A lot of truth in this

[Basil]

On the theme of critical thinking, it appears the photographer responsible for this image, a fireman in Belgium, stated it was intended as a joke. A search of "fire hose across railroad tracks" leads to several websites with similar stories:

"Hey, this past week our funny photo went viral throughout the whole world. Thousands of shares and likes in many different countries! Once and for all: the picture was taken in Belgium, in a small village called Bornem.

"After a minor intervention, we had some time left near the railway to make this picture. Since there were no trains running at all for a week due to maintenance works, we can state that our joke was a real success! Thanks to our entire team, 2nd sqdn Firefighters Bornem!"

So while the current teaching of critical thinking may not be up to snuff - the world still has a sense of humor.

Probably a lot of similar images that show ridiculous situations are actually set ups meant to poke fun.

 

[Popeye]

And in all seriousness, I often question the lack of critical thinking in 1930's Germany. I am German, and I often ponder how the population came to believe the division of the people; to believe that one type of person is superior to another type - basis solely on ancestral genes, not knowledge, skill, or contribution. Unfortunately, there are many similar parallels in history , and sometimes society does not learn from the past.

 

[NutmegCT]

Mike - in times of great stress (the economic disaster of the 1930s), people look for someone to blame. Beginning in 1918, Germans were told by leaders of many factions, that the Bolsheviks and Jews caused the German surrender after WW1, the great inflation of the Weimar years, and the economic horrors after the US stock market crash of 1929.

Those Germans who understood critical thinking, were shouted down, and eventually put in the camps.

Niemoeller:

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

 

[mikephillips]

Or left for other countries if they could.

 

[NutmegCT]

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/voyage-of-the-st-louis

 

[GregW]

I believe the St Louis was the ship my grandmother sailed on successfully before that tragic voyage. I'm not sure how many years before though.

 

[NutmegCT]

Gustav Schroeder (1885-1959) was a German sea captain who was appointed captain of the MS St. Louis. In May 1939, the St. Louis set sail from Hamburg, Germany, to Cuba with over 900 Jewish refugees aboard. The majority of these Jewish passengers were families with legal documents to emigrate. Although the St. Louis belonged to the Reich, Captain Schroeder refused to apply Nazi laws on board his vessel, and he ensured that his crew treated all Jewish passengers like any other passenger. All passengers on the ship had legal landing permits for Cuba, but after sailing across the Atlantic, the refugees were denied entry by the Cuban, American, and Canadian authorities.

Captain Schroeder was forced to turn the ship back towards Europe, but he refused to return to Germany before finding a safe haven for his Jewish passengers. He developed a contingency plan to shipwreck the St. Louis near the English coast in order to force the British authorities to take action, but he never had to follow through. The passengers were able to disembark in Antwerp, Belgium, after the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee reached an agreement with the governments of Belgium, Great Britain, France, and the Netherlands to take in a certain number of people. In 1957, Captain Schroeder received a medal from West Germany for helping the St. Louis passengers, and in 1993, Yad Vashem posthumously recognized him as Righteous Among the Nations.

https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn515358

 

[Silverghost]

Not sure if this goes to critical thinking but definitely goes to thinking in general. This last week I went to a hardware store and the drug store. Usually I'll locate things myself but I was trying to save time and was feeling a tad lazy. I asked the staff where can I find X and Y. Not like I was asking for a flux capacitor or anything. At the drug store, the person pulled out their cell phone, opened an app and said I've never heard of that and it says we don't carry that at our store. I shook my head, said thank you, and walked over to the aisle I thought it should be in. What do you know - there is what I needed. At the hardware store, same thing. Except in this case I was literally standing right in front of what I was asking about. My bad for not taking a few extra moments myself but the person came up and asked if they could help so I said yes.

And don't get me started on auto parts stores........

 

[Popeye]

Not sure if this goes to critical thinking but definitely goes to thinking in general. This last week I went to a hardware store and the drug store. Usually I'll locate things myself but I was trying to save time and was feeling a tad lazy. I asked the staff where can I find X and Y. Not like I was asking for a flux capacitor or anything. At the drug store, the person pulled out their cell phone, opened an app and said I've never heard of that and it says we don't carry that at our store. I shook my head, said thank you, and walked over to the aisle I thought it should be in. What do you know - there is what I needed. At the hardware store, same thing. Except in this case I was literally standing right in front of what I was asking about. My bad for not taking a few extra moments myself but the person came up and asked if they could help so I said yes.

And don't get me started on auto parts stores........

I shop Home Depot and Lowe’s with their app. I have given up asking for help, but the app quickly tells me 16p nails are in aisle 15 section 12.

Sad, really.

 

[Basil]

I shop Home Depot and Lowe’s with their app. I have given up asking for help, but the app quickly tells me 16p nails are in aisle 15 section 12.

Sad, really.

At least at my local Home Depot, some of the items are under lock and key. Such as copper fittings due to the high theft rate. You have to scan a QR code, which then will cause them to send someone to help you, eventually.
One thing I like about Lowe’s and Home Depot Depot both is that as a veteran I get 10% off on anything I buy in store. I have probably saved $5000 over the course of a few years.

 

[PAUL161]

I get my 10% at Lowe's, and it has also saved me a lot!

 

[Basil]

I get my 10% at Lowe's, and it has also saved me a lot!

Likewise, I get 10% off at AutoZone as well. I’ve gotten to the habit now of any time I go into a new place. I always ask them if they have either senior or military discounts. 10% may not seem like much but it adds up overtime.

 

[waltesefalcon]

Y'all don't just go down to your local hardware store? I go to TH Rogers here in town and if they don't have what I need or are too expensive I'll make the drive over to Elgin and visit their Ace. I try my best to avoid Lowe's and Home Depot.

 

[Basil]

Y'all don't just go down to your local hardware store? I go to TH Rogers here in town and if they don't have what I need or are too expensive I'll make the drive over to Elgin and visit their Ace. I try my best to avoid Lowe's and Home Depot.

We have a Rax lumber and hardware that I use often if I’m not planning to drive 30 miles to Albuquerque. Their stuff is a little more expensive but they do still offer me a veteran discount.

 

[John Turney]

Y'all don't just go down to your local hardware store? I go to TH Rogers here in town and if they don't have what I need or are too expensive I'll make the drive over to Elgin and visit their Ace. I try my best to avoid Lowe's and Home Depot.

My preference is my local Ace. Often, if I only need a couple of small items, they tell me it's not worth their time to ring it up.

 

[Popeye]

Y'all don't just go down to your local hardware store? I go to TH Rogers here in town and if they don't have what I need or are too expensive I'll make the drive over to Elgin and visit their Ace. I try my best to avoid Lowe's and Home Depot.

Yes, yes, yes. 5 minutes away to the local Ace, and they actually help you find stuff. And they carry the good Benjamin Moore paint.

But sometimes they don’t have what HD has… usually plumbing and electrical - there are no nearby supply shops open for on evenings or weekends (when us working stiffs have time!)

 

[waltesefalcon]

Yes, yes, yes. 5 minutes away to the local Ace, and they actually help you find stuff. And they carry the good Benjamin Moore paint.

But sometimes they don’t have what HD has… usually plumbing and electrical - there are no nearby supply shops open for on evenings or weekends (when us working stiffs have time!)

I'm in the same boat. Sometimes you have to go into Lowes or Home Depot, and make the corresponding drive. Luckily, my local hardware store / lumber yard has a pretty good stock and they are open on Saturdays until noon. So, my drives to Lawton are usually just to see my mom, not HD.

 

[JPSmit]

And in all seriousness, I often question the lack of critical thinking in 1930's Germany. I am German, and I often ponder how the population came to believe the division of the people; to believe that one type of person is superior to another type - basis solely on ancestral genes, not knowledge, skill, or contribution. Unfortunately, there are many similar parallels in history , and sometimes society does not learn from the past.

Don't want to violate Basil's forum guidelines so, let me simply say the parallels are not at all historic - they are current events.

One (hopefully less controversial example)

• Did you hear about the Flat Earth Society's new international convention? Turns out, they have members all around the world!

(quick google)
A small but vocal minority believes the Earth is flat, with polls consistently showing that around 1% to 2% of people firmly believe the Earth is flat. While a firm belief is rare, some surveys have found higher numbers of people who are uncertain or are influenced by conspiracy theories, with one survey showing 10% of Americans agreeing with a cluster of conspiracy claims including a flat Earth.

• Firm believers:
  A YouGov poll of over 8,000 American adults found that only 2% selected the option, "I have always believed the world is flat".
  
  
• Conspiracy believers:
  One survey found that 10% of Americans agreed with conspiracy claims that included the Earth is flat, alongside other beliefs like NASA faking the moon landing.

 

[NutmegCT]

Something I've taught my students since Antiquity ... always ask "How do you know that's true?"

Many will quickly say "but all my buddies believe it, so it must be true!"

 

[mikephillips]

Being the son and great nephew of lawyers, one of the things I learned growing up was to look for facts with everything of importance. Moon landing, flat earth, hidden aliens, what can I find facts to prove or disprove.