The Cambridge Chat Thread - it&#x27;s over 90,000!

Original post by Leipzig

Well, given the historian said yes and the scientist(?) said no (sort of), I'm going to take that as more evidence of the so-called arts vs. science divide. :biggrin:

I'm a scientist but I knew what the October Revolution was. You might need more people to reply before drawing any conclusions :tongue:

Reply 8443

Original post by Leipzig

Well, given the historian said yes and the scientist(?) said no (sort of), I'm going to take that as more evidence of the so-called arts vs. science divide. :biggrin:

I knew what it was too :tongue:

Spoiler

Reply 8444

harr

15

What does knowing what the October Revolution was actually mean? I've heard of it, but I wouldn't be able to say how it compared to the February Revolution (though I understand that The Hunt for Red February was a lot less successful).

Original post by ukdragon37

I knew what it was too :tongue:

Spoiler

Reply 8445

Original post by harr

What does knowing what the October Revolution was actually mean? I've heard of it, but I wouldn't be able to say how it compared to the February Revolution (though I understand that The Hunt for Red February was a lot less successful).

Spoiler

Reply 8446

It could be lupus

Original post by ukdragon37

Spoiler

I think that was meant to be a joke...

Reply 8447

Leipzig

HA!

Also, I didn't know about the movie reference, but I just watched the trailer and it looks amazingly terrible and terribly amazing.

Reply 8448

Original post by It could be lupus

I think that was meant to be a joke...

Oh dear... :o:

Reply 8449

harr

15

Original post by ukdragon37

Oh dear... :o:

I get that a lot.

On a more serious note: Since Wikipedia defines communism as a classless, stateless society I don't think it makes sense to call certain countries communist when they're about as far from Marx's ideal of ungoverned Essex girls as possible.

Reply 8450

Original post by harr

I get that a lot.

On a more serious note: Since Wikipedia defines communism as a classless, stateless society I don't think it makes sense to call certain countries communist when they're about as far from Marx's ideal of ungoverned Essex girls as possible.

It's "officially" a communist country :tongue:

Reply 8451

lp386

I had to Google it (though I was thinking Russia). I'm going to take this as more evidence that economists don't actually know anything at all.

Reply 8452

Zoedotdot

OP

18

I can't imagine not knowing what the October Revolution is, as I first studied Russian history when I was 14 and the revolution has come up in every year of history that I've done since then (as I did 20th century US foreign policy for my A level). But maybe I didn't know before then? I think I did because I read a lot of history, but I honestly can't remember.

It doesn't really surprise me that people don't know what it is instantly. We all know that Russia had evil tsars and then they were evil communists and now they're evil mafia oil hogs and they're always the baddies in James Bond films because they have evil sounding accents, who cares about the in between bits?

EDIT: Obviously I care.

EDITEDIT: And technically they were evil socialists rather than evil communists, but again, it's rare that anyone makes the distinction.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 8453

gethsemane342

11

I know what the October Revolution is ... but then, I have little doubt my mother mentioned it to me at some point. I've never studied Russia in school (though unlike most schools, we did do South Africa and Welsh coal mining at GCSE...). I don't think I've ever come across it in my general reading.

Reply 8454

harr

15

Personally I think that the modern education system has failed if people still believe that there is any part of history than doesn't involve the Nazis.

Reply 8455

Topaz_eyes

Original post by lp386

I had to Google it (though I was thinking Russia). I'm going to take this as more evidence that economists don't actually know anything at all.

Ditto for me. Physicists clearly don't know anything either!

Reply 8456

Craghyrax

17

Why didn't Russia win? :puppyeyes:

Failing that, why didn't Turkey win?
Albania was... interesting. I'm surprised the camera lens didn't shatter. I felt compelled to feel supportive in some sense out of dreadlock solidarity, but that single dreadlock curled around her throat was a bit too creepy :s-smilie:

And she looked a bit like Caroline Lucas which was even more disconcerting. All things considered, its lucky I didn't have weird dreams last night.

Original post by Leipzig

I found out that my next door neighbour didn't know what the October Revolution was.

I mean, she's a scientist but... that's awkward, right?

I do. I'm a social scientist, so hopefully I'll blur the stereotyping :sly:

Original post by harr

I get that a lot.

On a more serious note: Since Wikipedia defines communism as a classless, stateless society I don't think it makes sense to call certain countries communist when they're about as far from Marx's ideal of ungoverned Essex girls as possible.

Agreed, damnit :judge:

Original post by gethsemane342

I know what the October Revolution is ... but then, I have little doubt my mother mentioned it to me at some point. I've never studied Russia in school (though unlike most schools, we did do South Africa and Welsh coal mining at GCSE...). I don't think I've ever come across it in my general reading.

Ooh, snap. I had Russia and South African history. Not Welsh obviously :ninja:

And then inevitably standard modern world history + lots of Nazis :dry:

Original post by harr

Personally I think that the modern education system has failed if people still believe that there is any part of history than doesn't involve the Nazis.

Reply 8457

Blaah Blaah

I don't think I've ever heard of the October Revolution, but I googled it and if you'd said Bolshevik Revolution or Red October I could've told you it was about Russia and communists. I've never studied History (beyond the compulsory summary of Nazis and the slave trade at the start of high school).

Reply 8458

lp386