What do barbers care about WWII?

Scott Manning
December 15, 2004 | Comments (2)

On one of my daily carpools, a coworker and I dropped his 15-year old daughter off at school. She's one of those Philly girls that isn't afraid to speak her mind about anything and everything.

When I got in the car, the topic was concerning school and how she hated it. She brought up some points like, "If I'm going to be a carpenter, why do I care about math?"

This was strike one against her as we quickly pointed out that carpenters who use the eye-balling method aren't very successful. I know from experience.

She quickly shifted her argument to, "Okay, let's say I'm going to be a barber when I grow up. Why would I care what happened in World War II?"

My jaw dropped. "You don't care about what happened in World War II?"

"No, man. That was like 60 years ago or something."

"Or something?"

"Yeah. What do I care?"

I was trying to regain my composer as I realized this 15-year old didn't know exactly when WWII happened. Images from the Holocaust museum in DC ran through my mind. Starving children. Burning bodies. Piles of shoes. What does she care?

More images flashed through my mind. Pearl Harbor. General Patton. Battle of the Bulge. Hiroshima. What did she care?

I came back at her, "Do you even want to be a barber when you grow up?"

"Hell no! I don't know what I want to be."

I tried to remember what it was like to have no purpose and direction. I tried to remember what it was like to not care about historical events that changed the world forever. I tried to remember when I hated school. The closest thing I could come up with was my mother talking to me in 5th grade when I made a statement concerning my disdain for school. I didn't really mean it; I was just trying to get out going to school. But she talked to me for over an hour nonetheless.

The bad parts of history repeat themselves when we don't remember them. May the thirst for ignorance die with the young.

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Comments (2):

1) Posted by: YoungHistorians
December 21, 2004 9:57 AM

That's sad.

Next year ill be taking a class--"AP World War II". Should be fun.

I've been amazed at how many of my friends don't know squat about WWII. Even to know the basic dates + facts, it isn't that hard.

Geez.

2) Posted by: Frank
January 20, 2005 4:00 PM

I am a WWII junkie. History was always a love of mine. I can recall loving the subject back in junior high. My eyes to the world were opened when it was time for me to learn about WWII. Perhaps the single most important event in the history of the world. This event shaped the world we are in today. It is 80% responsible for the mess in the middle east right now.

I remember not liking school when I was young as well. But it seems our education in the US is going downhill rather fast. Not to mention the lack of respect being taught by today's liberal standards. Kids today have very little repect for authority this is partially the result of the crap they teach in schools now.