names changing?

[RustyIron]

It's interesting comparing what they put in history books 120, 75, 50 years ago vs today.

Burn the books! Reeducate the intellectuals! History is what we say it is!

I've collected more than my share of books over the years. There's an issue of Life Magazine from early 1941 that I find intriguing. An article talks about all the actions that the United States was taking against Japan: Trade embargoes, cancellation of treaties, freezing of assets, providing mercenary fighters to China, and our refusal to negotiate. Most of the country thought that eventual war with Japan was inevitable, and half the country thought we SHOULD go to war. This isn't some esoteric political philosophy text, it's Life Magazine! No wonder that the Japanese felt that their only chance was to strike first.

As you know, our schools' version of history is a little different. Just telling a fake narrative wouldn't be so bad, other than the effect it has on the national psyche. How many other failed military entanglements have been the result of our failure to learn the subtle effects of past "diplomatic misteps?"

[Ramonade]

They rarely use known truth or events to decide, but hearsays from "someone", who's most often a post on facebook or tiktok/insta.

You can't fix your country, your city, your school, or your class. But if over the space of your career you're able to point a few people in a better direction, you've done well. Be content in the knowledge that you've set them forth on a worthy path.

It's funny, that's the goal I've set for myself when I decided to switch from being a social worker to being a teacher. I knew I could have more impact that way, and I've decided that if my presence would significally, durably help at least one kid, It would be a success.

[DSH007]

According to Verizon, you can't call diagonal cutters "dikes" anymore..

True story:
A few years back, I was at a swap meet where there was a tool vendor. The guy had his teenage daughter and her friend helping out for the day. I was looking over his wares when the girls came up and asked if I needed help. I told them, "Yeah, I'm looking for a pair of dikes." The girls eyes bugged out, and they ran over to the father screeching, "Dad! Dad! That guy just said he wanted a pair of dikes!!!!" Dad calmly explained that the nice man wanted to buy a pair of "side cutters." He then came over and got me what I needed.

HAHAH, sounds like she was ready to call the vice squad on you! That is a great story!

[ChrisinHove]

this kind of ties into why I like keeping books around, especially old books. It's interesting comparing what they put in history books 120, 75, 50 years ago vs today.

A lot easier to edit wikipedia to fit your narrative than it is to edit my copy of someone's autobiography from the 1920's.

I wouldn’t disagree on the shortcomings of Wikipedia but would disagree on the value of many old printed publications.

When I was still quite small in the late 70’s I found a stash of my late grandfathers “Armchair Scientist” magazines from the 20’s & 30’s. Although it was fascinating to see what progress had been made, I found the articles promoting racial eugenics as cutting edge science as truly shocking, although I guess educational in a more valuable sense.

Also somewhat unreliable have been the period biographies, and especially autobiographies, I have bought cheap from eBay over the years rather than later (and more expensive!) accounts written with the benefit of knowledge of longer term political and military consequences.

These are often epic attempts at getting favourable accounts in first and of self justification, and now often laughably transparent.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

this kind of ties into why I like keeping books around, especially old books. It's interesting comparing what they put in history books 120, 75, 50 years ago vs today.

A lot easier to edit wikipedia to fit your narrative than it is to edit my copy of someone's autobiography from the 1920's.

Thank you for posting this, vivi! I agree.
I should take some pics of it if I can find it:
Some years back I found a used but good condition book at a garage sale about travelling to Sweden. It had those old style photograph plates and text. In comparing it to a modern travel guide I was somewhat amazed at the deeper vocabulary and word arrangements it has. It was printed in the late 19th century.

The person I bought it from was glad to know of my love for Swedish Mora knives.

[James Y]

A lot of people are unaware that the word "ketchup" originated as a variant of a word from southern Chinese dialects (ke-tsiap or ke-chap) that referred to a fermented fish sauce. And also from the Malaysian word (kicap) for similar condiments, that were introduced to Europe by Dutch and British traders. Only later did it become associated with tomatoes, as it is today in the Americas, and became known as modern ketchup.

Jim

[Scandi Grind]

Critical thinking is frightening too. That, I did a medium size study on and the results were not good. We were supposed to apply it to the whole region and afterwards the country, but I'm sure the hierarchy did not like the image it would have given of our school system. Even if it's unrelated to the school system IMO.

We are not responsible for the whole education of these kids, they have parents...

Imma stop, it's almost Xmas I need to be cool

Keep it frosty I feel your pain seeing these trends too.

[RustyIron]

Only the dinosaurs will see the humor in this:

.

[James Y]

Languages change over time. Go back a few / several centuries, and the English spoken back then would be pretty much incomprehensible to us now; and we would certainly be incomprehensible to the English speakers back then.

Then again, today, there are Americans, who were born here and whose only language is English, who can barely speak English.

Jim

[Paul Ardbeg]

Only the dinosaurs will see the humor in this:


funny_numbers_2x.png

.

58008 brings me back to school and calculators

[Halfneck]

Snowflake

I used "My little snowflake" as a sign of affection for my wife because she's so unique & no 2 snowflakes are alike. I even bought her a necklace with a snowflake pendent several years ago. Now because of recent U.S. politics the term Snowflake has a negative connotation. Irks me every time I hear it used as such.

[Bolster]

Sometimes the young people crack me up with their "Netflix and chill" sort of things. Sometimes they don't. I'm not groovy enough to understand all their hip lingo.

A while back I was chatting with one of the young ladies in one of my buildings. I was just talking the way I talk, telling her about doing something with my homeboys over the weekend. She burst out laughing, and had to call over one of the other guys so he could hear it, too. Apparently when old white boys use traditionally black slang like "homeboy," it's uproariously funny. How was I to know?

For what it's worth, I've always thought of you, Rusty, as my homie. We both love to wear hoodies, we both live too close to Los Angeles for comfort, and we both have large tats that read "Pinche Gringo." If that doesn't make a person a homie, I don't know what does.