Re: [quizbowl] Trash: Age and Accessibility, redux

• From: dan blim <danblim_at_sonatanator.yahoo.invalid>
• Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2003 00:46:28 -0500
• Message-ID: <F45KsEgJXOxJagXTi8M000002ef_at_...>

>From: "silver_hawks_02 <silver_hawks_02_at_...>" 
><silver_hawks_02_at_...>
>Reply-To: quizbowl_at_yahoogroups.com
>To: quizbowl_at_yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [quizbowl] Trash: Age and Accessibility, redux
>Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 20:14:01 -0000
>


>
>Not to get off on a libertarian rant here,

Ah, the politics of college bowl....



>#1 ---
To imply that one's age
>necessaily controls what trash knowledge one possesses is a dangerous
>theory because it stereotypes people by their age.

I agree here, but it is important to generally have a well-rounded packet, 
and if it's found in general that questions tend to be more dated, or that 
dated questions are less-answered, distribution reqs are good to balance 
these things out.  But, yeah, I agree that the overall question isn't easily 
simplified by age.

>
>#2 The following statement:  >"After all, quiz bowl is at heart a
> > college game," ingores the realities of the game. I'd argue that
>quiz bowl is EVERYONE'S game from "Jeopardy," (which was intended as
>an adult's game), down to elementary school kids.

Proof # 43: Who remembers that Nickelodeon game show "Making the Grade"?  Oh 
yeah.

>
>Look, if you DON'T know who Herman's Hermits, the Bay City Rollers,
>Tommy James & the Shondells, or Grand Funk Railroad are, the problem
>is NOT that you are too young, the problem is that you ARE a medicore-
>at-best trash player. But the same is true in reverse: if you don't
>know who Ja Rule, Michelle Branch, Ashanti and the White Stripes are,
>it's not that you're too old, its that you're just not as good at
>trash.

Good point here- well-rounded knowledge is good, and trash is made up of 
such odd collections of knowledge.  Clearly names noted today, whether 
they're new or not, are more likely to be in the lexicon, so judge more on 
today's cultural climate, not just on today's cultural products, maybe?  And 
yay for Herman's Hermits!  Hee.

-Dan Blim =)




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