Ever think about who we assasinate?

[L'ennemi.]

[ QUOTE ]


Basically, my point is that Guids is acting like an ignorant fool to expect Nielso to know who certain americans are, because there are a lot of people that EVERYONE from a certain nation knows about that americans haven't ever heard of. Nielso isn't american so it's unreasonable to expect that he knows who malcolm x or bobby kennedy are.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are right about American not knowing a lot of political figures of others countries.
However The United States are not just another country, but they kinda are the dominant power of the second half of the century. I would expect anyone to be able to name every american president since WW2, as I would expect anyone to be able to name every general secretary of the communist party of the USSR. I would note except a random American to know every German Chancelor.
Malcom X and Bobby Kennedy are important figures in World history. If you've read anything about the Sixties, you're bound to have heard of them. The same is not true for everyone on your list.
Of course, they is definitely a western bias, which explains that someone like Bhuto is often overlooked.

[Sholar]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'd never heard of them (have many people?) but I don't think they are really of world-historic importance, unless my reading of their wikipedia biographies was too brief.


[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah your reading was way way way too brief.


[/ QUOTE ]

Well, I did know who Allende, Bhutto, Taylor, and al-Banna were/are; these people actually influenced events. By that standard, I guess I should have known Blanco, but the rest are more footnotes to history, despite their courage or stupidity. I give Stalin credit for taking down Trotsky, for example, in my memory. Liebknecht sounds interesting, so I'm glad I asked, although I still wouldn't expect any non-German to know him.

[ QUOTE ]
acting like an ignorant fool to expect Nielso to know who certain americans are, because there are a lot of people that EVERYONE from a certain nation knows about that americans haven't ever heard of. Nielso isn't american so it's unreasonable to expect that he knows who malcolm x or bobby kennedy are.

[/ QUOTE ]

Fair enough. Both are pretty obscure for a non-American.

[L'ennemi.]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


Can you tell me what your motives are in trying to humiliate me? Does it help you somehow, or does it help me somehow?

I'm not used to that kind of thing, maybe it's more normal where you come from.



[/ QUOTE ]

he thinks he's making himself look good. He isn't. People who try to humiliate others for lacking knowledge usually have no interest in making a point, either because they are dishonest, or because they know nothing worth talking about.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not trying to make myself look as I really could not careless.
I am however someone who is well-aware of his ignorance and often ashamed by it, as everytime I want to discuss a subject, I realize how much I have to learn.
Everyday however, I am dumbfounded to come across people that know even less than me, and that are pretty sure of the ir misinformed opinions.
So yeah my post was probably too harsh, but I found Nielsio post to be often condescending. And he seems to be interested in politics, so I assumed that he had some basic knowledge, a basic necessity to discuss some subjets. How can you truly discuss American Politics without knowing Bobby Kennedy or Malcom X?
So yeah Nielso it was supposed to help you, to help you realize that maybe you should learn a little about history as it can help understanding the world a little better.

[L'ennemi.]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

First, on this list, only Salvador Allende is a historical figure as recognizable as Bobby Kennedy and Malcom X.

[/ QUOTE ]

Recognizable? Who cares? We're talking about important people in history, not who is "recognizable"
More people could probably recognize Paris Hilton than Thomas Paine, or Diderot but no one would argue that she's more important.

GAWD.

[/ QUOTE ]

They're is such a thing as recognizable historical figures.
Basically, I refer to the personnalities that you will encounter first when you study history. Of course, it is not always correlated to their importance in history. Most people wil have heard of Trosky and not of Boukharine, so I'll say he is a more recongizable figure. It is relevant. If somebody tells you, I've never heard of Hitler, won't you think that he lacks some knowledge?
And every non ignorant American should know Paris Hilton. Not because she has any kind of importance but because you're bound to come across her name when you watch the news/ read the papers.

[sightless]

[ QUOTE ]
How can you truly discuss American Politics without knowing Bobby Kennedy or Malcom X?

[/ QUOTE ]

They were not that important

[L'ennemi.]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
How can you truly discuss American Politics without knowing Bobby Kennedy or Malcom X?

[/ QUOTE ]

They were not that important

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, I don't think that you can discuss race issues without knowing Malcom X.
That being said, it is not really their respective importance that matters here, but more what the fact that you haven't heard of them implies for your overall knowledge.