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12 comments

1 Buck  Tue, Jan 4, 2011 5:55:27pm

Very scary.

Makes me sick to my stomach.

2 julmudgeon  Tue, Jan 4, 2011 7:31:11pm

Well, it’s scary for more reasons than one. It’s scary because the college students didn’t know a lot (were some answers edited out?), and it’s scary because it asked what is the one democracy in the Middle East, with the implication that Israel is the only democracy. I am the commenter who wrote that the film makers should find the students who responded “Turkey” and apologize to them. Boo hiss to the moderator who made a snide comment about turkey dinner.

3 Eclectic Infidel  Tue, Jan 4, 2011 8:26:51pm

What are you going on about jul?

4 Dark_Falcon  Tue, Jan 4, 2011 8:54:28pm

re: #1 Buck

Very scary.

Makes me sick to my stomach.

Quite Concur.

5 Bob Levin  Tue, Jan 4, 2011 9:22:29pm

I thought about posting this but decided that I would need to see the entire, what, hour or so of interviews. Regarding Turkey—Middle East or Europe? That’s the debate. Still the interviewer didn’t acknowledge that Turkey is even a possibility. All in all, I still don’t know what UCLA students know and what they don’t know.

This video felt more like a media stunt rather than an attempt to truly inform the public.

6 Buck  Tue, Jan 4, 2011 9:31:20pm

re: #5 Bob Levin


This video felt more like a media stunt rather than an attempt to truly inform the public.

Look, even if they asked only one question. How many jewish countries are there?

I know that most people don’t know about democracy, or the 56 Muslim countries…. I even know that there are a lot of people who think Hamas is a paste you eat with pita…

BUT seriously…. university students?

Makes me sick.

7 julmudgeon  Tue, Jan 4, 2011 9:35:24pm

# 3 eclectic:

I thought I was pretty clear, but perhaps not. Did you watch the film? The narrator, Mark Schiff, asked, “What is the ONLY democracy in the Middle East?” Then he gave the choices of Iran, Lebanon, Israel or Syria. Two students were shown answering “Turkey.” The question could not be answered correctly, because there are two democracies in the Middle East (here, in the order of their founding): Turkey and Israel. Clear?

#5 Bob Levin:

Thanks.

8 FreedomMoon  Tue, Jan 4, 2011 10:04:13pm

While those interviewed are clearly very very uninformed, and a little dumb I don’t like these Jay walking style interviews. It is impossible to tell how many people correctly answered the questions (since they would never disclose that) so with selective interviewing, you do enough you’re bound to come across a clueless bunch. I’ve been to college, while most are well-rounded a lot of students really only have a narrowed area of expertise. I did however find it irksome that they couldn’t identify Israel as a Democracy, even if they are an athlete probably there on a scholarship.

9 julmudgeon  Tue, Jan 4, 2011 10:14:40pm

#5 Bob Levin

If you Google Turkey the links and maps include Turkey in the Middle East. However, my Economist magazine puts Turkey in their European section. The Turkish land mass in 97 percent in Asia, 3 percent in Europe. They mainly border Syria, Iraq and Iran. Their capital is in Asia. I’m going with Middle East, at least until Turkey is brought into the EU, and I’m not holding my breath on that one.

I agree that we certainly don’t know from that film what UCLA students do or don’t know. That’s why I mentioned the editing. I applaud your observation that this film is pretty much a media stunt. I’d call it a stunted media stunt!

10 (I Stand By What I Said Whatever It Was)  Wed, Jan 5, 2011 12:13:13am

I think you can embed the video directly here, eclectic infidel.

11 Bob Levin  Wed, Jan 5, 2011 1:18:00am

re: #6 Buck

Buck it just depends where you hang out with the camera. I went to a school that now has a very fine reputation, same school as years back—with an astoundingly good PR department. The point is, even there if you hung around the right spots you would find clueless people. This video really doesn’t tell you anything.

However, I now have kids who go to public school—the situation is pretty bad. It could be my state of residence…if it weren’t for AP classes, nothing would be taught.

So, yes, something is very wrong with education system. But you couldn’t know it from this video. Heck, even my evidence isn’t enough to prove anything—it just convinces me.

12 Bob Levin  Wed, Jan 5, 2011 1:26:14am

re: #9 julmudgeon

I look through Turkish newspapers nearly every day and those papers don’t call the Middle East “The Middle East”. The best of the papers calls the region “Euphrates”. Other regions are “Dushanbe”, “Amu Derya”, and “Danube”. These are all areas we might term “The Middle East”. I have no idea how they think of themselves.


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