Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Gotcha!!

The Washington Post is running an article entitled, "On Libya, Herman Cain has his own ‘oops’ moment." The article begins, "This time the subject was Libya. The candidate was Herman Cain. The question was whether he agreed with the way President Obama handled the matter. The answer, drawn out over more than five awkward minutes, produced another “oops” moment in the race for the Republican presidential nomination."

Questions for Discussion

1. Do you think that the President of the United States should know the name of every world leader? (There are almost 200 members of the United Nations.) Why or why not? Do you think that you should know the name of every world leader? Why or why not?

2. Do you think that it is important for a presidential candidate to remember specific components of every policy proposal that he includes in his platform, or set of ideas explaining why he should be President? Why or why not?

3. Can you think of one common fact that it is important for all people to know? How many such facts can you think of? (What about common facts that all people living in your country should know?) Why do you think that these facts are so important?

4. What kinds of strategies do you think make it easier to remember things? (For example, when I fill up two cups with pop, for example from a self-serve machine, I never want to confuse whose cup is who. So, I tell myself that I am always right and keep my cup in my right hand. (I'm really not so arrogant in real life.)

1 comment:

  1. 1. Do you think that the President of the United States should know the name of every world leader?

    No. But he should know the name of the leaders of the country the U.S. has been at war with for the last 6 months.

    2. Do you think that it is important for a presidential candidate to remember specific components of every policy proposal.

    Not every policy proposal. But to not know the president's policy regarding a war it has just concluded is irresponsible.

    It's true the policy is complicated. But if he is unsure which aspect the person is asking about, he should say "to which aspect of Obama's policy are you referring?"

    The problem with Cain's response was two-fold: first, he didn't know any of Obama's policy, and more seriously (b) he trued to cover up that fact.

    3. Can you think of one common fact that it is important for all people to know?

    Yes.

    How about "today's cars run on gasoline"?

    More to the point, I can think of hundreds of facts which, if not known by a presidential candidate, would disqualify him or her from office. Among them:

    - the capital of the Philippines is Manila
    - Africa is a continent, not a country
    - Iran has mountains

    4. What kinds of strategies do you think make it easier to remember things?

    Good nutrition is very important. Also, studies have shown that people who get good exercise also improve their capacity to remember.

    Practice is important. Testing your skill (say, by doing crossword puzzles) matters. So does reading regularly. Playing challenging games and creating things also improves memory.

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