Is civic literacy your responsibility

[myrmaad]

I believe it is. It really irritates me when I hear people parrot words as if they were gossip, words they've obviously only heard from a slanted perspective without any kind of full understanding of historical context and without attempting to check for bias or even be able to identify reliable sources.

 

So I thought it would be an interesting challenge to see how civically literate the USAnians who love to debate here really are. You don't have to share your scores, but it should be interesting for your own information. Let me tell you it rankled me to find out that many elected officials scored much worse than I did.

 

I'm personally a little hacked off by reading their findings on the abysmal knowledge gap between the average person surveyed compared to self-identified politicians surveyed. Whenever I hear or read political debate these days I can't help but be reminded of the Dunning-Kruger effect. I have a wonderful dear friend, one of my childhood BFFs in fact, who believes to her core that she was born knowing instinctively everything she ever needed to know, in fact that instinctive knowledge was divinely bequested upon her from on high, thus she really doesn't need to read books, as they are only full of wisdom that is supremely self-evident.

 

As a dedicated bibliophile and perennial student, this used to really get on my nerves, but now I notice more and more people who share that view seem to rise to positions of influence, while academia and serious science is routinely devalued, more and more maligned, and pedagogy becomes mediocre to the point of educational malpractice in my opinion.

 

Take the test

[Quetzlsacatanango]

I don't think it's my responsibility as a virtue of being born where I am, but I do think that if one chooses to participate in a discourse (whether debating on a website or voting for public office or anywhere in between) you do have a responsibility to inform yourself, which does not mean googling and reading what you already want to hear in the first place.

 

It is one of the reasons I find myself against birthright citizenship. It leads to a bunch of intellectually lazy slobs who just vote for their own entitlements.

 

edit: You answered 31 out of 33 correctly — 93.94 %

Edited April 5, 2012 by Quetzlsacatanango

[Aurielius]

Ok, Myr took your test...scored 100%..do I get a cookie? It was fun though, a couple of them made me think for a moment or two ( the economic and anti federalist ones). :whistling: Edited April 5, 2012 by Aurielius

[myrmaad]

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c117/SeaBlossom/icons/c793fc71.png

 

It was a nice refresher I thought. Don't forget to check out their related findings page. That really captured my interest.

 

There's actually a lot of stuff there, and I don't know if they're truly bipartisan but they are a promoting a seminar called, "The Left's War on Women" so I thought it would be sufficiently bipartisan since I had no issues with the test's "truthiness" or *cough* "factuality". :geek:

[Quetzlsacatanango]

I thought it was balanced, but even if not, is possible to be both partisan and correct.

[Aurielius]

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c117/SeaBlossom/icons/c793fc71.png

 

It was a nice refresher I thought. Don't forget to check out their related findings page. That really captured my interest.

 

There's actually a lot of stuff there, and I don't know if they're truly bipartisan but they are a promoting a seminar called, "The Left's War on Women" so I thought it would be sufficiently bipartisan since I had no issues with the test's "truthiness" or *cough* "factuality". :geek:

OK Myr now you are responsible for monitor clean up, when I saw the disparity between politicians and citizens over the electoral college function. Dear God..now am thinking there should be civics knowledge requirement before filing for candidacy of anything above dog catcher.

[grannywils]

Ok, Myrmaad, thanks for that test. Now I really feel like a dunce. :sad: My results follow:

 

Results You answered 25 out of 33 correctly — 75.76 %

• If you have any comments or questions about the quiz, please email [email protected]

They may have been better than average, but still made me feel somewhat lacking (especially since I missed one of the Roosevelt questions, and I know him like a book) :mad: . But I did enjoy taking it, and need stuff like this to keep my mind working.

 

Thanks again :thumbsup:

 

 

[Aurielius]

Ok, Myrmaad, thanks for that test. Now I really feel like a dunce. :sad: My results follow:

 

Results You answered 25 out of 33 correctly — 75.76 %

• If you have any comments or questions about the quiz, please email [email protected]

They may have been better than average, but still made me feel somewhat lacking (especially since I missed one of the Roosevelt questions, and I know him like a book) :mad: . But I did enjoy taking it, and need stuff like this to keep my mind working.

 

Thanks again :thumbsup:

 

 

Slides ONE cookie across the table....FDR?( one of your pantheon of heroes)....roftl

[grannywils]

(snip)A said: Slides ONE cookie across the table....FDR?( one of your pantheon of heroes)....roftl

 

I know. I'm very embarrassed, and it is one we were just discussing somewhere recently about the judges.... duh :facepalm: Oh, and by the way, congratulations on your score. You get at least 3 cookies...

[myrmaad]

Well I think you did well, and I hate that when I remember the right answer right after I submit. I had to guess on an FDR question, myself, but I knew if he had impeached judges we would still be 'never hearing the end of it" and I think there were originally six. That was a hard one. I failed on the three market related questions. I chose the assets answer when I should have selected revenues; I mistakenly placed more value on religious freedom then sinfulness; and chose the wrong answer for free market prosperity when I decided to select the answer I thought they wanted, because I really wasn't sure. In retrospect the right answer does seem more right. I thought the ones I missed were interesting.

 

 

LOL @A

http://c767204.r4.cf2.rackcdn.com/95e1864d-3752-48f0-a398-f608272bec3c.jpg