To have only just heard of Myanmar?

[staceybeaker]

Watching the news about the coup there and I thought it must be quite a small country but now I've looked it up it's really not. Obviously I am embarrassed about my own lack of geography knowledge. Has everyone else heard of it or known much about this country before?

Is no one here a fan of Seinfield? Elaine's boss, J. Peterman, mentions Burma used to be Myanmar (but it will always be Burma to him).

In reply to ruggerhugger - no idea until adulthood.

History covered industrial revolution and First World War. Nothing on history of colonisation.

I started reading about it in my 20s when I realised what large gaps I had.

State school in 1980/90s - nothing was on the curriculum - there wasn't even a curriculum I don't think at the start of my time at school.

I think it's fairly common for people who went to school when I did sadly.

21:21saraclara

BBC news is rubbish, channel 4 is slightly better and on the freebie channels Al Jazeera is the most rounded and unbiased news channel. If someone can't even absorb news from a basic and dumbed down channel like the BBC it is quite irritating.

This is what I find mad. I'm not in the UK and didn't do history past when I had to (age 14/15). Still managed to cover a huge amount of our history, European, World history (not as much as should have) and even got in divorce behead died, divorce behead survive and all that aswell. But trappedanddepressed I did notice that in a way any time I was over, some people are more interested even in general conversation about history from family or who they know, some people just see it as a means to an exam result. (Again no offence meant to anyone here, it's not a dig!)

If you are interested in the history of Burma/ Myanmar I highly recommend you read The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh

books.google.co.uk/books?id=-tOyBbgb_XUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+glass+Palace&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwitourjz8nuAhXoaRUIHf7mDa8Q6AEwAXoECAEQAg#v=onepage&q=The%20glass%20Palace&f=false

I'd heard of it but didn't know about the coup. What a shame

@raspberryk

Never heard of it either until right this minute, I don’t care for the news much and avoid watching where possible.

It’s not “news” to know a country exists...

‘There are people born in this country that don't even know how the first black people arrived i.e. slavery and why they have western names’

If you’re going to present yourself as a history scholar then please ensure you have all of your facts correct. The first black people to arrive in Britain (you say you’re British Asian so I’m assuming you weren’t talking about the America’s) did not arrive due to slavery. They came over as part of Roman armies. There were black people in a Tudor Britain who can be seen in Henry VIII tapestries.

www.history.co.uk/article/the-history-of-black-britain-roman-africans

Not all black people have western names either. Those from continental Africa have names African names. Those from the Americas have western names due to slavery.

Nobody knows everything, everyday is a school day where we have the opportunity to learn something new.

Yes, ignorant. Sorry

21:28RuggerHug

I don't know which country you are in or what your state schools are like, but in the UK there are many useless universities and useless degrees.
People here encourage their children to do crap like Media Studies.

Education is a scam in this country.

A few years ago employers as standard would ask potential employees what A levels they had or even GCSE's for entry level jobs, now employers ask if you have a degree, as most degrees are worthless and they are now combined with A level and GCSE results, just for an admin, office, finance clerk type role.

Even STEM degrees are watered down.
Very few people here don't want to do the hard subjects Maths etc
It's not surprising that a question about very current affairs is asked!

I knew nothing about Myanmar/Burma until I watched the programme by Simon Reeve a couple of years ago.

I have no pride or shame in my ignorance. I’m sure I know a lot of ‘stuff’ that others don’t, and I’m sure I have a lot of other ‘stuff’ to learn.

I’m thankful that I’m not someone that takes pride in being an arse to other posters on MN though. I mean, what a dick move.

@Ylfa

You might know it better as Burma?

Ohhhhhh I feel really dim now!

21:35Tellmetruth4
I'm not presenting myself as a history scholar
Obviously not all black people she western names I meant the ones with slavery ancestors
I should have said Caribbean not black

Not everyone can know everything yes but British people should know British history and where it has influenced

No one is asking the OP and the like to write an essay on Vasco de Gama

To be fair Ang San Suu Kyi’s imprisonment and Nobel Prize were thirty years ago. I’m fifty so I’m reasonably au fait with her life story, and have seen university JCRs named after her and then hastily unnamed but someone in their thirties might not be.

I’m thankful that I’m not someone that takes pride in being an arse to other posters on MN though. I mean, what a dick move

Careful, I got deleted for saying the same lol

Don't worry OP I thought Stonehenge was in Scotland til I was 23

@RuggerHug I didn't learn anything about colonisation or the empire when I was at secondary school from '00. In fact I would say we learned very little about anything. Definitely not the potato famine either.

@BubblyBarbara

There’s a country called Eswatini as well that’s almost as big as wales

There are a lot more countries now than when I was in school! Yugoslavia, USSR for starters. And Swaziland.

21:39exLtEveDallas

When British people don't know British history and the countries they influenced with their interference and lies then that isn't anything to be proud of. If you can't learn your own history what have you learned?!

@BubblyBarbara

There’s a country called Eswatini as well that’s almost as big as wales

I know that from watching daytime quizzes when Swaziland isn't allowed! Quite a few places have changed names, I find it hard to keep up.

The amount of English people that don't have a clue about the Irish plight is shocking
I agree.
It's also shocking how many people have no idea even what their own country is, what the UK is and what Britain is. Do you remember that Tory MP who was under the impression that anyone in the UK could get an Irish passport? Shocking ignorance.

I've even been to Myanmar.

@mrbensbaker. Can’t be that many sorely. Does she live in Ireland?

@TrappedAndDepressed

21:39exLtEveDallas

When British people don't know British history and the countries they influenced with their interference and lies then that isn't anything to be proud of. If you can't learn your own history what have you learned?!

They interfered so badly that many of them have kept the infrastructure that was developed by the dreadful colonials.

21:55hansgrueber

You really don't have a clue!
Colonisation equals - lies - theft - deception - nothing to be proud of.

Ohhh railways and roads big deal.

You don't even know how your own people were being treated by the English elite. You are a common person, how do you think your ancestors were being treated by the English elite?
You don't know. You don't know about history otherwise you wouldn't have made your dumb remark.