BBarnes Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Do you consider Auschwitz is to be common knowledge? In other words if someone saw just the word Auschwitz by itself, would the average person know what it was? I ask because I didn't know what it was. I assumed it was a German word, but that's as close as I got. I was told I should know that. It's common knowledge. So now I'm curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 May I ask how old you are? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I am not a very educated person. I went to public school and have about 2-3 years of college with an art major. I learned about the Holocaust in elementary school, middle school and high school. Add to that any documentaries on it, that I have watched. I learned about several of the camps and recognize the names both in print and when heard, so yes, I would consider it common knowledge of a person with a high school education. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Yes. I think it should be common knowledge. Unless you were confused with the spelling or someone mispronounced it. But I think a lot of history should be common knowledge and find many people don't know them. I remember a girl that was a junior in high school who didn't know who won the American Civil War. I almost fell over on that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquirrellyMama Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 (edited) Just the word by itself? I'm not sure. I think people might know by hearing it but maybe they've never seen the word and cannot pronounce it. Then I wouldn't expect the person to know it just from looking at it. Does that make sense? Kelly Edited July 17, 2011 by kwiech Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avila Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 My grandpa was an American soldier in Germany during WWII, so yes, I think of it as common knowledge for adults. I wouldn't necessarily say my kids would know it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I knew what it was and I have been there. I still voted no because I don't think it is taught in public schools very much, so unless you have a better than normal ps education or are up on your history of Hitler, my guess is that you wouldn't know what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBarnes Posted July 17, 2011 Author Share Posted July 17, 2011 42 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Yes, I knew. Don't be too hard on yourself, we all can't know everything. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugs Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I voted Yes assuming common knowledge for an adult crowd. It will be a word my children will know before they graduate from high school. It is imperative. I'm okay when jr. high and below don't know this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I had a pretty dismal history education. There are many, many things I am unfamiliar with but this is a piece of relatively recent history that I would expect the average person to be familiar with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ailaena Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Until this moment, I would have said "Yes, of course, especially for nearly everyone over 5th grade." With the exception that kwiech pointed out, that is. At least I know now to not make that assumption! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 no Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 42 I do believe that someone our age (I am 41) should recognize the the name of the camp and be able to place it on her mental time line even if she does not understand the nitty-gritty details of the Holocaust. I asked your age because I am not certain what is taught in our public school history classes these days, and I don't imagine that the Holocaust is a regular topic of conversation in most homes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessReplanted Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Don't be too hard on yourself, we all can't know everything. :grouphug: :iagree: Every once in a while I learn about something that I should have already known. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Yes, I knew. Don't be too hard on yourself, we all can't know everything. :grouphug: :iagree: My history lessons in middle and high school included discussions of Auschwitz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs. A Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I also assumed everyone knew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBarnes Posted July 17, 2011 Author Share Posted July 17, 2011 I've never been a history person. But, Wow I didn't realize I was so out of the loop. :tongue_smilie: Guess I better do a History refresher course. I'm teaching my up coming 5th grader about WWII this year, so it seems we'll both have some learning to do.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 It hurts me to hear that people have no idea what Auschwitz is. Very very sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheryl Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 This is a good question and one spoken of between my Gentile and Jewish friends. In short, I would say that the older generation has a "better" understanding of it. As we progress through time this tragedy is being forgotten and sadly to say not taught and/or recognized. For those of us in the homeschooling community, we may do a better job at presenting historical facts and not neglecting it. I couldn't vote yes or no based on the above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I remember the summer I learned about all this. I was not taught it in ps, although I didn't finish hs. I was aware there were concentration camps, and I was aware there were Japanese and German internment camps (my GPs went to them in both wars). I learned about Auschwitz because of a song by a now-obscure band called Pearls Before Swine, and a tune called "The Song About The Rose". I think my brother said it was about the White Rose. I read about them, and from there read The Fate of the European Jews. Not a cheery read. I also remember looking up Dachau because of a line in the hysterical movie The Hospital with Emma Peel and George C Scott. "Just where did your nurses train? Dachau?" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Rose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I suggest reading Night, by Elie Wiesel, but not with your kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I suggest reading Night, by Elie Wiesel, but not with your kids. There is also the shot and interesting essay about business and the camps "The Cunning of History". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I'd consider it common knowledge. At least I hope they are still teaching about this in the schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 (edited) I have been to Dachau. I will never forget going. Everyone coming out was silent, not a single person talked, we noticed this as we entered and as we left. I am hopeful that with the opening of the Holocaust Museum, more people in the U.S. and visitors to D.C. will know more about the topic. http://www.ushmm.org/museum/about/ If it is anything like Dachau, I would recommend not taking young children. Edited July 17, 2011 by ElizabethB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I just asked my dh, my 15 year old and my 13 year old. They all believe it is common knowledge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abbeygirlsouth Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I think that it would probably depend on one's age. I'm in my 40's and we studied Holocaust in ps, although I don't believe we were taught the specifics of the concentration camps. However, I read The Hiding Place on my own several times when I was about nine years old ( I was a rather serious child) so that is where I was introduced to the names of these horrible camps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 It hurts me to hear that people have no idea what Auschwitz is. Very very sad. :iagree: I believe it should be at the very top of the list of things to learn about when studying the 1900s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 (edited) I just typed out a whole long thing and lost it. Anyway I recommend Gerda Weissman Klein. She is featured in the documentary One Survivor Remembers. http://www.kleinfoundation.org/ http://thestory.org/archive/the_story_93_Forgiveness.MP3/view I think she is a bit more appropriate for children to hear about that some really hardcore horrors. I learned about the Holocaust a lot in school, but the emotional tone was much too cavalier. I remember being expected to take in unbelievable horrors at a very young age, so, while I think this should be talked about, showing young children gruesome artifacts, to me, is not helpful, as it somehow dulls the reaction to atrocity by expecting someone to look at a lamp made of human skin without mental collapse. Edited July 17, 2011 by stripe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfamilygal Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Yes. My 10 yr old knows about it. My youngers do not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Since is one of the key places in one of the key events of the 20th century, yes, I consider it common knowledge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Wow, OP, bet you're sorry you asked. I'm one of the two that said no. I said it because I think that most people know about the concentration camps, but I wouldn't necessarily expect them to recognize/know the name of one of the camps. However, I asked my dh, and he disagrees with me. But he watches WW2 documentaries all the time. I've been to Dachau. It was truly a horrifying place. Such darkness. I had to run out of the gas chamber because I felt horribly sick. That night my friend and I went and drank a whole lot of beer trying to deal with what we had just seen and where we had been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 But, when younger, my ex thought I was an idiot uneducated person, because I didn't know information about WWII. I knew things about it, like from say.... books... but I hadn't studied it and didn't know a lot about it. I have learned SINCE highschool about it. Can't blame the ps though, I didn't really attend except a couple of months. I HATED war talk, and don't know if I would have listened anyway... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 It hurts me to hear that people have no idea what Auschwitz is. Very very sad. But, it doesn't mean that they don't know about camps and such in general and HATE what was allowed to happen!!!!! I think most of us would agree that it's a terrible thing that happened... and we should be SCARED of what is happening in parts of the world, RIGHT NOW. Yup... shouting... scared... and bad things that shouldn't be happening...... :( :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 We watched a documentary film about the Holocaust and Auschwitz in junior high or high school. It left an indelible mark - as it should. One day we will visit the Holocaust Museum in D.C.. Dd was too young when we were there last. To the OP - it's okay that you didn't know. Now is a great time to learn about it and to make sure that your children know as well. When we were doing Core Knowledge in the elementary years, I learned so much I had never heard before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 The documentary, Paper Clips, is really good too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I do but both my grandfathers were in the military during WWII and they have wounds and stories to tell. Dds would know because they knew both of their greats and heard the same stories I did. I've met many who knew about the history but didn't really know specifics. It's never too late to learn so don't beat yourself up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHASRADA Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Personally, I know what it is, but cannot remember where I first heard the name, when or where I learned it. It's one of those things I just know, and in that situation, I tend to assume that it is common knowledge. That said, we all have gaps in our education, things that we "should" know that we just never came across. I never studied world history in school, and only became familiar with the full scope of European history (not only the World Wars) in college because I was a romance language major. The rest of world history? Thanks SOTW ;). Another beauty of homeschooling: filling in the gaps in our own education while learning alongside our dc! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Maus by Art Spiegelman is an interesting approach as well. I think the Holocaust (including camp names) should be common knowledge. I think it's tragic that people don't know what happened. Unfortunately, I'm not surprised that people don't - and I really don't want to know how many people don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Unfortunately, I'm not surprised that people don't - and I really don't want to know how many people don't know. I will admit I would be surprised to know anyone wouldn't recognize the name. And I agree that I don't want to know how many people wouldn't. It's too depressing to consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Since is one of the key places in one of the key events of the 20th century, yes, I consider it common knowledge. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 It hurts me to hear that people have no idea what Auschwitz is. Very very sad. :iagree: Who was the general that wanted the photos and documentation so that the world would never forget? Even with the photos and documentation seems people are already forgetting. I can't fathom how that is happening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I think every person should know it. I went to a ps during part of my middle school and was taught about this event. Our teacher even recommended a movie which I watched with my family. This particular event so moved me that I tried to read everything about WWII, particularly the Holocaust, when I was 13. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I've never been a history person. But, Wow I didn't realize I was so out of the loop. :tongue_smilie: Guess I better do a History refresher course. I'm teaching my up coming 5th grader about WWII this year, so it seems we'll both have some learning to do.:D I'm 44 and we studied a lot about the Holocaust. Junior high was probably the first real exposure. The joy of homeschooling is that you can learn ahead or with your children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indigomama Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 We studied it in depth in high school, but I took AP History classes, so I don't know if everyone student studied it the same way. We also went to the Holocaust Museum in L.A. on a field trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYoungerMrsWarde Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 OP, where did you grow up/receive the bulk of your education? I think that might have more influence on whether you've heard of it or not than your age. I just learned the other day that denying the Holocaust is a crime in Germany. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enviromommy Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 But, it doesn't mean that they don't know about camps and such in general and HATE what was allowed to happen!!!!! I think most of us would agree that it's a terrible thing that happened... and we should be SCARED of what is happening in parts of the world, RIGHT NOW. Yup... shouting... scared... and bad things that shouldn't be happening...... :( :( Knowing about "camps and such in general" is not good enough. Knowing that "it's a terrible thing that happened" is not enough. Knowledge loses its power if it is not specific and detailed. Personally, I find it shocking that anyone doesn't know the name Auschwitz. As a Jew, I experienced the original post as a punch in the gut. As an American and an inhabitant of the world, I find it inconceivable and depressing that anyone 42 years old could have managed not to come across it in books, newspapers, movies, etc. I apologize in advance to the OP; I do not mean to criticize you personally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandelion Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 (edited) I do, but I grew up in Germany (went through the German school system from 1st-8th grade and then attended a private American high school in Germany). I was born in the U.S. but my mother is from Germany, and decided to move back when I was 4 months old to be near her family. I've visited a few of the concentration camps - that is something I'll never forget. Because of my upbringing, I'm very well versed in German/European history - but I'm now playing catch-up on certain parts of American history as I educate my kids. Wasn't sure what results to expect from this poll - glad to see that the overwhelming majority consider this to be common knowledge. Allowing future generations to forget such horrific periods of history is dangerous -we can never forget the Holocaust. Edited July 17, 2011 by Dandelion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmMusa Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 I voted 'no' b/c I don't think the average American would recognize the camp in a conversation. I think age makes a difference, and the OP's age would fall into a timeframe where most students were taught it. I know it b/c of my junior high education, but guys many Americans can't find their own state on a map!!! I just don't expect that the average person would know the name of a holocaust camp this many years later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckens Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 From Justamouse:Yes, I knew. Don't be too hard on yourself, we all can't know everything. :grouphug: :iagree: As others have said, usually the younger generation (further removed) are less aware of the details of WWII. Likewise, I have seen my generation and older generation in my family be less aware of history within the last two decades. (I am 41yo). The genocide of Rwanda, for example, is unknown to them...among other historical events. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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