Cultural Literacy

It occurs to me that Sammy may be the only 9-year-old boy in the world who can recognize Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke from his picture but who does not know that a chicken is a bird.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke


A chicken

Keith Olbermann, eat your heart out.

Sam: What kind of animal is a chicken?

Me: Hmmm. You really don't know? Well, what does it have on its body?

Sam: Uhhh, fur?

Me: You really don't know?

Sam: Yes! I know!

Me: Well, what is it then?

Sam: The question is, what doesn't it have on its body?

Me: Answer the question!

Sam: Uhhh, hair?

Me (to assembled family members): He really doesn't know! He's not a farmer.

Matt: Ok, think about this. "Which came first the chicken or the..."

Sam: Egg!

Matt: And what kind of animal lays eggs, and has feathers, and wings...?

Me: I can't believe Sammy didn't know that a chicken was a bird.

Sam: Mom! I blanked! You were yelling at me like Chris Matthews and I blanked!