Dissertation, again

[narcasse]

Out of 1002 adults interviewed in 2000, 27% had never heard of the European Central Bank. I’m hoping that this was a terminology oversight on their part and that they’ve been so used to referring to it as the Bundesbank that being asked about the European Central Bank was a little confusing. I’m really hoping that was the case, otherwise of those 1002 people 27% needed to be bludgeoned with those metal plates that are used to print euro notes or a nice, hardback copy of "Der Hexenhammer" (or the "Malleus Maleficarum", if you prefer), whichever is closest.

In other news, have the urge to become a rich isolationist bastard, move to the country and live happily ever after. Might also like to invest in a Persian cat. And servants. And something upwards of a 15MB connection. Also wouldn’t mind taking up fencing. Would settle for a good game of chess though or a decent round of cards. Might even be persuaded to shoot at small clay items from time to time, regardless of lack of accuracy from past attempts. Put a rife in my hands and I can guarantee that I’ll miss spectacularly, though strangely enough always score highest at Laser Quest. Have yet to rank anything but 1st on that account. Cousin always comes in 2nd, though is more accurate than I am. Curious.

Edit...
Aim to spend hours also playing mahjong, though currently am using German rules rather than European Classical because of exponential scoring , additional scoring for pungs and some additional details with seasons too.

And another edit...
Must stop saying 'bollocks' randomly, in case I become incapable of controlling that reflex in polite company.

Comments

[lanithro.livejournal.com]

Just out of interest, are these 1002 adults from the UK or was this a more international survey?

[reichsfreiherr.livejournal.com]

British adults aged 18+ or so the Mori poll says. I no longer have faith in humanity, btw or maybe that should be the ignorant masses.

[lanithro.livejournal.com]

*sigh*
It's a problem. But what do you expect when the most education on current affairs or whatever that the average person gets is from The Sun?

It might be something wrong with the schools- the most I heard in secondary school about Europe was when we got to colour in maps during Geography class or in *snigger* "General Studies" A-Level.

[reichsfreiherr.livejournal.com]

There is that. I believe recent stats have shown that it’s the anti-euro papers that have the highest sales, tabloid or otherwise so it’s unsurprising and yet I’d rather hoped that we’d moved on from it all being the Franco-German power axis versus Anglo-Saxon attitudes.

And you have my utmost sympathy for being put through General Studies. I don’t think we even knew what that was at my high school. Of course from what I’ve heard it might have served the same purpose as "Religious Studies" did for us, though you at least got an A-level out of it. All we got was a certificate from the diocesan Bishop, at least I think it was signed by the Bishop; I doubt we were quite so important as to have anything signed by which ever Cardinal it was.

[lanithro.livejournal.com]

"Franco-German power axis"? I was actually talking to someone in a public house yesterday. He said that he was put off on the whole Europe thing because "France and Germany whinge whenever they don't get their own way". *shrug*

To be honest, I don't suppose I know enough about this to say very much. I'm more or less one small part of the ignorant masses on this. Although one who lifts its opinions from the Indy rather than the Sun and pretends that it's somehow a more "decent" fellow because of it.

I can't help thinking though, that all Tony needs to practically guarantee a "no" vote is keep postponing the referendum until just after next year's World Cup draws aside the fragile veil of civilisation and whips the UK majority into a frothing nationalistic fervor. I hope I'm being frivolous when I say that.

I didn't actually take General Studies. The fellows that did said that it was quite an enjoyable hour after lunch to play cards in. :/ Religious Studies sounds far more interesting, to be honest- I was tempted to take Religious Studies at A-Level for the philosophy aspect of it but I got all sensible and gutless at the last minute.

[reichsfreiherr.livejournal.com]

There seems to be an awful lot of negative feeling directed at Europe precisely because between the French bureaucracy and the German ‘economic miracle’ they seem to have come out on top, so to speak. Though these days the ‘economic miracle’ has been superseded by the constitution as a point of German national pride, I believe.
Though I’m entirely too interested in the Franco-German alliance anyway.

I’d say that the matter of public ignorance isn’t necessarily a fault of the public itself; rather it comes back to a lack of movement by the government in either direction. There’s been little done to inform the general populous so that they can form an opinion that isn’t based on a lack of understanding because unsurprisingly enough, people are always afraid of that which they don’t understand.
But then of course this is my particular axe to grind so I’m probably less inclined to be as objective as I should be.


They tried to pitch the Religious Studies A-level at me as being rather interesting but as I pointed out at the time, if I had actually taken all the A-levels they were throwing in my direction I would have ended up doing 6, half of which would have been fairly redundant in the long run anyway. Though I eventually turned down Religious Studies quite definitely, due to timetable clashes with English Lit, which turned out to be a pointless argument since I spent two thirds of my English Lit A-level at the pub talking philosophy anyway.
As for sensible A-level choices, I’m curious; you didn’t take Chemistry by any chance did you?

[lanithro.livejournal.com]

Chemistry? No chance. All the sixth formers that did chemistry carried around far too many notes. Too much to remember.

The sensible ones were Maths and Physics; the frivolous ones were English Lit and Art. I dropped Art at AS before my respectably mediocre B dropped to a G or whatever it would have done due to chronic idleness (and they graded in quantity over quality in Art any day), and took the pain in the Pure Maths modules. I was part of the guinea pig year that was first for both SATs and AS-Levels. I did Philosophy in my year out. What, at the risk of repeating words I last said in freshers week last year, were your A-Levels?

[reichsfreiherr.livejournal.com]

I suspect that I didn’t carry about half as many notes as I should have as far as Chemistry was concerned, though anyone toting about an arch-lever file on a regular basis was probably doing their fair share of posing anyway.

I did Biology, Chemistry and English Lit in the end, and had the 'privilege' of being in the first year to have to pay tuition fees and consequently went on the first student march through London yelling that we’d prefer more beer rather than said fees.

The nearest I’ve officially gotten to Philosophy was an appalling elective that I must have chosen as an attempt at playing Devil’s advocate over three years ago.