Anthony Esolen over at Mere Comments has a very telling post about the youth of America and their understanding of history. He describes a recent survey of nearly 2,000 high school students where each was asked to list who, in his mind, ought to make the top ten list of most famous Americans. The results?
1. Martin Luther King
2. Harriet Tubman
3. Rosa Parks
4. Susan B. Anthony
5. Amelia Earhart
6. Oprah Winfrey
7. Marilyn Monroe
8. Benjamin Franklin
9. Thomas Edison
10. Albert Einstein
As Esolen points out, while the ten who were named are certainly famous, there are also many with more deserved fame and not simply celebrity who were not listed. Marilyn Monroe? Oprah?
After all, no poets made the list, no soldiers, no presidents, no artists, no inventors, no philanthropists. What does this reflect about our society? And, if you had been part of the same survey, whose names would you include?
Sphere: Related Content
6600 N. Clinton Street
{ 6 } Comments
Also, there are no clergy on the list.
Yes, you’d think that there’d be at least a Preus or three on the list… ;^)
ghp’s last blog post..Disqus
I asked my two high school students the question. They discussed and debated for quite a while and came up with this list:
MLK Jr., Jefferson, Washington, George Mason, Thomas Edison, Andrew Carnegie, Lincoln, Henry Ford, John Adams, Mark Twain
They were aware of the lack of artists, people from the world of religion, etc., but they didn’t feel that there were Americans in those areas who deserved to be in the 10 most famous. They debated the merits of a few others: Benjamin Franklin, several military leaders, Bob Hope, Michael Jordan. They mentioned Robert Frost, Steinbeck, & Poe, as well as George Gershwin and George M. Cohan, Charlton Heston, Jimmy Stewart, and various Hollywood and industry titans of the early 20th century, but ultimately this was their list.
By the way, they also made a list of who they believe probably are the most famous. It was quite different.
Jane’s last blog post..In the news
There is a different understanding about the “most famous” superlative. It certainly does not require an education to turn on the TV…or to be on it.
Was this survey taken in February? And where? It would appear that the first 3 people must have been fresh in these students’ minds…during Black History Month perhaps? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know how easily influenced people are when certain famous figures are getting more air time. Oprah?-well, that’s a no brainer, she’s always on tv and has had a huge impact on our culture like it or not.
Also, Stiegemeyer did you realize that Martin Luther King is on the list? I am pretty sure he is clergy.
Yup, my mistake. MLK was definitely a man of the cloth. I guess I was just noticing that Billy Graham was not there. By “famous Americans,” I was trying to think of those best known to non-Americans around the world.
But then I realize that the quiz is pretty subjective. “Famous” is a squishy term anyway. Better to ask who are the most “important” or the most “influential.”
I have questions about the survey, which may be unanswerable. Was this a truly random sample of high school students? If so, it is clear that the stated “diversity” agenda of the school systems has worked. Regardless of whether these people are famous, they are famous to those 2000 students. Notice that the first 6 people are considered either black or women’s pioneers. Pioneering spirit is what makes someone famous to these students. How Marilyn Monroe got there is beyond me, but the last three were inventors in one way or another, which is probably their saving grace despite their white manhood.
As an aside, it is questionable whether we consider Einstein American, but I guess anyone who considers Amelia Earhart more famous than George Washington has bigger issues…
Post a Comment