Enola for DD?

Sorry OP, Enola Gay was my first thought too

Also my phone just autocorrected it to Ebola

I agree Nola would be a nice alternative.

@ScarMatty I think pp meant the ones who said it wasn't really an atrocity despite knowing about it. She was sticking up for you

I'm assuming you're talking about me, but evidently you lack the ability to hold some sort of discussion.

scarmatty, read nicegerbil*'s post again. She was actually defending you!

NiceGerbil, I understand where you are coming from, and I agree that there has been surprisingly little challenge with regard to the comments from the two people who were - in your words - meh about nuking civilians. I can only repeat that I did comment on those posts as well.

I do accept that all of us have significant gaps in our knowledge about various things in history, and loads of other stuff as well tbh. Life is a long learning journey for most of us. However, do you genuinely not think that there are certain key events in history that everyone should know about? Would it be alright, for example, if people knew nothing about the Holocaust? The slave trade? Colonialism? The two world wars? I'm really struggling to get my head around how you would think it's ok for us to have no collective memory, no awareness of these things.

It is not necessarily the fault of individuals if they don't know this stuff, but in my view, it is a failure of our education system and of our society more broadly.

I'm really dismayed by this putting the boot into others stuff. For not knowing something.

Loads of people don't know loads of things about loads of stuff. That's fine and normal. There is lots going on in the world, in science, in politics, now and going back forever.

I only found out about the Congo and Leopold about 5 years ago. Another atrocity. An absolute outrage. Literally never heard of it.

I think two people in the thread were pretty meh about nuking civilians. Based on their knowledge of these two bombings. How about focus on that instead, eh.

I guess but there are “negative connotations” and there is this. It’s kind of on a different level...

No one would say no to Rose but lots say no to Myra. It's about how common a name is. If the only thing you can think of it a murderer or a plane dropping atomic bombs, in its gonna be a no name for most people

There are so many names that have negative connections... Eva Braun was Hitler's long time lover and staunch advocate of his actions. Doesn't stop Eva being a very popular name!

On reflection, it perhaps isn't so surprising that there is relatively poor knowledge on this subject as it probably, at least in part, reflects the British attitude to the Far Eastern conflict in general. Admittedly I will be more sensitive to this than most as my Dad served in the Pacific Fleet, but the contrast between the VE and VJ day commemorations this year was stark. And don't get me started on people referring to VE Day as "the end of WW2". The reasons are quite complex I think, but there is a definite bias towards teaching about/media representation of the war in Europe in this country and it wouldn't surprise me if the opposite happens in the USA. It happens with WW1 history too actually- for instance Gallipoli is still very much brushed under the carpet, and those who know anything about it at all tend to assume that only Australian and New Zealand troops fought there.
So maybe I shouldn't be surprised, but I do think that given the enormous significance of the events at the end of WW2 it is something that every generation should learn about.

I know nothing about the cold war either. DH does. Or politics are broadly aligned. Clearly it hasn't affected by beliefs massively

They didn't. That's the point. We are trying to drag the human race out of lifetimes of woeful ignorance.

But then you could argue that people in generations before me knew everything, and yet the wars still continue, life still isn't fantastic, so has it really prevented anything?

I HATE it!

ScarMatty I'm not into blaming anyone for what they don't know. As I say, it's society's failing and I maintain that. But the list of things you say you know little or nothing about means you cannot understand why the world is the way it is, why Brexit for instance, why the EU, why Angela Merkel, why the arms race, why almost every existing war tendency and tension has evolved the way it has. And that's what will lead us into further wars. Those who don't understand history are destined to repeat it. (Edmund Burke.) That's why people are so upset.

I’ve actually spent a long time googling and watching things trying to find out how Germany reported the war, how hitler persuaded people the Jews And others needed killing.

I’ve never found the answers despite hours of trying to find it. I know they were kings of propaganda. But that’s all I’ve known

I bet op didn’t think her name choice would be quite this controversial

...Should have stayed at home yesterday.

I only know what the song was about because I read about it in some magazine circa 1988. I was never taught in school. It's general knowledge that many people may not be aware of.

But no, I couldn't call my DD Enola.

@EvilPea I agree. The pp were commenting on education in this context

Genuine question, scarmatty - and I am not trying to have a dig - but how do you make sense of what is going on in the world in the present day if you don't have any context as to how we got to where we are now?

Literally can’t think of one adult I personally think of as being well educated who wouldn’t know what Hiroshima involved

Have you heard the phrase echo chamber?
We can surround ourselves with people who are the same, and therefore have the same experiences, life and views.

I feel like this is one of those things.

I am educated to A levels, A*’s and A’s in everything except maths. Couldn’t afford uni, but was clever enough to go.

Thank you EvilPea

Well I've never googled it, read a book, or made it a particular point of interest but somehow know the basic details and history.

This is not aimed at you, but dropping a nuclear bomb, followed by another, was such a momentous moment in human history that I can't believe so many people have such little knowledge.

Of course, what is equally unknown is that the Americans considered nuking Germany before the end the war in Europe, but of course they didn't.

Now, I wonder why that was?

No, I think you will find @ScarMatty that there are some things we should call out. I think you are ashamed which is why you are being so defensive

As I said earlier, you can’t understand the end of WWII without knowing about it.

Or understand the global approach to nuclear weapons control

Or arguably the Cold War

Also hugely important in human rights terms