Gorilla or elephant?

[berserkbishop]

I see that someone is familiar with C.S. Lewis and his Mere Christianity eh Coemgen?

I have to blame a problem with language misuse and a loss of certain "big" words in the general publics' vocabulary partly on the school system. When I was in 8th grade, I read on a college level, and everyone else in the my class at least read on an 8th grade level or they had special education classes. Today I find that most kids in the 8th grade average a 6th grade reading level, many less than that, and no attention is paid to that. Conversely, the math I was doing my senior year in high school was calculus, where as kids in the same school now are taking college level algebra.

Bishop

[Coemgen]

I see that someone is familiar with C.S. Lewis and his Mere Christianity eh Coemgen?

Well, I've been know to read it several times . I'm a HUGE fan of Lewis. I have most of his theological works in print, as well as several in audio format, including a recording of him reading The Four Loves, the only time his voice was ever recorded. Of course, I also have the Chronicles of Narnia and the Space Trilogy. I have yet to get his biography, The Shadowlands, but that is on my wishlist.

I have to blame a problem with language misuse and a loss of certain "big" words in the general publics' vocabulary partly on the school system. When I was in 8th grade, I read on a college level, and everyone else in the my class at least read on an 8th grade level or they had special education classes. Today I find that most kids in the 8th grade average a 6th grade reading level, many less than that, and no attention is paid to that. Conversely, the math I was doing my senior year in high school was calculus, where as kids in the same school now are taking college level algebra.

Bishop

Yeah, I know. I just entered college, and I was astounded that they offered classes in basic algebra and in basic writing. I assumed that there would perhaps be a few remedial classes in those subjects, but that most people would start out with calculus or literature.

Of course, I should have noticed something was up when I realised my high school offered pre-algebra, and that the kids in my freshman English class thought the word "fray" was a "BIG WORD."

Apparently, I was at what would currently be considered college level education in mathematics, history, literature, and grammar when I entered high school. This is attributed to the fact that I was home schooled up to that point, and that my "teachers" (my mom, dad, and my mom's parents) were very well educated and instilled in me a love of learning and reading (my mom had two bachelor's degrees and a master's degree and was a certified teacher, my dad was an engineer in the U. S. Navy for ten years then worked in the Silicon Valley in the 90's, and both my mom's parents were teachers and had master's degrees).

Anyhow, I am loathe to put up with the lack of education, especially in logic, of my peers. This would tend to explain my extreme introversion; well, that and the fact that I have Asperger's syndrome.

But, this is off topic.

And now back to your regularly scheduled discussion.