying when the subject turns to grammar when grammar is not the subject.

\rant

I subject all posts to one criteria, did I understand it, if so do I think everyone can understand it. If not I might mention that either I think someone is talking gobbledygook, that I got the inference but others may not and thus... There's too many derails in threads in forums due to pedantry. It's ok, but it has a time and place if you ask me. Now for example the thread is pretty quiet, but don't you hate it when in the middle of a fast moving - say political - thread someone spends a page pointing out all the grammar mistakes in your post and typos, despite knowing precisely what you meant. Ughhh that drives me nuts.

Well actually: their should be there in terms of a location of WMD's and should of, should be should have, if you bloody understood the context then what the hell is the issue.

I don't mind genuine questions about grammar but when it's used as a means to somehow magically make your argument better it's trivial and petty.

/end rant.

Anyway I just derailed a derail.

 

[OmCheeto]

If it had been a multiple match choice question, I would have gotten it:

Match the name to the occupation:

1. Romanov a. composer
2. Kasparov b. leader
3. Mussorgsky c. astronaut
4. Gagarin d. comedian
5. Smirnoff e. chess player

And how many Russians can name the firsthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang_Liwei" person sent into space by China?

Bias? Nyet. глупость!

Spoiler

глупость = foolishness. pronounced: glue-post (for those of you illiterate in Cyrillic)

 

[Gokul43201]

You can tell a thread is dead or dying when the subject turns to grammar when grammar is not the subject.

In GD, threads evolve by being derailed; they die only when they are killed. There's a difference.

 

[Gokul43201]

глупость!
глупость = foolishness. pronounced: glue-post

Yup! That's the stuff that holds threads together in GD.

 

[OmCheeto]

Yup! That's the stuff that holds threads together in GD.

I was actually waiting for someone to ask if Glue-Post was really the name of the first Chinese astronaut.

 

[The Dagda]

In GD, threads evolve by being derailed; they die only when they are killed. There's a difference.

Ah in that case now I know the rules: proceed.

 

[Phrak]

I don't think that knowing about the achievements of Yuri Gagarin or John Glenn are "trivia".

This is entirely different! The OP question was about a name. What can you tell me about the man Yuri Gararin or John Glenn, other than he was the first to do this or that.

 

[Lisa!]

I'm not American, therefor I don't have the right to vote here!:zzz:

 

[OmCheeto]

This is entirely different! The OP question was about a name. What can you tell me about the man Yuri Gararin or John Glenn, other than he was the first to do this or that.

Yes, the post title states "Bias".

I think this points out more a tendency of the way people have a difficulty with remembering foreign names than domestic names.

One of my coworkers, a recent(14 years ) Slavic emigre to America, took almost a year to remember the name of the new president of our company. Everyone else recognized it by day two. I could almost hear the voices in the other workers heads; "Earth to Svetlana! Why is it so hard to remember a name like Bob Johnson?"

Yuri Gagarin has no common counterpart in anglicized names or culture. It would therefore have to be remembered as a standalone set of alien sounds and symbols. (Except for possibly the Yuri portion: Geller of spoon bending fame, and Zhivago of course)

I'm sure many people probably remember my not even trying to pretend to know the president of Iran's name: https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?p=1830683&highlight=Ahmadjeblahblah#post1830683", Ahmadjewhatever, etc.

It wasn't until AhmedEzz referred to him several times as "Nejad", and my Armenian friend explained the "din" portion of his name, that I was finally able to remember how to even come close to spelling his name without having to google "Iranian President".

Ahmadinejad. I think.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I think the point of the op was made clear here. That is why I posted the newspaper.

My point was that any American can name Neil Armstrong. I thought American propaganda would shun Gagarin. Needless to say, these results are very surprising!

 

[Mk]

Believe it or not I was born quite a while before that series was first shown.

Good, because if you were 6 I'd have to compliment you on your English.

 

[TVP45]

I don't think that knowing about the achievements of Yuri Gagarin or John Glenn are "trivia". The Russian space program was shrouded in secrecy until after the fact, so that was a detriment, but every single US launch that was televised was an "event" at my little back-woods elementary school. The whole student-body would gather along with all of our teachers (and even the janitor and the cook, if they were still in the building) to watch the launch on the B&W (duh! no other kind, then) TV, and quite often our teachers would have some kinds of activities planned for us that tied into the launch.

I knew when I was young that the Earth's atmosphere got thinner and thinner the higher you went in altitude and I idolized test pilots (exemplified publicly by Chuck Yeager) who were brave enough to strap into a glorified little "flying needle" like the X-15, get a ride to the altitude-limits of the capabilities of a B-52, and get dropped off so they could take a trip to "outer space". It ain't trivia if you lived through it, and were expected to learn from it.

Want some more "trivia"? After Sputnik, US school-kids were given banks of aptitude tests and IQ tests to identify potential high-achievers who could be routed into science and technology curricula later, to help the US dominate the space race. My parents were very poor, and my sisters and I had pretty meager "hauls" on Christmas, not unlike many of my friends in that area. However, the year of our first round of evaluations I got a cheap but usable Newtonian telescope for Christmas (the ball-mount was a *****!) and the next year, I got an Edmund's microscope with 3 objectives and a couple of eyepieces. In another year or so, my father managed to scrape up enough money to buy a set of World Book encyclopedias.

Turbo-1,

I think I grew up in about the same kind of setting, although I might be a year or three older. I didn't get evaluated, but my mom got excited about all this science and math stuff that President Eisenhower said we should learn. So, that fall, she got convinced by a door-to-door World Book salesman and bought us kids a set on time (I think it was weekly payments of maybe a $1.15 for three years or something like that). The problem was that the mountain was full of poor adults who had never gotten past about the fifth grade during the depression. When all these neighbors found out we had an Encyclopedia, they started borrowing them and reading all the way through, book by book. So, my sisters and I had a set of World Books that usually included maybe 14 letters of the alphabet. I think "A" was the most popular, so we always hoped our teachers didn't assign anything about John Adams. And, yeah, I got a couple of the science project gifts for Christmas, including the chemsitry set where you could actually make stuff that stunk and blew up!

Thanks for the memory. And, yes, I had pictures of Chuck Yeager and Scott Crossfield; I think I remember sending something like ten cents of postage stamps as payment for pictures of test pilots and airplanes.

 

[OmCheeto]

It's been three days since I linked to the name of the first person who was shot into space by the Chinese. Does anyone remember the name?

 

[BobG]

It's been three days since I linked to the name of the first person who was shot into space by the Chinese. Does anyone remember the name?

When you're the 241st* person to visit outer space, your name is destined to be nothing more than Chinese trivia. Who was Canada's first astronaut? Who was the first Slovak astronaut? First French astronaut? First Spanish astronaut? First Italian astronaut?

Here's a list of countries' first astronaut: Timeline of space travel by nationality

Edit: * I wouldn't put much stock in him being the 241st in space (it was part of a news article). With nearly 500 people that have visited space, I find it hard to believe that a 2003 launch would put him at only 241.


Interesting trivia: Sergei Krikalev and Alexander Volkov were the first Russian citizens (as opposed to Soviet citizens) in outer space and the first to return to Earth. Alexandr Kaleri and Alexandr Viktorenko were the first Russian citizens launched into outer space. Krikalev and Volkov were already orbiting in the MIR when the Soviet Union broke up.

 

[Carid]

It's been three days since I linked to the name of the first person who was shot into space by the Chinese. Does anyone remember the name?

What's this? You want to know the first person shot in space by the Chinese? They shoot so many, but I didn't know they were doing it in space yet.

 

[Gokul43201]

Krikalev and Volkov were already orbiting in the MIR when the Soviet Union broke up.

Wow! What a view they must have had!