Does your partner know who Nelson Mandela was?

[Semeya]

The passing of Paul Walker was also very sad, but who can miss the irony of him dying in a car crash,

Why? What has he done for the world? I did not even know who he was until he first got splattered all over a tree and then all over the press.

Do most young Americans, Brits, Germans, Aussies know who Mandela was? I doubt it.

YES!!

[jaiyen]

My wife has never heard of Adolf Hitler and before she came to Australia didnt know where it was, or any other country. You dont learn much in school and when you leave at 13 to work on the family farm what chance do you have of further education.

[Semeya]

I just got asked :Who was the 'chocolate man;' who died? these past two days mainly from cabbies.

Then where you informed...that he was you Daddy!

[sawadee1947]

Noooooooo

[ozyjon]

"Who is Nelson Mandella (RIP)" But she knows the international money exchange rates, she also knows the bank account numbers of my accounts off by heart and the pin number (how she know that) anything else, well if it doesn't impact on her directly why should she care,, "don't want to think too much" or at all.

[glegolo]

Typical western logik..... demand other culture to know about our culture while we ourself are pure idiots

when it comes to know about asian cultures.... great thinking...

glegolo

[DiamondKing]

Mandela was a man of our era. Among the greatest of our era without any doubt. A person in the world today who doesn't know who he was is without a doubt lacking in a decent education. Some things are basic. He most definitely transcended his own country or continent.

Perhaps it is true that most Americans also don't know who Mandela was but I actually don't think that is really true. Partly because of the link between Obama and Mandela (Mandela inspired him; not suggesting any kind of equivalence of greatness). So what? That would indicate their ignorance the same as it would with a Thai.

Yes my wife knows him because I told her about him

to jingting I disagree he was jailed after pleading gulty to 160 acts of terrorism blowing up men women both white and black and he was convicted for those crimes and jailed as he should of been.

During that term in Jail he somehow became the face against Apartheid and was elevated to the forefront and then it snowballed and eventually he was freed as Apartheid was abolished.

I believe when the man came out he was a different man than when he went in and believe he was sincere UNFORTUNATELY since the abolition of Apartheid it is now reversed and the whites of South Africa are being killed in the thousands along the lines of what happened in Zimbawe with over 4,000 white farmers mutilated and killed all with the blessing of the current ANC government and silence around the world about what is now the genocide of the whites.

[metaben]

As long as his father Johnny Walker is still alive...

[recycler]

No, does she need to?

Don't expect a lot of Thais to know who he was, elaborating on freedom fighters or revolutionaries in whatever country is not very high on the agenda of either the eduction system, nor the press.

[DiamondKing]

As long as his father Johnny Walker is still alive...

Or Uncle Jack

[rotary]

My wife sort of knew who he was but she is super conservative anyway so to be honest had no interest.

[Andre0720]

I did ask her...but she shrugged and said:

I do not remember the son of Nel, not even Nel himself...

[Myaimistrue]

Mine didn't know, but wanted to. So I found a documentary and we watched it together.

[bra]

Although my GF comes from a small Isaan village she went to a private University in BKK, has travelled overseas and has some knowledge of international history. She does know who Nelson Mandela was but very little of the history of South Africa or apartheid- and was appalled when I explained.

Australians (I am one and there now) have a reasonable knowledge of South Africa mainly through sports like cricket and rugby football. I asked a 9 year old relative if she knew about Mandela, and her response was encouraging - they had a session in school about him when news of his death was announced.

Australian TV still has extensive coverage of his death and has gone over the history of apartheid over the past few days. One channel had a rerun of the Clint Eastwood movie "Invictus", based on the 1995 Rugby world cup held in South Africa and unexpectedly won by them, not long after Mandela became President. The future of the country was still of great concern - some predicting civil war. With a stroke of political genius Mandela appeared in the stadium to meet the teams in the final wearing the green football jersey of the South African Springboks team - until then one of the hated symbols of white supremacy. With that gesture he won the stadium, whites and the country.

Mandela is a hard act to follow, but I suggest what is needed in Thailand now is some leader who is prepared to wear the shirt of the other political group whatever it is, and do what Mandela did - work for reconcillation not for confrontation. If he could work with his former enemies who jailed him for 27 years surely others in this country, and maybe even OPs to this and similar forums can do the same.

I think his best quote was that he had "freed the oppressed but also freed the oppressors". Very difficult but but it can be done.

[sunshine51]

Yes. And also what he stood for.

[sunshine51]

Although my GF comes from a small Isaan village she went to a private University in BKK, has travelled overseas and has some knowledge of international history. She does know who Nelson Mandela was but very little of the history of South Africa or apartheid- and was appalled when I explained.

Australians (I am one and there now) have a reasonable knowledge of South Africa mainly through sports like cricket and rugby football. I asked a 9 year old relative if she knew about Mandela, and her response was encouraging - they had a session in school about him when news of his death was announced.

Australian TV still has extensive coverage of his death and has gone over the history of apartheid over the past few days. One channel had a rerun of the Clint Eastwood movie "Invictus", based on the 1995 Rugby world cup held in South Africa and unexpectedly won by them, not long after Mandela became President. The future of the country was still of great concern - some predicting civil war. With a stroke of political genius Mandela appeared in the stadium to meet the teams in the final wearing the green football jersey of the South African Springboks team - until then one of the hated symbols of white supremacy. With that gesture he won the stadium, whites and the country.

Mandela is a hard act to follow, but I suggest what is needed in Thailand now is some leader who is prepared to wear the shirt of the other political group whatever it is, and do what Mandela did - work for reconcillation not for confrontation. If he could work with his former enemies who jailed him for 27 years surely others in this country, and maybe even OPs to this and similar forums can do the same.

I think his best quote was that he had "freed the oppressed but also freed the oppressors". Very difficult but but it can be done.

Spot On.

[nongsangcity]

mention....nelson mandela....George best ...the beatles...frank Sinatra...cassius clay...adolf hitler.....they arnt known in my village......plus I live in a catholic village.....when the pope died about 10 years ago I went around the catholics in the village ???? they had never heard of the pope...

[Emdog]

Mine didn't know who he was, nor had she heard of Ghandi. Regarding Morgan Freeman, he did play Mandella in Invictus, so perhaps she saw him in that (Driving Miss Daisy reference). In similar vein, ex of mine was considered gifted, went to advanced regular schools, King's scholar etc. Asked her about what was taught about WWII: "USA very bad for dropping atomic bomb on Japanese"..... nothing more..... the level of ignorance is astounding, only topped by the lack of interest or curiosity about the rest of the world, history, economics... etc etc

[evadgib]

mention....nelson mandela....George best ...the beatles...frank Sinatra...cassius clay...adolf hitler.....they arnt known in my village......plus I live in a catholic village.....when the pope died about 10 years ago I went around the catholics in the village ???? they had never heard of the pope...

When the Pope died my wife thought the world had lost Father Christmas!

Others she hasn't known inc George Harrison, Elvis (30th Anniversary of his death), Ronald Reagan & Maggie Thatcher. All 4 left a pretty big mark on the latter half of the 20th century & I find it rather worrying.

I knew who Queen Victoria, Nelson, Churchill & Lincoln were by the age of 6 & the Dali Lama (to give this post an Asian perspective) a few years later.

[chrisinth]

Marc Who? My wife and I know the other guys though.

Oh how I pity those with a short musical memory.

Lead singer with T Rex for the UK in the 1970s and was killed in a car crash.

I never thought tha much of him personally.

Had a few good songs, they tell me his last hit was a tree.

I think I remember that.

"Tie a yellow mini round an old oak tree" or something like that......................

[thehelmsman]

I brought a large laminated map of the world with me back to the village to sort of give the family a perspective of where my work takes me. If Mandella's death runs on the news then they will hear of it but that's it. They hear of other countries in conversation but have no idea of where it is. But, they always know where the next dish of som tam is coming from.

[laobali]

never heard of him, even pictures didnt ring any bells. She does not know where South Africa is.

Just below North Africa

(sorry, could not resist it)

Where's Africa?

[tingtongtingtong]

Yes of course she does, as do all my Thai friends. I only hang around with people of similar age and intellect.

Your post says more about you, than the xenophobic -ness (for lack of a better word, if it is a word) you hope to inspire

[Puyai]

NONE of the Thai teachers at my school knew who Nelson Mandella was. Very worrying indeed..

[fxloader]

From my experience ,thais and fellow younger generations will know when it flash over there facebook pages .

Sorry to say paul walker is more famous than nelson mandela......

[NoshowJones]

Wasn't Marc Bolan a Dinosaur or something?

Seriously though, I was not just referring to the fact that she did not know the name, but more that there was absolutely no knowledge of the world outside of Thailand

Has she heard of Elvis?

[NoshowJones]

so .............who is he?

He was the lead singer of T Rex, and no, I have never heard of them.

[NoshowJones]

The passing of Paul Walker was also very sad, but who can miss the irony of him dying in a car crash,

Was he one of the Walker Brothers? I though Scott had a great voice.

[NoshowJones]

Not exactly relevent but the girl serving me in central yesterday asked me where i was from. Her next question was "Is the UK in America?" Her geography teacher needs a lesson or two himself.

What geography teacher?

[NoshowJones]

Marc Who? My wife and I know the other guys though.

Oh how I pity those with a short musical memory.

Lead singer with T Rex for the UK in the 1970s and was killed in a car crash.

I never thought tha much of him personally.

I moved to Thailand in the late 1970s so perhaps I missed a few things along the way.

I understand. I hope you didn't miss Queen with Freddie Mercury though.

I don't think he would have missed much if he did.