Pretty funny.

[BLACK BART]

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4937667939001/can-beach-bums-pass-the-watters-world-quiz-on-us-wars/?intcmp=hphz05#sp=show-clips

The War of 1812 question was tough.

 

[GeneInAlabama]

What are our schools teaching the kids?  How can we know where we are going when we don't know where we have been?

[Elrod]

Edited to remove political photo.

Edited June 13, 2016 by jklcpa
political

[BLACK BART]

4 hours ago, GeneInAlabama said:

What are our schools teaching the kids?  How can we know where we are going when we don't know where we have been?

Oh, I wouldn't take it too hard, my friend.  These things are done mostly for entertainment and he most likely quizzed a few dozen beachcombers (some knowledgeable, I assume) before distilling these results.  Besides, they were largely clean-cut kids (never mind the tattoo) and that's encouraging nowadays.  The cute girl was funny too ("Go America!").

[FDNY]

I can't remember which late night show it is but these type of (difficult) questions are asked on the street.  The answers really make you wonder if people are paying attention in school, or if they really care and would rather be texting, daydreaming, or maybe they have a learning disability, because there is really no other excuse for the ignorance.   They don't see the usefulness of what they should be learning in school.  Take algebra for instance, what possible use could there be for it in life they think.  I for one use it all the time in landscaping, personal financial decisions, cooking....the list goes on.   If a kid isn't made to realize early on it's better to work with your head than your back, they may be losing out.  Parents should listen to that song, and "teach your children well."

In our field, many people can't even grasp  the basics when you try to explain the difference between a tax deduction and a credit.  There seems to be no computing or reasoning ability in the head for the average Joe.  A smart client makes our jobs so much easier.  

[Elrod]

OOPS!...........My Bad..............Sorry

[Catherine]

Unfortunately, it IS that bad.  One of my acquaintances makes a habit of asking high school and college age kids wherever he sees them (bagging groceries, clerk at a convenience store, etc) what years were World War One fought, and who the US fought against.  Not a one of them has ever been able to answer him.  A few have been able to answer for WW2, but some of those gave answers learned from that alternate-history movie, Inglorious Basterds.  So they are learning false history if they are learning anything at all.

[FDNY]

Last year I was in my favorite store and asked a 20 something for a pint of the Tuscan bean soup.   She pointed to the board and said they only have 16 and 32 ounce sizes.   First time I was at a loss for words.   Don't want to discredit all our youth because there are many really bright kids out there, a testament to their parents and their teachers who really care.  We don't thank teachers enough, they have a hard job these days. 

[BLACK BART]

4 hours ago, FDNY said:

Last year I was in my favorite store and asked a 20 something for a pint of the Tuscan bean soup.   She pointed to the board and said they only have 16 and 32 ounce sizes.   First time I was at a loss for words.   Don't want to discredit all our youth because there are many really bright kids out there, a testament to their parents and their teachers who really care.  We don't thank teachers enough, they have a hard job these days. 

Pretty good one, FD (I assume you went for the 16 oz .).  While I try to remain optimistic about these things, the more glaring transgressions do tend to stand out.  I've got one too.

Stopped at Mt. View Pizza Hut; two large pepperonis on sale for $12.  Paid with a twenty; clerk punched it in register, I got two dollars back. BB: I think you've made a mistake. CLERK: What?  BB: The sale is twelve dollars, I gave you a twenty, you gave me two dollars change.  CLERK: Yes? BB: Well, twelve from twenty is eight dollars. CLERK: Dumbfounded stare.  BB: Same.  CLERK: Do you want me to run it through the register again?  BB: Please do (second time I lucked out).

 

 

[FDNY]

That's too funny!    Sometimes I try to be helpful and give them the loose change to round it off to make it easy for them.  So many times they can't figure out the change and think I'm a fast change artist.  Once manager had to come over to help.  Got to stop doing that, it's a time waster....for me.

[Catherine]

My first "real" job was as a cashier in Woolworth's.  My only entertainment was with the cash register - the ones that calculate change for you had *just* come out (and boy oh boy did they confuse the elderly folks!).  So I would try to beat the register at calculating the change.  I got really fast at it and can still figure faster than the machines.  Confuses the dickens out of the math-impaired ninnies I hand the money to.

[Gail in Virginia]

Even those cash registers can't compete with people who won't use their brains.  My sister managed a grocery store for a major chain at one time, and I remember her telling me about the cashier who called her over because the cash register said to give back 0.25 change, and she was out of quarters.  Sis pointed out that she had a drawer full of dimes and nickels, but the cashier still didn't understand - she needed to give them twenty five cents and she was out of quarters!

 

[Catherine]

I remember, as a kid, I owed my brother ten cents and he owed me twenty five cents.  So I told him to give me fifteen cents and we'd be even.  He was absolutely *certain* that I was trying to cheat him out of the money I owed him.  Even after taking the coins and showing how it ended up the same both ways, he was still convinced something funny was going on and would not budge.  For all I know, he feels the same way now, forty-five or more years later.  

Sometimes I think we are doomed.

[Abby Normal]

On 6/14/2016 at 11:04 AM, Catherine said:

what years were World War One fought, and who the US fought against

Heck, I can't even answer that without a Google! And why would it be important to know? Even WWII matters very little these days.

[SaraEA]

A relative manages an arts and crafts store and was called over by a frantic cashier.  The problem was that the items were marked 5 for $1 and the register was ringing up 20 cents each.  Don't know if the cashier or the customer noticed the "error."

[TaxmannEA]

A number of years ago, my wife's brother managed a supermarket. One day I came to the checkout line and noticed a display bin full of cans of pork & beans labeled "Manager,s special. 3 for $1. This display only. Regular price 33 cents each." He got a real kick out of seeing how many customers would go back to the shelf and replace the cans in their cart with the special price items. Is math a foreign language?