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Nearly quarter of Brits think Churchill was a fictional character

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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Jim V wrote: »
    Yeah but you could say the same for Dick Turpin.

    Huh?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    edited it, was doing too many things at once :p
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Jim V wrote: »
    Yeah but you could say the same for Churchill or anyone else on the list - ultimately knowing a lot about someone or knowing the reality of their lives isn't the same thing as knowing whether they were fictional or not. If you'd asked if Churchill was a war leader or if Sherlock Holmes was a detective then it'd be relevant

    I suppose so, I guess what I was getting at is that Dick Turpin is only known about because of the myths that were written about him long after his death. So in that sense our vision of him is far more fictional than true. Which isnt the case with people like Churchill.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It hardly seems fair to call people stupid 'cause they think Churchill is a fictional character. Surely it just means they've not been taught about him? If someone had been presented with information about Churchill's time as Primeminister and concluded that he was fictional, then maybe they'd be stupid.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    budda wrote: »
    Yes there was a Dick Turpin, and yes he was a criminal - but apart from that virtually everything people 'know' about him is total rubbish made up about 100 years after he died.

    He was actually more of a violent house breaker and robber than a highwayman. He was almost certainly also a rapist and used guns and torture to find out where loot was hidden in houses.

    So the Dick Turpin think they know is very largely fictional.

    But the question was whether Dick Turpin was real. Answer, yes he was. If the question was is the ride on Black Bess to York real - the answer would be is that its fictional

    (There was a book that came out recently, which gave a really interesting account of the real Turpin, who was as you say a nasty violent thug and how he came to be mythologised - buggered if I can remember the name)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Flashman's Ghost wrote: »
    (There was a book that came out recently, which gave a really interesting account of the real Turpin, who was as you say a nasty violent thug and how he came to be mythologised - buggered if I can remember the name)

    I presume you are refering to this book, which I've read and is excellent;

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dick-Turpin-James-Sharpe/dp/1861974183/ref=pd_bbs_5?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1202309711&sr=8-5
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I was too "enthusiastic", shall we say, in my response to this thread on Monday. However, I stand by much of what I said. For years, the education system seemed to go through change for change's sake, brought about by politicians who'll be dead and buried before we could see the long-term results of their reforms. Most British history seems to be ignored by schools, and the subject is taught as if it were nothing more than a list of dates and events. Real history was a lot more interesting than that!

    On a side note, given that Lent has now started, I'm going to give up bashing The Guardian from now until Easter. That should keep you lot happy. :p
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote: »
    Most British history seems to be ignored by schools, and the subject is taught as if it were nothing more than a list of dates and events. Real history was a lot more interesting than that!

    Rubbish, its precisely because it isnt a list of names and dates now that people complain that kids dont know much history. They pick certain periods and look more deeply into them - or at least thats the theory. What happens in practice is that the teachers school the kids to pass the exams.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote: »

    On a side note, given that Lent has now started, I'm going to give up bashing The Guardian from now until Easter. That should keep you lot happy. :p

    I for one will be disappointed, your rants about the Guardian have brighten my day up recently :D
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    budda wrote: »
    What happens in practice is that the teachers school the kids to pass the exams.
    You may well have received your education back in the 1850s, but that doesn't stop you from being correct about this. :p
    BlackArab wrote: »
    I for one will be disappointed, your rants about the Guardian have brighten my day up recently :D
    I'll just have to rant about something else in the meantime.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    budda wrote: »
    I presume you are refering to this book, which I've read and is excellent;

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dick-Turpin-James-Sharpe/dp/1861974183/ref=pd_bbs_5?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1202309711&sr=8-5

    Yep, that's the one. Have to agree it was an excellent read.
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