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Vintage Things That Have Disappeared In Your Lifetime?

Messages
12,540
Location
Germany
I think, if governments would be interested in an educated populace, the education from class 1 to 10/12 would have an remarkable effect with "Aha!-moments". Children would already comprehend, what the normal working-class are dealing with, for real. So, after the basic-training on primary-school, there is the typical worthless education on secondary-school. Same problem, in old Germany. One of THE battlegrounds for young parents, here.
 

Stanley Doble

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,808
Location
Cobourg
The education system we have today was developed from one invented in Germany in the late 18th century. King Frederick of Prussia wanted a system that would take undisciplined illiterate yokels and transform them into disciplined soldiers. This system was adapted in the late 19th and early 20th century to turn out disciplined workers for the factories of the industrial revolution. Independent thought was not encouraged and skills necessary for individual success, like money management were never taught.

If you follow the news you will know that the system is becoming even more hermetically sealed and all independent thought or speech is being ruthlessly suppressed in colleges and universities by the students themselves.
 
I think there may be some confusion between education, which is basically learning a given set of supposed facts in order to pass exams...... & knowledge...

Speaking of differences...saw a funny line the other day:

Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing to not put it in a fruit salad. Philosophy is wondering if ketchup is a smoothie.
 

philosophygirl78

A-List Customer
Messages
445
Location
Aventura, Florida
I think there may be some confusion between education, which is basically learning a given set of supposed facts in order to pass exams...... & knowledge. :rolleyes:
I don't think governments are particularly worried about an educated populace, the political fraternities are savvy enough to know that there will always be a large number of sheeple in need of direction & that since the average Johnny, whatever his educational acheivements, can rarely see beyond the end of his own nose, you simply have to offer him what he wants to hear, to get elected.
Most are content with the staus quo, which is why they maintain it by voting for the same mindsets come election day, , there is security in what you are used to & even if some folk bitch about it from time to time, the political dell'arte can be assured of a rosy future.

Happy New Year @Lean'n'mean ... I agree with your distinction of knowledge and education however, should they be mutually exclusive? I am not so sure....

Its scary that it seems to be common knowledge that there is an elite who cares not for the populace and that there is a government not concerned with the education of the people....
 
Messages
11,933
Location
Southern California
...Its scary that it seems to be common knowledge that there is an elite who cares not for the populace and that there is a government not concerned with the education of the people....
Oh, I think the government (at least here in the U.S.) is very concerned with the education of the people, and are doing what they can to see to it that we don't get one. :D
 
Messages
12,540
Location
Germany
Oh, I think the government (at least here in the U.S.) is very concerned with the education of the people, and are doing what they can to see to it that we don't get one. :D

Same in Germany. Essential, that the school-education of Hauptschule/Realschule/Gymnasium is not preparing for working-life. :D The old bureaucratic-state of the 50's, trying to educate the Kids. Kids of now 2016. ;)
 

Inkstainedwretch

One Too Many
Messages
1,037
Location
United States
Back to the original theme: Merthiolate and mercurochrome. That horrible red stuff that our moms used to dab on our cuts and scrapes. God, I hated them. I can still conjure up the smell of them.
 
Messages
13,399
Location
Orange County, CA
On the other hand, though, I think there are more than a few people who become teachers who go into it because what else are you supposed to do with an English or History degree? I had a few teachers like this, and you could always tell whose heart was in it and whose wasn't.

A friend of mine (a retired teacher!) once said that to be a teacher you have to be either very dedicated or very demented. :p
 
Messages
12,540
Location
Germany
The classic home-medicine-chest in the kitchen or bathroom. My "classic" parents got that still in their bathroom, with all these pills and such stuff in it.

I never got one. I'm 31 and actual there is still no need for it. Most of the time, I got not even plasters in my home.
 
Merthiolate is still available!

There are several products today marketed as "Merthiolate", but they are not the same thing as the old antiseptic from back in the day. The old stuff contained thiomersal, an organomercury compound, which has been banned from over the counter products. Today, "Merthiolate" that you find in the same little brown bottles is mostly ethyl alcohol, acetone, and red dye.
 
Mercurochrome was for the rich kids. In my neighborhood we made do with iodine. And if you burned yourself, you rubbed butter on it. God knows why, but it made you feel like you were doing something.

Iodine and Band-Aids were the for the rich kids in my neighborhood. We got a squirt with the water hose and an admonishment that we'd better not get blood on the furniture.
 

Benproof

A-List Customer
Messages
350
Location
England
My favourite Tea Tree shampoo has been discontinued over the years.

te_tao_shampoo.jpg


So has my hair :D
 

Inkstainedwretch

One Too Many
Messages
1,037
Location
United States
When I took driver's ed. in the early 60s they still taught hand signals. In some states, they were legally required even if your turn signal lights were working. Would many people even recognize them now? I think they died out with the rise of car air conditioning. Now the windows stay shut at all times.
 

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