[Grinov]

In my lifetime I’ve only met 3 Americans, one was a Republican, one was a Democrat and one didn’t give a damn about politics. They all seemed like fairly intelligent guys until we came onto the subject of the Vietnam War, in which the Democrat and Non-aligned said they knew nothing about and the Republican had a pretty distorted view of the war.

My question is to the Americans on this forum: Does the United States education system have the Vietnam War in its corniculum?

[Vesuvius]

From what I remember from High School, no. We had plenty on WWI and WWII, but not enough on Vietnam. We knew it started and eneded, but in my school, they didn't really tell us why it started. I assumed it was about communism with how the details were unfolding, but all was still murky.

[Grinov]

From what I remember from High School, no. We had plenty on WWI and WWII, but not enough on Vietnam. We knew it started and eneded, but in my school, they didn't really tell us why it started. I assumed it was about communism with how the details were unfolding, but all was still murky.

It seems a massive chunk of United States history is lost. What about the Korean War?

[Vesuvius]

That is a war that I have only heard of through the mouths of others around college. American History classes here only deal with just that. And if we take classes like World History, we learn about things that happened so long ago, that it doesn't show us what's going on now. We're more prone to learning about the Otoman Empire and the Roman Empire rather than learning about hardly anything dealing with Eastern and/or Oriental countries. I hate it really. That's the history that I wanted to learn about. American schools just keep teaching us the same Latin and Arabic based events rather than going completely around the world and giving us a broad explanation of many things.

[Grinov]

I’m concerned with the fact that if young Americans do not know about their own history, they would be doomed to repeat it.

I know you can hardly compare the Vietnam War with what’s going on in Iraq right now but there are similarities.

[Jordan]

I'm Canadian and I learned about the vietnam war in Grade 12 History.

Just because people learn about it in school it doesn't mean they 1) care 2) understand 3) remember it.

Everything in history repeats itself. Some people veiw the Vietnam war as a good thing and they probably know all the facts too.

Nothing is lost. Both the Vietnam and Korean war are well documented and I learned both in Highschool and have friends who studied both in University, both in Canada and the USA.

[Grinov]

I'm Canadian and I learned about the vietnam war in Grade 12 History.

Well and good, but Canada isn’t that one declaring new wars left and right now is it?

Just because people learn about it in school it doesn't mean they 1) care 2) understand 3) remember it.

But at the very least they know that something bad happened right?

Everything in history repeats itself. Some people veiw the Vietnam war as a good thing and they probably know all the facts too.

And they probably never fought in it.

Nothing is lost. Both the Vietnam and Korean war are well documented and I learned both in Highschool and have friends who studied both in University, both in Canada and the USA.

Its lost if its not in the hearts and minds of the next generation. So what if the war is on paper? If no one reads the paper then it really makes no difference wether someone wrote it down or not.

[Jordan]

But at the very least they know that something bad happened right?

Teachers don't tell you that the vietnam war was a bad thing. They lay out chornologically all the events from the cause to the conclusion. It's up to the student to make the desicion on wether it was a good thing or bad thing.

Worrying about Americans because the teachers are not telling them the Vietnam war was bad is silly. People make up their own minds and like I said it's taught in University for sure if not in most highschools.

This post has been edited by Jordan: 15 September 2006 - 01:26 PM

[Grinov]

Teachers don't tell you that the vietnam war was a bad thing. They lay out chornologically all the events from the cause to the conclusion. It's up to the student to make the desicion on wether it was a good thing or bad thing.

Worrying about Americans because the teachers are not telling them the Vietnam war was bad is silly. People make up their own minds and like I said it's taught in University for sure if not in most highschools.

I was being satirical.

[Spoon Poetic]

I definitely learned about the Vietnam and Korean wars, several times throughout middle and high school. There was even a class dedicated to just those two wars (Vietnam one semester, Korean the next). Like Jordan said, the facts were laid down, and kids choose what opinions to make about them.

I think it depends on the class; sometimes there just isn't enough time to get to everything. Or there are some schools that just don't go there because of the problems that can arise from parents' differing opinions etc.

[Otal Nimrodi]

In my lifetime I’ve only met 3 Americans, one was a Republican, one was a Democrat and one didn’t give a damn about politics. They all seemed like fairly intelligent guys until we came onto the subject of the Vietnam War, in which the Democrat and Non-aligned said they knew nothing about and the Republican had a pretty distorted view of the war.

My question is to the Americans on this forum: Does the United States education system have the Vietnam War in its corniculum?

No, we're all embarassed about it.

[Vesuvius]

Well Cheto, you've got to consider also, that some schools try to teach these things but when you go to schools as bad as the ones I went to, well crap, you're lucky to come out knowing how to fight and stay alive. My middle school was crazy! All the kids were so bad there that none of them failed because teachers didn't want them there any longer than they should be there. No one really learned anything. I'm sure plenty of things were in the curriculum to learn, but when you have a school full of baboons, gorillas, dogs, and chimpanzees, you are not going to learn anything.

[Jordan]

Did you go to school in Compton? We have one of those tough kid schools in Vancouver (actually a few). I never actually attended those schools but I often visted them for sports and went to a few parties from people from those places. I feel for you if you had to put up with those freaks. Gang bangers start in middle school, thats just a proven fact.

This post has been edited by Jordan: 15 September 2006 - 06:08 PM

[Vesuvius]

No, I didn't attend any Compton schools . I live in Florida and we have our share of really rough neighborhoods. The closest middle school (3miles away) to me was possibly the worse one in the city. Oh and don't feel for me, it's alright. You just have to know your way around these things. It gave me a very interesting outlook on things, especially in high school.

[MyPantsAreOnFire]

I graduated high school in 1997 and the US history courses I took then and in middle school all went up through the first Iraq war. Honestly, a US history class that can't even get to Vietnam isn't with its weight in piss...

Most schools now get up to 9/11. Really, not hitting Vietnam? That's inexcusable.

This post has been edited by MyPantsAreOnFire: 15 September 2006 - 08:12 PM