The Dumbing Down of American Kids
- Thread starter Der Alta
- 61 comments
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- 15,564
- South Carolina
Either way, it's not something you should say. If I choose to leave for Europe tomorrow, I sure as heck don't want everyone over there saying, "Screw him, I'm not going to bother talking to him because he didn't bother to learn the language first." I don't have a year to learn their language, but that wouldn't stop me from going over there - it didn't the first time I went.
A guy my Dad rides his Harley with has a sticker on the back of his helmet that says, "Speak American, or get the **** out." I know that's not what you're saying, but this just kind of reminded me of that. Or something.
A guy my Dad rides his Harley with has a sticker on the back of his helmet that says, "Speak American, or get the **** out." I know that's not what you're saying, but this just kind of reminded me of that. Or something.
- 12,825
Originally posted by Josh
A guy my Dad rides his Harley with has a sticker on the back of his helmet that says, "Speak American, or get the **** out." I know that's not what you're saying, but this just kind of reminded me of that. Or something.
Did you tell him that American isn't a language, though?
- 2,224
of course it is, lebonics, black people language.
but i dunno why you'd wanna speak that ****.
- 3,176
That list does make sense and all and I agree with a lot of it, but hey, I only have one life to live. I've started to realize that. Who knows how long that life is. I'm here to enjoy it. Thats why I want to be an artist. I can show others how much I love the world and not say a word.
- 3,176
Its only the base of almost every language ever created...
- 10,081
- WFG9
ad infinitum, etc, i.e, et al are all latin words or phrases
Max Powers
(Banned)
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- MelBlount
Learning latin can help greatly if you want to improve your vocabulary skills. There are latin roots to a ton of words still used in the english language, and knowing the roots can help you figure out the definitions of words you don't know. But yeah, it's still completely useless.
- 10,081
- WFG9
http://users.bigpond.net.au/renton/310.htm
ad absurdum. to the point of absurdity.
ad hoc. for this special purpose.
ad hominem. appealing to feelings rather than reason.
ad infinitum. without limit.
ad nauseam. to a disgusting extent.
alma mater. one's old school or university.
alter ego. other self.
anno domini (abbreviated AD). in the year of the Lord.
ante meridiem (abbreviated a.m.). before midday.
bona fide (adjective). genuine, sincere.
bona fide (adverb). genuinely, sincerely.
carpe diem. seize the day.
casus belli. the circumstances justifying war.
caveat emptor. let the buyer beware.
circa (abbreviated c. and followed by a date). about.
cogito, ergo sum. I think, therefore I am (Descartes).
compos mentis. sane.
corpus delicti. the facts of a crime.
de facto. in fact (especially in contradistinction to "de jure").
deus ex machina. a contrived event that resolves a problem at the last moment.
ego. consciousness of one's own identity.
emeritus. retired after distinguished service and holding an honorary title (for example, emeritus professor).
ergo. therefore.
errata. a list of errors (in a book).
et alii (abbreviated et al.). and others
ex parte. by only one party to a dispute in the absence of the other.
ex post facto. retrospectively.
fiat. let it be done.
habeas corpus. you may have the body. (The opening words of a prerogative writ requiring a person holding another person to bring that person before a court.)
id est (abbreviated i.e.). that is.
imprimatur. let it be printed.
in absentia. while absent.
in extremis. near death.
in memoriam. in memory.
in vitro. observable in a glass test tube; outside the living body and in an artificial environment.
ipso facto. by that very fact.
magna carta. Great Charter (issued by King John in 1215, granting various liberties).
magna *** laude. with great honour or academic distinction.
magnum opus. great work.
mea culpa. by my fault (used as an acknowledgement of one's error).
modus operandi. the manner of working.
ne plus ultra. impassable obstacle.
non compos mentis. insane.
non sequitur. it does not follow (used as an English noun meaning "a conclusion which does not accord with the premises").
per annum. per year.
per capita. by the head.
per diem. per day.
per se. taken alone.
persona non grata. a non-acceptable person.
post meridiem (abbreviated p.m.). after midday.
post mortem. after death (also figuratively).
prima facie. on a first view.
pro bono. done without charge in the public interest.
pro forma. for the sake of form.
pro se. on one's own behalf.
pro tempore (abbreviated pro tem). for the time being.
quasi. as if.
quid pro quo. something for something.
regina. queen.
rex. king.
status quo. the existing condition.
supra. above or on an earlier page.
terra firma. dry land.
verbatim. exactly as said.
versus. against.
vice. in place of.
vice versa. the order being reversed.
ad absurdum. to the point of absurdity.
ad hoc. for this special purpose.
ad hominem. appealing to feelings rather than reason.
ad infinitum. without limit.
ad nauseam. to a disgusting extent.
alma mater. one's old school or university.
alter ego. other self.
anno domini (abbreviated AD). in the year of the Lord.
ante meridiem (abbreviated a.m.). before midday.
bona fide (adjective). genuine, sincere.
bona fide (adverb). genuinely, sincerely.
carpe diem. seize the day.
casus belli. the circumstances justifying war.
caveat emptor. let the buyer beware.
circa (abbreviated c. and followed by a date). about.
cogito, ergo sum. I think, therefore I am (Descartes).
compos mentis. sane.
corpus delicti. the facts of a crime.
de facto. in fact (especially in contradistinction to "de jure").
deus ex machina. a contrived event that resolves a problem at the last moment.
ego. consciousness of one's own identity.
emeritus. retired after distinguished service and holding an honorary title (for example, emeritus professor).
ergo. therefore.
errata. a list of errors (in a book).
et alii (abbreviated et al.). and others
ex parte. by only one party to a dispute in the absence of the other.
ex post facto. retrospectively.
fiat. let it be done.
habeas corpus. you may have the body. (The opening words of a prerogative writ requiring a person holding another person to bring that person before a court.)
id est (abbreviated i.e.). that is.
imprimatur. let it be printed.
in absentia. while absent.
in extremis. near death.
in memoriam. in memory.
in vitro. observable in a glass test tube; outside the living body and in an artificial environment.
ipso facto. by that very fact.
magna carta. Great Charter (issued by King John in 1215, granting various liberties).
magna *** laude. with great honour or academic distinction.
magnum opus. great work.
mea culpa. by my fault (used as an acknowledgement of one's error).
modus operandi. the manner of working.
ne plus ultra. impassable obstacle.
non compos mentis. insane.
non sequitur. it does not follow (used as an English noun meaning "a conclusion which does not accord with the premises").
per annum. per year.
per capita. by the head.
per diem. per day.
per se. taken alone.
persona non grata. a non-acceptable person.
post meridiem (abbreviated p.m.). after midday.
post mortem. after death (also figuratively).
prima facie. on a first view.
pro bono. done without charge in the public interest.
pro forma. for the sake of form.
pro se. on one's own behalf.
pro tempore (abbreviated pro tem). for the time being.
quasi. as if.
quid pro quo. something for something.
regina. queen.
rex. king.
status quo. the existing condition.
supra. above or on an earlier page.
terra firma. dry land.
verbatim. exactly as said.
versus. against.
vice. in place of.
vice versa. the order being reversed.
Max Powers
(Banned)
- 4,475
- XBL: MelBlount
- MelBlount
Thanks for illustratring my point, Talentless.
- 10,081
- WFG9
k
- 2,732
My first German teacher kicked ass! We actually learned stuff about the language and the cultures. We also learned the language quite a bit. He also didn't rely on using the books every week.
Oh, how I long for the days of having a teacher that actually knows how to teach instead of read out of a book....
- 10,309
- San Francisco, CA
- Vasco506
- Vasc0
Bleh, well, I'm usually the kid in the back of the class making some sort of smart arse comment, and then laughing, but that doesn't really make me immature...does it?
Well, I might still be a little bit immature, but hey, pretty much everyone is...I always do my homework, easiest thing is that it only takes me about half the time to do it than all the other kids...I don't usually study, because I take all the information in during class, and that's where I memorise it from.
I don't hate my parents, although sometimes I really disagree with their decisions. One of my teachers last year was really dumb, thought she was smart, (this was for maths) and so I always proved her wrong during class...it was funny, but getting in that little bit of trouble was worth proving her wrong.
Well, I might still be a little bit immature, but hey, pretty much everyone is...I always do my homework, easiest thing is that it only takes me about half the time to do it than all the other kids...I don't usually study, because I take all the information in during class, and that's where I memorise it from.
I don't hate my parents, although sometimes I really disagree with their decisions. One of my teachers last year was really dumb, thought she was smart, (this was for maths) and so I always proved her wrong during class...it was funny, but getting in that little bit of trouble was worth proving her wrong.
Same here, one of my teachers asked us how long we studied for after a test, and he couldn't beleive that I spent less then 10 minutes prior to the test studying as still managed to score in the top 5 kids in the class.
I quite often make smart remarks, but it doesn't make me immature, my guess is that I would be one of the most mature kids in my year, the rest of the school attend because they have to.
- 10,309
- San Francisco, CA
- Vasco506
- Vasc0
Yeah same here, there's this kid that studies about 2 hours a day, I study less than 5 minutes, whip out the book in the morning for about a minute or two to double check, and I still get higher test scores than him...
(I'm usually in the top 1-3 for my class as well)
- 5,622
- eMadman
jus gonna blow some steam...random thots here...
i jus be myself, nobody to tell me what to be like. i already respect people that deserve it, i don't wanna eff myself up with smokes and whaever. i got lotsa friends. but losing them all cos o univeristy...clothes don't matter for ****...ppl gotta realise that money ain't gonna bring them all that much other than fake friends. i mean, y would i wanna chill with pansies that're afraid of going mountain biking because of snakes. for god's sake, i'm in canada, there ARE no snakes here. i've done more stupid things in my 18 years than i can count...hell, i'll keep doing them occasionally. you gotta take a risk every once in a while. b/c of that, i'm prolly gonna go skydiving sometime next summer or the summer after. i'm waiting so long because i'm just startin univ and don't wanna screw myself for grades. i really need the coop placement.
as far as studying...it's never helped me, it rarely ever does. for calculus, i could study for 5 minutes or 5 hours, i just suck at math that doesn't have realistic real world implications. that's why i did so well in physics. i've never been a good student, i dont think i can. they really screw us with the current western education system. i hafta be able to apply what i learn...that's y i'm going to Ryerson...the university is very hands on...hell, it used to be a college and i prefer a college environment with the hands on stuff. what good are books gonna do for me if i wanna do Information Technology? NOTHING...i hafta experience it first hand to learn it...but that's me
i jus be myself, nobody to tell me what to be like. i already respect people that deserve it, i don't wanna eff myself up with smokes and whaever. i got lotsa friends. but losing them all cos o univeristy...clothes don't matter for ****...ppl gotta realise that money ain't gonna bring them all that much other than fake friends. i mean, y would i wanna chill with pansies that're afraid of going mountain biking because of snakes. for god's sake, i'm in canada, there ARE no snakes here. i've done more stupid things in my 18 years than i can count...hell, i'll keep doing them occasionally. you gotta take a risk every once in a while. b/c of that, i'm prolly gonna go skydiving sometime next summer or the summer after. i'm waiting so long because i'm just startin univ and don't wanna screw myself for grades. i really need the coop placement.
as far as studying...it's never helped me, it rarely ever does. for calculus, i could study for 5 minutes or 5 hours, i just suck at math that doesn't have realistic real world implications. that's why i did so well in physics. i've never been a good student, i dont think i can. they really screw us with the current western education system. i hafta be able to apply what i learn...that's y i'm going to Ryerson...the university is very hands on...hell, it used to be a college and i prefer a college environment with the hands on stuff. what good are books gonna do for me if i wanna do Information Technology? NOTHING...i hafta experience it first hand to learn it...but that's me
Max Powers
(Banned)
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- XBL: MelBlount
- MelBlount
I can't even think of a smart ass remark to reply to your post, emad.
- 5,622
- eMadman
Originally posted by DODGE the VIPER
(I'm usually in the top 1-3 for my class as well)
it's partly from gaming man...these things relly make us think stuff thru...lol...if only i was good @ math though
- 7,402
yo emad ur riting skils r betr hten myne!!!!!1111
Learn how to use proper grammar Emad. Or, just type in a readable fashion. No matter how old you are, you should beable to type in a coherent manner.
Not some sort of drunken blabble like your posts are now.
Learn how to use proper grammar Emad. Or, just type in a readable fashion. No matter how old you are, you should beable to type in a coherent manner.
Not some sort of drunken blabble like your posts are now.
I'm an immigrant. I grew up speaking a different language. I was gifted with a green card this year, and a complete education which I never squandered. In the country I was born in, education is amongst the most important things to a person, because we knew what struggle was. We knew what being hungry is like. Most importantly, we knew where we could end up without education.
I go to my high school and wonder why half of these people don't even put out their hardest effort. They're receiving a free education. They're being taken care of with state-supplanted funding and they're squandering it. What you do as a child often dictates what you do later in life. I'm your stereotypical split-persona student. At school, in class, I'm as serious as can be, and I'm happy to be #40 out of a class of 496 students.
Reach me outside of class, and you'll witness the split persona. My academic performance does not dictate how I act outside of class. I tend to be a rather loud and while mannered around adults, a complete and total arse around my peers. My life has never been easy, and I definitely appreciate the value of work. My parents both work hard jobs, and made very many sacrifices just to bring me into this country, and I refuse to let that go to the toilet by not putting out.
The fact of the matter is, I'm often disappointed by what I see around me. I feel I can speak better English than the 90% of Americans I've communicated with, even though English was not the language I grew up speaking.
My life experience is a blessing and a curse, I know struggle, I know what it's like to be hungry, to be poor, and to be disadvantaged. I know what it's like to have to resort to illegal measures to put food on the table. I know what it's like to see a friend die in person. Most importantly, I know what work is. I know what WORTH is.
Unless your parents are rich, your future spot at your prospective college could be stolen by an immigrant just like me, who you hated in school because in class, he or she got better grades...
I go to my high school and wonder why half of these people don't even put out their hardest effort. They're receiving a free education. They're being taken care of with state-supplanted funding and they're squandering it. What you do as a child often dictates what you do later in life. I'm your stereotypical split-persona student. At school, in class, I'm as serious as can be, and I'm happy to be #40 out of a class of 496 students.
Reach me outside of class, and you'll witness the split persona. My academic performance does not dictate how I act outside of class. I tend to be a rather loud and while mannered around adults, a complete and total arse around my peers. My life has never been easy, and I definitely appreciate the value of work. My parents both work hard jobs, and made very many sacrifices just to bring me into this country, and I refuse to let that go to the toilet by not putting out.
The fact of the matter is, I'm often disappointed by what I see around me. I feel I can speak better English than the 90% of Americans I've communicated with, even though English was not the language I grew up speaking.
My life experience is a blessing and a curse, I know struggle, I know what it's like to be hungry, to be poor, and to be disadvantaged. I know what it's like to have to resort to illegal measures to put food on the table. I know what it's like to see a friend die in person. Most importantly, I know what work is. I know what WORTH is.
Unless your parents are rich, your future spot at your prospective college could be stolen by an immigrant just like me, who you hated in school because in class, he or she got better grades...
- 5,622
- eMadman
that's partly cos i work 8-12 hours a day operating stubborn as hell machinery in order to save up for university. it isn't all that easy operating a printing press. especially when you've only had a month of training on it. I can't find another job because this is for the family business anc nobody else in the family is able to run it. the man that normally operates the equipment is out of town for the month so i'm his replacement. by the time i get home, i don't want to do anything....much less think clearly. that's y i said it was mostly random thoughts
Concept
(Banned)
- 7,297
I know I am lucky and that I have to hold on to what I have right now. I complain about my mom making me save half of my paycheck and only having half to spend on myself. SHe made a good point by telling me how lucky I was, and how she wishes she could spend half of hers on herself.
Growing up sucks. I think about sometimes. Right now, I have no real worries. No family to support, bills to pay, anything. My parents do all of that. I'm just a kid, and all I do is eat the food they buy and sleep in the house they provide for me. I don't do anything to help them. All kids should think about that, and how lucky they are everytime they say they are tired of living with their parents.
The "real world" is scary. It has no pity on you either.
Growing up sucks. I think about sometimes. Right now, I have no real worries. No family to support, bills to pay, anything. My parents do all of that. I'm just a kid, and all I do is eat the food they buy and sleep in the house they provide for me. I don't do anything to help them. All kids should think about that, and how lucky they are everytime they say they are tired of living with their parents.
The "real world" is scary. It has no pity on you either.
- 7,402
Same here Matt. Except the work part cause even though I shoulda started working atleast a year ago, I just haven't tried to find a job.
I actually do things for my parents though. The other day I organized my dad's shop manuels and technical highlights books without him asking. It did help me too though. In the very near future I'm going to help my mom paint the inside of the house. Months ago I helped put in these concrete edging things around the front of our house. Some 106 blocks or something like that. I also set up this computer and help anyone on it when they need help. I washed the MPV a few days ago.
I also don't ask for a whole lot. I try to either focus on 1 thing I want to get or just not buy anything. I'm going to be ordering this RX-8 model, it'll be like $55 total...I have like $16 something now...my mom still has to pay me for washing the MPV and cutting my grandma's bushes, and I'm going to sell 6 PSX games and 4X4 Evo soon. So hopefully I can get it. Also I didn't ask for anything on our vacation so maybe that will go into this too.
I actually do things for my parents though. The other day I organized my dad's shop manuels and technical highlights books without him asking. It did help me too though. In the very near future I'm going to help my mom paint the inside of the house. Months ago I helped put in these concrete edging things around the front of our house. Some 106 blocks or something like that. I also set up this computer and help anyone on it when they need help. I washed the MPV a few days ago.
I also don't ask for a whole lot. I try to either focus on 1 thing I want to get or just not buy anything. I'm going to be ordering this RX-8 model, it'll be like $55 total...I have like $16 something now...my mom still has to pay me for washing the MPV and cutting my grandma's bushes, and I'm going to sell 6 PSX games and 4X4 Evo soon. So hopefully I can get it. Also I didn't ask for anything on our vacation so maybe that will go into this too.
