The Gettysburg Fakie

I remember back in elementary school the emphasis put on Social Studies, History and of course Physical Education. At a very early age I knew who this nation's first President was, who said, "I have a dream..", and who delivered the Gettysburg Address. It was important to my parents that I had heroes to look up too, Washington, Edison, Franklin, Paul Revere, Lincoln, Reagan, and the best running back of the current time, Earl Campbell.

As I grew older, my understanding of current events and history grew as well. Subjects such as the Holocaust, Space Shuttle Challenger, Iran-Contra, Vietnam, Pan-Am over Lockerbie, the Super Bowl and The Cosby Show were part of our regular conversation at the dinner table or family functions.

I am now the proud father of two amazing children. I have a 5 year old son and a 2 1/2 year old daughter. I think often of how to explain the "Who's Who" in America and the World. There are subjects we have crossed and others completely ignored. There are things that my 5 year old knows well (geography, time, beginning reading, Tiger Woods, Dolphin's End Jason Taylor, parts of the Torah) and then there are things that we just have not had the time to cover.

This brings me to the focus of this article. In a world where Jamie-Lynn Spears' pregnancy dominates the headlines, I then have to have great concern for our society. I wonder if future generations (my children included) will be bothered with knowing who our first President was, but instead want and need to know what a "Fakie", "50-50 grind", or a "tail-slide" is to the world. In the event you do not know the terms I have just stated, they are terms used in the world of skateboarding. One would commonly hear them at the X-Games or The Warped Tour.

Still Confused? You bet you are. You see, I knew some of the terms, I have been to these events, but never in my life did I think they were more important than American History, World History or say Moses! I want my children to learn the important things first. They will get the rest over time. They will have their passions, their hobbies, their beliefs, but it was and still is important to lay a solid foundation.

This Holiday Season, I have the distinct pleasure of delivering to you what I call "The Gettysburg Fakie". It was given to my new "friends" at the local mall. In the world of slang, what you will read below is the ultimate "SNAP!" and shows why America is in serious trouble.

My family and I were at the mall doing some shopping. My wife and daughter were in one store looking at clothes. My son and I wanted no part of that, so we ventured to the other side of the section we were in and went in a sporting goods store. All over the store there were footballs, baseballs, basketballs, snowboards, jerseys, hats, etc. As we moved towards the middle of the store there was a counter with two people. There was a male clerk working on a skateboard and a groupie girl on the other side talking to him. They were both very "Goth-Looking". Earrings, Mascara, Spiked Hair, all black clothing, and chains.

As we got closer to the counter, my son looked at the display and what the clerk was doing and said to me, "Daddy, what is that man doing?"

I told him that he was working on the wheels of a skateboard. My son then turned to me and said, "Daddy, what is a skateboard?" I showed him what a skateboard was and explained to him that it was a sport that people played.

As we were walking away from the counter, I heard the groupie girl say to her clerk friend, "Can you believe that idiot kid didn't know what a skateboard was?"

The clerk replied, "Yeah, ridiculous!"

At first, I was steaming mad. I wanted so desperately to go back to them and give them a piece of my mind. If I wasn't with my son, I might have done that, but in an effort to set a positive example for my child I took the high road with a "slight" alternative path. I kept thinking over and over if I was the problem. Have I provided my five year old with the best knowledge to succeed? Am I teaching him the proper way to treat people? Have I taught him what I thought were the most important values and lessons? Does he have a basic foundation on why America is great? The answer to all of these questions was "Yes!". I believe I have done my job successfully so far. I now wanted to prove it.

On our way out of the store, my son and I stopped by the skateboard counter again. This time, I interrupted their conversation and asked them if I could ask them both a question. They said, "Sure." so I proceeded.

I asked the clerk and goth girl this very simple question, "Do either of you know who the 16th President was/is?" There was a look of bewilderment on their faces. It was obvious they had no clue. Both of them admitted they had no idea.

I then turned to my 5 year old and asked him the same question. "Sam, who was/is the 16th President of the United States of America?"

He said with out blinking and eye, "Abraham Lincoln", and I just smiled.

As we were leaving the store my son says to me, "Daddy, can you believe they didn't know Abraham Lincoln was number 16?"

If I, or my son have any say in it, America might just be O.K.