@ Mount Vernon
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I’m visiting Washington’s estate at Mount Vernon in VA today, and I’m always stunned by people in line talking history when they have no clue. I heard one lady asking her friend if Washington died in office.
Really. Would it kill America not to sleep through history class?
19 Responses to “@ Mount Vernon”
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© 2000-2011 Oliver Willis
“Lernin’ is hard werk.”
I think it’s an airborne strain of the Clavin Virus.
It’s inevitable in a situation like that that someone will think they know more than they actually do.
“Yup, after Warshington chopped down that there cherry tree, he whittled his false teeth outta it.”
“So in conclusion what you’re saying is that Napoleon was a short dead dude”
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz…what you say something?
It seems that some sleep through history and keep snoozing right on through math and science.
Really. Would it kill America not to sleep through history class?
Yes. This has been another edition of simple answers….
The way I read that, at least she asked. People bloviating on about things that they really don’t understand? They usually deserve scorn and mockery. But someone who genuinely does not know something, or does not recall some fact that rarely comes up in everyday conversation, and tries to rectify that? It’s mildly annoying, but it’s not the end of the world.
Well to be clear the question was more like “he died in office, didn’t he?” As you guys can probably tell I’m a nut for this history stuff and since we have so much of it in this area I constantly end up running into these people who as Duros noted, are total Clavins. I know a good deal about history but the stuff I don’t know I shut up about before I can look it up.
Not these guys (and gals). Drives me nuts.
(Some of the worst offenders are righties who think they’re being brilliant when they try to tie Hitler to Socialism because Nazi = National Socialism. Anyone who says that one deserves to have The Rise and Fall Of The Third Reich thrown at them. And it’s not a light book.)
I’m going to agree with G Collins. I have worked in museums for almost 20 years almost all of it on the floor. People are by and large not as stupid as they sound if you take individual quotes and questions out of context. Had you engaged this person in conversation and asked a couple of well worded questions you may have found out she knew more than you think she did and possibly more than she thinks she did. This may come as a surprise to some bloggers, but lots of people are intimidated and do not easily speak their minds. Museums are particularly intimidating. They are not generally familiar places and there is the ever present authoritarian voice of the curator, docent, interpretive label, video etc. Asking that question at that time may have been her way to engage someone in conversation and asking a question, even a simple one, is one way to ingratiate yourself to someone who knows lots of stuff and or whose job it may be to explain things.
Or she could be dumb as a post. Your evidence either ways is skimpy.
As G Collins said, at least she asked. What were you doing? Shackled to some electronic gizmo blogging away. I love reading you Mr. Wallis, but I know who I’d rather have in my museum.
I don’t know who this Wallis you speak of is, but this woman (and others like her) are not curious museum-goers. The era of the scary museum caretaker died decades ago. Most of the folks who help out nowadays are more than willing to answer a question (I asked one myself, about Washington’s non-use of the title “President” after he left the office – above his grave it says “Gen.” Washington).
These were two pals talking about stuff they didn’t know like they knew WTF they were talking about. I don’t talk to people like that.
And I was blogging because I had to wait in a line for almost an hour to get into the mansion and the unruly children were only so amusing.
well, presidents have died in office about every twenty years for much of the history of this country. Washington was not the first. For the non-U.S. residents who visit this site, he is famous for both his Farewell Address (which you generally have to be alive to deliver) and for choosing not to run for a third term out of respect for democratic and republican values and the need to avoid a cult of personality. Washington is compared to Cincinnatus, a Roman leader who likewise resigned when he could have clung to power.
If I’m not mistaken, Washington owned more slave than Jefferson did.
Of course it is one of those unanswerable questions, to what extent did Washington voluntarily leave office when he could have basically been King of America because of this consciousness of Cincinnatus and the higher desire to establish a democratic precedent, and how much because he was pulling his hair out and going bonkers because of the partisan bickering between the Federalists and their rivals?
We like to imagine George calmly saying “I shall take my leave so that future generations will know there are limits to power”, but it was probably more like “You clowns are driving me f**#ing nuts! Screw you guys, I’m going home!”
Bruce, thanks for the acknowledgement (UK btw). I always thought he has the dollar bill guy.
As to owning slaves; that was ‘of it’s time’. He would’ve been freakish not owning slaves in the time he lived. However, he legacied their freedom, which in it’s day was a big deal.
Does anyone remember the US version of “The Office” when Jim hired a Ben Franklin o’like and Dwight thought he was the real thing? Priceless.
“Well to be clear the question was more like ‘he died in office, didn’t he?’ ”
Ah, in that context, I see what you’re saying. It’s a statement disguised as a question. (Why do I hear it in Peggy Noonan’s voice? Weird.)
I get the feeling being president was a bit of a bother for him, and he was sick of it. Ready to get home and get on the DIY projects.
DIY? Like teeth whittlin’?
Exactly!
From what I’ve read in his later years he was rather obsessed with two things – his legacy, and remodeling his house. Hard to get much time for either when you’re harangued constantly by visitors, which is understandable when you’re George effing Washington.
Wait they still teach History?
Couldn’t tell by the poor education system we have.
You spend more time preparing for a test them actually learning the subject.
They don’t teach much of anything except math in “NCLB” NC schools. My 7th grade daughter, who gets good grades by the way, can tell you all about Rosa Parks but has never heard of Malcolm X. I doubt she could name the century the Civil War was fought, or for that matter WW2. She can’t point to Australia on a map and can’t tell you the difference between Australia and Austria. She has never heard of the concept of diagramming a sentence, and doesnt know an adjective from an adverb. She got an “A” on her science paper; it was one page long and that was triple-spaced. Schools here are solely concerned with end-of-grade tests. It’s pathetic.