Kistler's Thoughts On Ignorance of History
Monday, March 10, 2008 at 03:51PM This has bothered me many times but today, for whatever reason, it really got to me.
More and more, people in the U.S. seem completely unaware of events and people that happened and existed more than ten years ago. Perhaps this is true in other countries, I don't know. Although I've traveled around Europe and South America, I haven't spent enough time in either place to really find that out. I live in the U.S. so I can only speak with confidence about the U.S.
I live in New York and as many of you know, our governor got caught with his pants down in an almost literal sense of the word. Not long ago, Governor Spitzer was implicated by The New York Times to be involved with a prostitution ring. This is especially damning since Spitzer has been a very out-spoken opponent of crime, having been an attorney general who was named "Crusader of the Year" by Time Magazine. Today, Spitzer apologized to the state and to his family who he "promised better" without actually saying how true the allegations were and how deep his involvement may or may not have been.
That's not what riles me. What riles me was today when I read the report on CNN.com, I found this sentence in the article:
"Tabloids labeled [Governor Spitzer] "Eliot Ness," after the hero in the crime drama "The Untouchables," because of his reputation for rooting out corruption, busting white-collar criminals and tackling organized crime."
Um, okay ... Eliot Ness was an actual human being. He led an actual team that was nicknamed the Untouchables and wrote a book under the same title which was published after his death. There was a TV drama based on this, yes. And there have been many movies and novels and comics also based on this real, living person.
There is even a rather strange yet memorable 
Elseworlds comic that DC published a few years back that features Eliot Ness, the Untouchables, and a version of Batman who is obsessed with taking down Al Capone (predictably, since it was written by Max Allan Collins, a big Capone aficionado and writer of the comic book The Road to Perdition). So why why WHY is this report referring to Ness as if he were a fictional character featured in an old TV show and nothing more?
And the shocking possibility occurred to me ... is it possible the person who wrote this article was unaware that Eliot Ness actually existed? Did they not take ten seconds to find his entry on wikipedia.org which has a link to his FBI files (just in case you still doubted he was once a real, living human being)?
When I showed the article to my friend Tracy Martin, she also noticed how strange it was to refer to Eliot Ness in such a way. She suggested, "Maybe the reporter didn't do the research." But they shouldn't have to research that! Eliot Ness?! If you live in the U.S., then by the time you're 20 years old, you should know who that is!
And yet I keep encountering this problem more and more and more. In the movie Swordfish, the film opens up with the lead characters discussing the film Dog Day Afternoon. They criticize the plot of the story and the actions of the character, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the movie was based on a historical event and tried to maintain as much accuracy as it could.
Last week, a friend of mine looked at me blankly when I referenced Roy Cohn. Two months ago, a co-worker wasn't familiar with the name F. R. Murrow or that Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp had been actual people. Last year, another friend revealed she had no idea that London had been heavily bombed during World War II. And in my senior year of high school, when talking to a few friends of mine about the movie Summer of Sam, a kid nearby who was only two years younger than me actually overheard us and remarked "You know, I heard that's like based on a real serial killer", which prompted me to look at him and ask "You had to be told that the Son of Sam was a real person?"
Those are all odd and make me frown. But here are two instances that made me hang my head in shame. Last year, I was in Virgin Megastore (a store that specializes in entertainment and music) and overheard a customer ask the cashier "Hey, who's Keith Richards?" Bad enough, but then the cashier responded, without missing a beat, "Are you serious? Dude, he's the guy who played Kramer on Seinfeld. He's famous!"
Yeah, I know.
And three months ago, I was standing in Time Machine (a great comic store on 14th and 7th) and was talking to the owner Roger about the late Orson Welles. A guy standing nearby me (who was two years younger than me at most) looked at me questioningly and asked "Orson Welles ... He was the dude in the cartoon Transformers movie, right?"
Yes, I know that Orson Welles played the voice of Unicron in the animated Transformers movie. But honestly, no one should remember him only for that role and then look at me blankly when I remark "Well, yeah, and he also did Citizen Kane." Thankfully, this guy in question had the good sense to ask me what else Orson Welles had done and why I had such respect for his work. We'll get back to that in a minute.
Now, I am not saying any of these people were stupid. The friends who didn't know about the London Blitz or Roy Cohn are incredibly intelligent people and they know a lot in general. Nor is this willful ignorance. A lot of us simply never learned about some of this stuff in school . Or if it had been mentioned in the classroom, it certainly wasn't done in a way that stayed with us. I was not a great student in jr. high and high school in several subjects because being told to simply memorize things that had no emotional context for me very quickly caused me to zone out. But in some cases, I was very lucky. I had some fantastic teachers who were really into what they taught. And I had grandparents who engendered a feeling in me that if I ever came across something I didn't know, be it a reference, an event or even just a word, I should immediately look it up.
By the way, I'm not a great example either by any means. There's a lot more stuff I should know about that I haven't made the time to research and I also find myself on the spotlight for not knowing something that seems to be common knowledge for others. Why don't I know more about Russian and Chinese history when they're both enormous countries with a lot of power and involvement in the U.S.? School kids in Canada learn about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Why don't I know off the top of my head right now whether or not any Canadian Prime Ministers have been assassinated in the past two centuries?
This kind of thing, not getting the proper guidance in how to remember and truly consider the foundations of the world around us, leads not only to ignorance but to ridiculous statements being made. Example? How about when Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child was commenting on her hope that the group
would eventually reunite, remarking that the experience could be akin to "You know, how the Beatles broke off, they all did their solo projects and they came back together and they were even stronger.''
WHAT?!
Granted, she's a celebrity and not a politician who could affect how your country is run, but still, she's ignorant of a basic fact concerning iconic figures in the music industry where she makes her career. And you know what? I feel confident in saying she's not the only singer/music artist out there who was/is unaware that the Beatles never got back together.
It's odd that we have to make such an effort to learn things outside of our immediate zone of experience. A lot of schools aren't doing their job too well in making us aware of things and the media certainly drops the ball quite often. How many people saw Ocean's Eleven, Poseidon and The Departed without having any idea that they were all remakes (or "re-imaginings" as we sometimes call them today) of earlier works?
I'm not saying, by the way, that remakes and the like shouldn't happen. I enjoyed the newer Thomas Crown Affair and I thought The Departed was different enough to stand on its own in many ways. And I certainly think the new Battlestar Galactica is ten times better than the original show. I just find it troubling that people aren't even aware of the earlier works and that much of this was also because the media itself never bothered mentioning it when covering some of these works, perhaps thinking no one would be interested in what came before. This also just bothers me because I'm a geek and I love to compare and contrast how different storytellers tackle the same plot/topic/characters/etc.
So some of this is due to poor teaching. For some, it's due to apathy. And for some, I think it has to do with fear and self-consciousness. Many people are intimidated to say "I don't know" or "I haven't heard about that." If they hear a reference they don't understand and see that others apparently do, many will simply nod their heads in turn and move on with the conversation. We need to stop that.
Going back to the guy who asked me about Orson Welles, thank God he did that. He learned something. Just like we should all make sure to not be afraid to learn something. I understand feeling weird when people look at you strangely for being ignorant about the topic. I'm part of the problem too, because I know I've definitely given some people strange/patronizing stares when they didn't know about something I thought they should have. And there have been times when I've laughed at a joke rather than admit "I don't get it" because I was trying to seem interesting or impressive to someone.
It needs to stop. What the Hell's so wrong with saying "I don't know?" and what's so bad with hearing someone asking you that question? This phrase is powerful. It shows you are honest and willing to expand your knowledge. If more people did this when they were younger, if more people realized how rewarding curiosity can be, I think we'd have a better planet.
My friend Christina Bryant brought an excellent point to the table regarding this whole thing. "I think the bigger issue is we are a soundbyte culture now made for short attention spans. We were raised in that and kids are now raised in one that is creating even shorter attention spans."
An excellent point. After all, we not only have commercials taking place during other shows now, obstructing nearly a quarter of the screen, but some re-runs such as Law and Order are noticeably broadcast at an increased rate of speed in order to allow for more advertisement time. We don't even let the show roll its credits before we begin the next program. And honestly, how many tickertape notifications do we need simultaneously running across the screen during a single news broadcast? No wonder we all find it absurd if we don't check our e-mail or facebook account every half hour.
You can look at this as a symptom of the much larger problem in the U.S. that we seem to have lost the taste for discovery. We created the EV1 and then discarded it because of money interests and because switching from gasoline to electricity was, I guess, too scary for some. We went to the moon and planted our flag and people at home cried and cheered and then we never really returned. You could say that this all means we have reached a cultural slump and this is just how things are.
But I don't believe that. Because while I may not do it as often as I should, I do at least make an effort to learn more. And I know many others who do, several of whom do it with more passion and dedication than yours truly. And I refuse to believe these people are unique in the country or in the world. Humanity is, by nature, constantly looking for something new and different and better. That's why we left the caves and decided to look over the next hill. That's why we harnessed fire. Some of us just need a little push is all. It's like if you're a music fan but have never head the Beatles, Sammy Davis Jr. or Frank Sinatra. I'm not saying you have to like them, but I think you should be aware, you should listen to them and understand how they helped lead to whatever music it is that you're into today.
I just hope the majority of us get into gear about this sooner rather than later, because I'd like to see where things go from there. If schools in the U.S. really got their acts together, if kids got more encouragement to just ask "why are things the way they are?", if we did more to explain to young ones about how interesting and involved history really is rather than just making them memorize names and dates with no soul or context ... I think the end result could be really something.
I know this is possible because I was lucky enough to have some fantastic teachers whose passion, humor and understanding of how to couch lessons have made their classes stay with me for years afterwards. Roberta Boyd, Don Cheeseman, Shawn Gaillard, Robert Cunniff, Jack Lewis, Gary Orr, Dr. Steve Ochs, Eliza Stone, Richard Drozd. All great educators who got you into their subjects because they loved what they were doing and never made you feel bad 
for admitting "I don't know."
If only we were all like that.
Someday ...- Alan Kistler ...
... still loves his country,
even if it occasionally
frustrates him.
NEXT COLUMN: The passing of the great Arthur C. Clarke.
Quote of the Week: "When will I learn? The answers to life's problems aren't at the bottom of a bottle. They're on TV!"
(the quote from the previous column was from Dr. Ray Stanz the movie Ghostbusters).
Reader Comments (10)
When you have to turn to international news sources to get a true picture of a situation, you know its time to look over our current news reporting system.
Many thanks to the BBC for teaching me about world events and many thanks to the Degrassi Series for teaching me about Canada. :)
KISTLER'S RESPONSE:
The filtering mechanism makes sense. An ignorance of Churchill and Holmes is just depressing. People not knowing Holmes used cocaine, all right. People not sure if he were real or not? Man. Along those lines, when I was studying in Oxford for a summer, a girl who lived there was in a class with me and when I mentioned reading The Lords of the Rings, she remarked "I thought that was just a movie coming out. They have books too already?" Sad.
Working in a bookstore, I think to myself "you didn't know that?" Into the Wild is not a novelization of the movie, it was out ten years before the movie was made, and it's non-fiction. No, really, there was another Boleyn girl, and she was the mistress of the king. That book about John Adams? It would be in History, not fiction.
I think we also have parents to blame. I can't tell you how many times I've had parents ask for the shortest book on the reading list "because my son doesn't like to read." I can give you the shortest book on the list, but that doesn't mean it will be the easiest to read, or that your son will enjoy it.
Eh, sorry, I didn't mean to vent. It's frustrating when people want the glory with none of the work. Knowledge can't be given to you, you have to work for it. And today, a majority of people don't seem to want to do that.
But for me, the lack of knowledge is different than false knowledge.
My grandfather had a saying, "Ignorance can be cured, stupidity is forever."
What astounds me is the large amount of urban myths and false information get propagated. Intelligent people who believe stuff easily dismissed on Snopes. Even better is the political bulloney that gets out there.
But people are guilty no matter what the profession. How many "well-learned" (or even worldly "comic book fans") never pay any attention to sports. Admittedly, it's just entertainment.
However, if you aren't aware of the 1976 United States Hockey Team victory over Russia; if you aren't aware of what Jim Brown, Jackie Robinson, and Hank Aaron went through; if you don't understand the basics of what's happening with Mark McGuire, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens... then you can be just as ignorant.
I've mentioned sports headlines to my 'nerdy' friends, and they look at me with a blank stare. And I'm like, we're talking front page newspaper headlines. Stories discussed during the 6:00 News. Not how many games the Cy Young winner in 1996 had.
But some people don't want to learn new information. And some people don't feel the need to broaden their horizons.
We can then translate that to the look on people's faces when they see you reading comic books/graphic novels.
"Aren't those for kids?"
But that will make me rant for an hour.
Cheers!
Rob
KISTLER'S RESPONSE:
Totally fair points. I mean, I'm not the biggest sports fan in general, but I'm always aware who wins the SuperBowl and the World Series. I know about the Curse of the Bambino and how huge it was when it was finally broken. And I remember the night that Cal Ripken Jr broke his record when I was going to school in MD. So I agree, if it's considered a world event, it can't hurt knowing about it.
Ignorance in general appears to be quite widespread. TV shows often like to show the most shocking depths (I saw someone answering the question: "Where do mammoths live?" with "In foreign countries".)
The best explanation I can come up with is that the general attitude is: "And why should I want to know?" To take the London Blitz example: all by itself, it's just another piece of information. For it to make sense, you need to know about WWII, and how Britain lost her empire afterwards. And then you can go on to the part where the United States emerges as one of the two last superpowers. The information is useless, unless you see the connections (which is what every good teacher and professor always told me, and by this statement shall ye know them ;) ).
So I agree with Chris Halliday there: without a filter to tell you what's important and what isn't, you use the filter of "Is it fun?". (I think Postman wrote something about us being bombarded with useless information, but he was only referring to the telegraph...)
As for the ignorance of Canada: I guess every country first and foremost treats its own history in school. But America often is treated as well. So it's basically similar to the language situation: you already know English and can get by perfectly without it, so the vast majority of people do not need to learn a second language. Anyone whose native language isn't English is well advised to learn it. I hope you still see my point. ;)
KISTLER'S RESPONSE:
Oh, yes, if you're not an American citizen then there's no reason you should know half of the stuff I mentioned nor would I expect such people as Eliot Ness to ever come up in your conversations with friends.
Fair points you bring. I totally hear you about the "why bother" attitude. Like I said, and as you agree, it's up to teachers and mentors to point out why the past connects to the present.
I was in Ireland some time ago and I was discussing American politics with an Irish guy, who was extremely well versed in our politics. Then, the conversation shifted and he threw out some name in a comparison and I replied "Who's that?" It turns out that he was talking about the President of Ireland (who I believe is Mary McAleese).
You can be damn sure they knew who the president of our country is/was.
KISTLER'S RESPONSE:
I hear ya. Plus, I'd say many Americans our age don't know what 10 Downing Street is but you can be damn sure the majority of the U.K know what the White House is!
And, just a bit of correction here, I've never heard of this Senator Cane that you speak of - everyone knows that Orson Welles was the fat guy from the end of The Muppet Movie!
KISTLER'S RESPONSE:
You know, the fact that he turned out to be "MR. BIG" was only overshadowed by how hilariously serious he was when he delivered that line "Bring in the standard RICH AND FAMOUS contract for Kermit the Frog." AWESOME!
Your story, btw, reminds me of a great Seinfeld commercial from about ten years ago that featured him going to Scotland, realizing no one got his humor, spending a few weeks drinking, talking and living with the people, and then he did a new bit that no one in America would understand and the Scottish audience laughed their asses off.
So even Jerry gets what I'm saying! Great Superman fans think alike!
KISTLER'S RESPONSE:
Grrrr. You're lucky you're cute!
Of course if you listed the amount of things pop singers and the like didn't know but should...you'd have a very long list. They don't make them stars for their intelligence, or even singing talent anymore.
Though to be honest Orson Welles does deserve to be known somewhat for his role as Unicron given he died two days after finishing his lines. It truely was his final role so it is noteworthy for that.
Hate to see what would happen if you asked people about Doc Savage, the Spider, or the Shadow. Or how Batman is an extention of the Shadow and Spider especially in his golden age M.O.
Of course I have a friend that is a comic book that didn't know who the Spirit until I told him yesterday.
Of course I could tell you about Pulp Heroes, Super Heroes, anime, and Star Trek but I couldn't name a US Senator for the life of me.
In closing...yeah I agree with you. The schools really need to help connect the dots and a better job teaching history.
And for people to actual to care to learn it as well.
I lived in Baltimore when that record was broken, and believe me, it is more important to know Ripken's game count of 2632 than who the President is or what year America won World War II.
KISTLER'S RESPONSE:
Yes, yes, I got your e-mail detailing the exact same information and was already correcting it. I was tired when I wrote the response and mispoke. I do believe how big a deal it was in Baltimore as I was living in Maryland at the time. Thank you for pointing that out, though I completely disagree that it's more important to know a sport statistic (particularly if you're not necessarily interested in sports) than to know who is leading your country or how your country affected a war that involved all of Europe and involved the attempted genocide of multiple groups of people. Thanks for reading.