56% of Americans think Arabic numerals shouldn't be taught in schools


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https://www.ksat.com/trending/survey-56-of-americans-think-arabic-numerals-shouldnt-be-taught-in-schools?fbclid=IwAR0r1Kqh4fWKGWfFgUThlbLY4YTfKrRfKfqLqErnARAhGei3FuiGUF8vJms

My friends and family have had a field day passing around this story this morning. Seriously, how can you not love this? It's one that is too good not to fact check. 

Edited by MormonGator
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Guest Mores
2 hours ago, MormonGator said:

https://www.ksat.com/trending/survey-56-of-americans-think-arabic-numerals-shouldnt-be-taught-in-schools?fbclid=IwAR0r1Kqh4fWKGWfFgUThlbLY4YTfKrRfKfqLqErnARAhGei3FuiGUF8vJms

My friends and family have had a field day passing around this story this morning. Seriously, how can you not love this? It's one that is too good not to fact check. 

Here's the kicker.  Since the conclusion was that the answers were mainly due to political biases, that means that the Democrats who said "yes" were only doing so because they didn't know better.

So, this 56% is actually a generous percentage if it is an indicator of ignorance.  Based on the numbers provided in the study, I'd bet that if the question were simply,"Can you write Arabic numerals?" then the response would probably be about 85% saying "no."

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2 hours ago, MormonGator said:

https://www.ksat.com/trending/survey-56-of-americans-think-arabic-numerals-shouldnt-be-taught-in-schools?fbclid=IwAR0r1Kqh4fWKGWfFgUThlbLY4YTfKrRfKfqLqErnARAhGei3FuiGUF8vJms

My friends and family have had a field day passing around this story this morning. Seriously, how can you not love this? It's one that is too good not to fact check. 

Two responses:

  • It's always fun to point and laugh at people for being stupid, though we ourselves are often those people. But before deriding such folks or despairing at the imbecilic condition of humanity, we would do well to have a clear-eyed view of what's going on. And what's going on is this: Not everyone is familiar with standard terminology. Most of us here on this forum know that "Arabic numerals" mean those numerals descended to us from Arabic (actually originally Indian) origin—that is, our standard numerals. But many, especially of the younger generation, have never learned this. Guess what? This term is not born with us into our brains. If people haven't learned it, that's ignorance indeed. But it's not cause to despair for humanity, but rather to decry the conditions of our public education (and maybe an indication of reasons to strongly consider homeschooling our children rather than farm that important duty out to all-too-often incompetent teachers).

    Note that "John Dick" considers such ignorance a "testament to American bigotry". I rather suppose that his statement is a testament to leftist bigotry and an excuse to put himself on his Rameumptom and laugh scornfully at those stupid trailer-park idiots who don't share his exalted knowledge that "Arabic numerals" means regular numerals. Because it's not bigotry. Do you think American children should be taught traditional Chinese numbers? No? What sort of disgusting bigot are you, anyway? Or could it be that John Dick is a liar, and this is simply a matter of ignorance of terminology and has nothing to do with bigotry? Jerk.
     
  • According to my oft-mentioned Arabic friend in grad school, he could not understand why we called the Indian-developed numerals "Arabic numerals". By his reckoning as a real, honest-to-goodness Arab, here are the Arabic numerals:
    Arabic Clock Numerals.jpg
    Do you think this should be standard fare for our students? Ought we all to have our children learn the all-important modern Arabic numerals? Obviously, this is what many people thought they were talking about. And just as obviously, there is no good reason for most of our children to be required to learn this.

This idiot Dick is a bigot, and I despise him and those of his ilk. I have little doubt that this puddle of vomit will make the rounds in the general news, if it isn't already, and give people (especially leftists) more reason to mock and deride others and more fodder for their claims of "intolerance", when this particular thing is no such example at all.

Makes me want to puke on them. Lord, come quickly and save us from such liars.

Edited by Vort
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Guest MormonGator
10 minutes ago, Vort said:

Two responses:

  • It's always fun to point and laugh at people for being stupid, though we ourselves are often those people. But before deriding such folks or despairing at the imbecilic condition of humanity, we would do well to have a clear-eyed view of what's going on. And what's going on is this: Not everyone is familiar with standard terminology. Most of us here on this forum know that "Arabic numerals" mean those numerals descended to us from Arabic (actually originally Indian) origin—that is, our standard numerals. But many, especially of the younger generation, have never learned this. Guess what? This term is not born with us into our brains. If people haven't learned it, that's ignorance indeed. But it's not cause to despair for humanity, but rather to decry the conditions of our public education (and maybe an indication of reasons to strongly consider homeschooling our children rather than farm that important duty out to all-too-often incompetent teachers).

    (Note that "John Dick" considers such ignorant a "testament to American bigotry". I rather suppose that his statement is a testament to leftist bigotry and an excuse to put himself on his Rameumptom and laugh scornfully at those stupid trailer-park idiots who don't share his exalted knowledge that "Arabic numerals" means regular numerals. Because it's not bigotry. Do you think American children should be taught traditional Chinese numbers? No? What sort of disgusting bigot are you, anyway? Or could it be that John Dick is a liar, and this is simply a matter of ignorance of terminology and has nothing to do with bigotry? Jerk.)
     
  • According to my oft-mentioned Arabic friend in grad school, he could not understand why we called the Indian-developed numerals "Arabic numerals". By his reckoning as a real, honest-to-goodness Arab, here are the Arabic numerals:
    Arabic Clock Numerals.jpg
    Do you think this should be standard fare for our students? Ought we all to have our children learn the all-important modern Arabic numerals? Obviously, this is what many people thought they were talking about. And just as obviously, there is no good reason for most of our children to be required to learn this.

This idiot Dick is a bigot, and I despise him and those of his ilk. I have little doubt that this puddle of vomit will make the rounds in the general news, if it isn't already, and give people (especially leftists) more reason to mock and deride others and more fodder for their claims of "intolerance", when this particular thing is no such example at all.

Makes me want to puke on them. Lord, come quickly and save us from such liars.

There was a guy in my fraternity who always felt the need to explain jokes. He died alone. 

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Just now, Mores said:

Two Words:

Naom Chomsky

Two rejoinders:

  • "Noam"
  • That is exactly the point: This is a linguistic argument, not a cultural argument about bigotry (except for John Dick's open bigotry). For Dick to lyingly turn it into his pet whipping-boy to further his sociopoitical agenda is an execrable act.
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Just now, MormonGator said:

There was a guy in my fraternity who always felt the need to explain jokes. He died alone. 

Was this whole thing a joke? If so, I admit it got past me. I still don't see the humor in it. Can you explain it to me? Use small words so I can be sure to catch the meaning.

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I'm not so concerned about the political point he's trying to make.  I find myself devastated by the attitude I perceive in these responses.  For instance, the question about the creation theory of what's-his-bucket, my first thought when I read the question was, "I don't know who that is or what he taught."  

My lamentation is that people seem to respond to the unknown by rejecting it, rather than with curiosity. And since those people aren't like me, they obviously aren't worth saving.

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Guest MormonGator
7 minutes ago, MarginOfError said:

I'm not so concerned about the political point he's trying to make. 

I'm not either. We all have moments like this, where we believe/say/think/respond in foolish or stupid ways. Who cares? It's still funny and yes, it's just lighthearted fun to joke around about these things. 

 

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Guest Mores
33 minutes ago, Vort said:
  • "Noam"

By gosh 'n begorrah!  You're right.  How 'bout that?

Quote
  • That is exactly the point: This is a linguistic argument, not a cultural argument about bigotry (except for John Dick's open bigotry). For Dick to lyingly turn it into his pet whipping-boy to further his sociopoitical agenda is an execrable act.

Did he, though?  His eventual conclusion was that both sides do this.  Bigotry aside, we will tend towards our ideology rather than the facts at hand in making a decision. The vast majority do this without thinking about or even asking about the facts.

His conclusion that it was motivated by "bigotry" was really the linguistic anomaly.  It was motivated by ideology rather than reason was his point.

Edited by Mores
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9 minutes ago, Mores said:

His conclusion that it was motivated by "bigotry" was really the linguistic anomaly.  It was motivated by ideology rather than reason was his point.

And his point was wrong. It was not motivated primarily by ideology. It was motivated by people not knowing that "Arabic numerals" refers to our normal numerals. Or does he really believe that people would fall all over themselves insisting that our students be taught the Nepalese numerals in school? As far as I know, the Nepalese are not normally discriminated against in American society. Dick's wording was a lie and his point, such as it was, was stupid.

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Guest Mores
10 minutes ago, Vort said:

And his point was wrong. It was not motivated primarily by ideology. It was motivated by people not knowing that "Arabic numerals" refers to our normal numerals. Or does he really believe that people would fall all over themselves insisting that our students be taught the Nepalese numerals in school? As far as I know, the Nepalese are not normally discriminated against in American society. Dick's wording was a lie and his point, such as it was, was stupid.

I see your point.  To test your position, we'd have to have a control group.  Unfortunately, no such control group was present.

But I'll say that based on various reactions I've seen online to any number of things, there is a rush to judgment regardless of the facts.  And I do believe that is a very common human weakness.

Edited by Mores
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Guest MormonGator
7 minutes ago, Just_A_Guy said:

This all reminds me of the politico in a very conservative district who won re-election by warning that his opponent’s actress daughter was a “thespian”.

I can see you taking notes as you plan your next run for congress. 

(playing!) 

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Guest Mores
5 hours ago, MrShorty said:

As a chemist, this ranks right up there with the "should we ban dihydrogen monoxide/hydrogen hydroxide?" survey questions.

Thought I'd share:

Quote

Can using DHMO improve my marriage?

  This is a popular myth, but one which is also actually supported by a number of scientific facts. Dihydrogen Monoxide plays an instrumental role in the centers of the brain associated with feelings of emotional attachment and love. Married couples have found that regular ingestion of DHMO can improve their marriage-related activities, while couples that never ingest DHMO often find that their marriage suffers as well. 

I was thinking that showers and swimming also help.

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Ban it now!

What are some of the dangers associated with DHMO?

Each year, Dihydrogen Monoxide is a known causative component in many thousands of deaths and is a major contributor to millions upon millions of dollars in damage to property and the environment. Some of the known perils of Dihydrogen Monoxide are:

poisonbottle.gif
  • Death due to accidental inhalation of DHMO, even in small quantities.
  • Prolonged exposure to solid DHMO causes severe tissue damage.
  • Excessive ingestion produces a number of unpleasant though not typically life-threatening side-effects.
  • DHMO is a major component of acid rain.
  • Gaseous DHMO can cause severe burns.
  • Contributes to soil erosion.
  • Leads to corrosion and oxidation of many metals.
  • Contamination of electrical systems often causes short-circuits.
  • Exposure decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes.
  • Found in biopsies of pre-cancerous tumors and lesions.
  • Given to vicious dogs involved in recent deadly attacks.
  • Often associated with killer cyclones in the U.S. Midwest and elsewhere, and in hurricanes including deadly storms in Florida, New Orleans and other areas of the southeastern U.S.
  • Thermal variations in DHMO are a suspected contributor to the El Nino weather effect.
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