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The other day, someone asked: Why has England copied so many names of U.S. towns and cities?

Me: Oh, man! Seriously?

Ryo1 8 July 2
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2

While it is easy to mock what appears to be such blatant and profound ignorance, it amounts to a very sad reflection on the standard of education that the USA is prepared to accept for its citizens.

It's not just in the U.S. Critical thinking in public schools and colleges has been discouraged here in Canada as well. The quality of education to prepare students for adult life is geared more to compliance than innovation.

@anglophone, @Betty
It is said that children nowadays don't have much creativity, either. That's all due to social media, online games, etc. They are so used to being provided with what they want rather than being proactive. Not sure if that's true but it certainly looks that way. Apparently, in the UK, scounting is becoming popular again; after the isolation experienced by many children during the pandemic, scouting plays an important role in bringing them together and in helping improve self-confidence, develop the ability to think outside the box, take initiative, that sort of things.

@Ryo1 There is some truth to that. Another part of the problem is the change in dynamics of the family unit. Blended families, single parent families, and two income families. The parents/guardians are not as involved with the children. The trend is to enroll the kids in activities rather than participate with them. Busy parents/guardians will allow electronics to keep them occupied in order to get things done (laundry, meals, etc.). Quality time often means ignoring behaviour that could evolve into unacceptable behaviour.

Fear is another part of the problem for parents/guardians of young children. Children are watched more and kept closer to home. Neighbourhoods have changed and are not as trusted as they once were. This denies the freedom to play and explore, learn conflict resolution, and rules of conduct among peers.

1

Ah well, I may have upset and embarrassed some American folks on here (yes, the person who asked the question is American, unfortunately), and plenty of sarcasm has been shared. Still, no personal offence, honest!

Ryo1 Level 8 July 3, 2022
2

Thanks for the history lesson, we sure have a lot of influence in England!

What? Build a Trump Tower in the middle of Trafalgar Square or Hyde Park? Surely not! 😉

4

"Cos I'm ignorant of history and proud of it!"

3

"And why don't they talk English over there?" sic (in England)

5

I can top that, an American on line once complimented me on my almost perfect English and asked what the first language of the UK is.

Don't they say Brits have a 'cute' accent? What would they think of the Geordie accent, I wonder? Lol

@Ryo1 My late business partner married a woman from Nebraska, who he met when working in Japan, she was a canny enough lass, but on a visit to the UK we took her to see Billy Connolly in concert.
She sat through the whole show with a look of utter confusion on her face, for her we might as well have been in kuala lumpur

8

And why did her majesty build the palace so close to the airport?

So she could chase off Washington when he crossed the Delaware and tried to seize Heathrow?

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