The Real Reason Harvard Sucks at Hockey

[KeithK]

it would be nice if all educated people has a passing familiarity with the basics of each field of human endeavor, particularly history, geography and political science if they are voters.

How about economics?

[Rosey]

Seriously, I would think that students who are admitted to a highly selective college, as Harvard is, would have read enough, whether it is books, newspapers or the Internet, that they would have picked up this information, even if it was never taught to them.

I just don't buy this argument. I read probably more than 5,000,000 news-ish words each year and listen to the audio edition of the Economist with regularity, and I did not know that Ottawa was the capital of Canada. I'm sure I have run across it—probably lots of times—but it's just not important enough to have stood out in anything I've read. Canada's government is rarely in the news, and when it is it's usually presented as "Canada" or "the Canadian parliament".

(I'll never forget it now, though... Thanks for cluttering my brain with useless nonsense. Maybe I can flush it out with some more Simpsons quotes.)

[Josh '99]

Seriously, I would think that students who are admitted to a highly selective college, as Harvard is, would have read enough, whether it is books, newspapers or the Internet, that they would have picked up this information, even if it was never taught to them.

I just don't buy this argument. I read probably more than 5,000,000 news-ish words each year and listen to the audio edition of the Economist with regularity, and I did not know that Ottawa was the capital of Canada.

So YOU'RE the reason Cornell isn't winning lately.  :-}

[Rosey]

Seriously, I would think that students who are admitted to a highly selective college, as Harvard is, would have read enough, whether it is books, newspapers or the Internet, that they would have picked up this information, even if it was never taught to them.

I just don't buy this argument. I read probably more than 5,000,000 news-ish words each year and listen to the audio edition of the Economist with regularity, and I did not know that Ottawa was the capital of Canada.

So YOU'RE the reason Cornell isn't winning lately.  :-}

"Sex Cauldron? I thought they closed that place down!"

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

science students don't know who Ibsen was.

Didn't he play Jed Clampett?

[George64]

I read probably more than 5,000,000 news-ish words each year and listen to the audio edition of the Economist with regularity, and I did not know that Ottawa was the capital of Canada. I'm sure I have run across it—probably lots of times—but it's just not important enough to have stood out in anything I've read. Canada's government is rarely in the news, and when it is it's usually presented as "Canada" or "the Canadian parliament".

What's the name of Colin Greening's current team?

[Trotsky]

it would be nice if all educated people has a passing familiarity with the basics of each field of human endeavor, particularly history, geography and political science if they are voters.

How about economics?

De gustibus non est disputandum. (Though it would be nice if everybody knew the definitions before entering the arena, even if they just rote memorized them.  I got through Cornell, Stanford and my first three jobs without knowing economics basics that should be taught in high school.)

[ursusminor]

Reposted on MSN.

[profudge]

Maybe they should ask the hockey team  

[nr53]

They just need to watch Canadian Bacon... or did I just reference a movie they're too young to have watched?

[ugarte]

(I'll never forget it now, though... Thanks for cluttering my brain with useless nonsense. Maybe I can flush it out with some more Simpsons quotes.)

"Red Squeezebuzzer?"