August 18, 2005

It's very hard being a know-it-all.

Mainly because you keep finding out you're wrong.

Last night Ashley was talking about one of her classes. She's not afraid to state anything she believes, and state it unequivocally, and loudly, even if it's so dead-wrong that it's become an un-idea and singing with the chorus eternal.

I keep wanting to tell her--not to be mean, but to keep her from engendering the sort of eye-rolling disdain that high schoolers are so good at dishing out--that it would help if you're going to be a know-it-all, to remember that you actually have to know it all.

And if you do know it all, you don't have to go around blabbing about it all the time. People will figure it out. And when you occasionally find out you're wrong, don't get all defensive and angry and put-out and shrill and vicious and ugly. (Although I'm sure MoveOn.org is always looking for new members.)

ANYway, she was talking about one of her classes yesterday, and the teacher was asking questions about various social-interest type things (I think it's social studies, which would make some sense) and the topic of myths and stories and such came up, and about how some stories and songs had hidden meanings (i.e. Gulliver's Travels), and some myths were based on actual places (such as Hamelin). Then, the conversation turned to nursery rhymes, and a discussion got going on "Ring Around the Rosie."

Now, in the past, I'd heard the same charming things about it most of you have--Black Death, posies to cover the smell, everyone falling down dead. But several years back when I first got to looking around on the Internets for interesting things, I found Snopes.com, and, as you can probably guess by now, I found out then that the whole story is much less luridly gruesome than popular culture might dictate.

As you can read here, the whole bubonic plague angle is pretty much an urban legend.

Now, I COULD have said something last night about it, especially when Reba started trying to correct her and say that it wasn't bubonic plague but smallpox, but I wasn't really in the mood for a disputation with two girls at that particular moment, and I also figured that such things require documentation to keep it from seeming as though I was being mean and picking on anyone. Heaven forbid.

So, I printed out the article and will pass it along to them tonight as an FYI sort of thing.

And in my mind I will do the Mr. Knowitall Jig.

Posted by Terry Oglesby at August 18, 2005 11:20 AM
Comments

You've found out the secret to being a good archivist/librarian type person. You don't actually have to know everything, you just need to know where to look it up.

Posted by: skinnydan at August 18, 2005 11:26 AM

Exactly! Which is what kills me when one of the kids complains about not being able to find anything out about anything. "Well, did you look at any of the books we have?!"

"no."

::sigh::

I tell you what, though, the Internet really is a wonderful way to quickly look for things. There's a lot of garbage out there, but at least you can sift quickly enough to find out something good. I still say that for do-it-yourself technical information, whether it's cooking or car repair, it is probably an unrivaled resource.

Posted by: Terry Oglesby at August 18, 2005 11:31 AM

Maybe Snopes is an urban legend itself, and they just make stuff up, and they're obviously slanted, and ...

I have a hunch that even when you hand her the printout, she'll discount it as something from an "old people's" site while her internal (and maybe her external) eyes roll. If she starts believing you on this, then she'll have to believe most of that other junk you tell her. Whew!

Oh, those "trusted" sources - my 7 year old will believe anything his 12 year old friend tells him as gospel and will argue his side no matter how persuasive we are. Kids are funny that way. I guess their "rebel radar" goes up since we (the parents) have a habit of saying, "Because I'm the dad (or mom), that's why!"

Posted by: MarcV at August 18, 2005 12:08 PM

Well, everyone knows they're funded by the Illuminati, so what do you expect!?

But you hit on why I printed out the article rather than just say it. She's at that age where if it's written down, it MUST BE TRUE! I just hope she doesn't start reading the newspapers...

Posted by: Terry Oglesby at August 18, 2005 12:14 PM

Not to knock Snopes or anything but the latest book I read on the plague did mention the rhyme thing. Not as sure as some but it did not dismiss it either. Can’t remember the citation right now but I’ll track it down.

Posted by: jim at August 18, 2005 01:09 PM

Your daughter and my daughter sound like they could be bestest friends if they ever got together.

That, or they'd kill each other after an hour.

Posted by: Grouchy Old Yorkie Lady at August 18, 2005 03:49 PM

Jim, please do see if you can find it. And GOYL, maybe they could compete for Miss Information. Although they will have a hard time taking the crown from my sister.

Posted by: Terry Oglesby at August 18, 2005 03:56 PM

My youngest holds the title of Miss Informed.

But that's mostly due to me answering her questions with stuff I make up.

Posted by: LittleA at August 19, 2005 08:11 AM

I was grateful to have the written backup last night--I said I had some information about the nursery rhyme and she got all squealy and then I told her it wasn't quite everything she thought. She actually read the whole thing, and actually thanked me for it.

Amazing.

Posted by: Terry Oglesby at August 19, 2005 08:28 AM

Gawrsh ... sniff ...

dontcha just love happy endings?!?

Posted by: MarcV at August 19, 2005 09:20 AM