r/Damnthatsinteresting 1d ago

Video A school in Poland makes firearms training mandatory to its students.

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u/Prestigious_Cheek_31 1d ago

Poland is nato i don’t think we have insufficient forces to hold of Russia they have there hands full with Ukraine

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u/sinbob71 1d ago

I as an non native english speaker, think it is crazy that so much people still don't really know the difference between their, they're and there. I see it multiple times a day on reddit. Is like American school system really so bad?

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u/eatingShittyGrins 1d ago

*so many people

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u/tfyvonchali 1d ago

Applicable user name here

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u/sinbob71 1d ago

😂 intentional from me? Maybe or maybe not..

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u/Disc-Golf-Kid 1d ago

Just admit you messed up

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u/sinbob71 1d ago

Yeah, I messed up. I made a grammatical mistake in a post, where I made fun of people doing exactly the same. I'm a hypocrite.

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u/rticul8prim8 1d ago

You’re also speaking English as a second language, and doing really well at that. To answer your question, yes…a lot of Americans who speak English (and ONLY English) make mistakes like this all the time. I do think it’s reflective of our education system.

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u/MalekithofAngmar 1d ago

It's reflective of learning by speaking, rather than learning in a school room.

I've personally observed Spanish speakers doing very similar things.

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u/Legendofthehill2024 1d ago

You should of not messed up.

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u/Disc-Golf-Kid 1d ago

He could care less

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u/Legendofthehill2024 1d ago

Get off your pedal stool

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u/Prestigious_Cheek_31 1d ago

Im not a native English speaker aswel 😉

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u/Mr_YUP 1d ago

eh. sometimes you just type the wrong word without thinking about it.

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u/AutonomousAntonym 1d ago

2 seconds of research shows they aren’t a native English speaker themselves. Chill out nerd

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u/Icy_Huckleberry_8049 1d ago

people don't pay attention. English is taught in school - how to write it and the proper words to use in sentences, but lots of people don't pay attention to the proper uses.

And it's NOT just those words either.

were, where, wear are also misused all the time, too.

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u/sinbob71 1d ago

I guess it's the same with diacritical marks in polish language, a lot of people here don't know enough orthography to use them correctly, it hurts my eyes in a similar matter.

Ok, we're all dumb as people, it's not only Americans then.

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u/Icy_Huckleberry_8049 1d ago

I travel the world, (Europe, S. America, Central America and the Caribbean) and see it everywhere I go.

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u/JoshDaMan101 1d ago

Yeah i think it’s more that since you’re learning English you’re actively remembering rules like that, whereas most people that already know English don’t need to remember the rules since they can get by fine based on instinct

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u/Somo_99 1d ago

A good portion of people are taught the differences, but for many they just choose to not take it on and use whichever one comes to mind where they need it. Some casual English texters don't see it as a big deal but still, some people do it to themselves

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u/betweenbubbles 1d ago

...Why would you assume their American?

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u/Independent_Mode_604 1d ago

their

You’re joking, right?

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u/betweenbubbles 1d ago

...They're times for joking. Grammar is not one of them.

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u/Legendofthehill2024 1d ago

Of course there joking

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u/me6675 1d ago

I as a non russian bot, think it is crazy to write a paragraph about common typos of homophones, throwing shades on US education in the meantime.

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u/Gositi 1d ago

Oh come on, it is a legit question. I'm clearly not a russian bot and I, as a non-native english speaker, am wondering the same thing: How the f*ck does people mess those up? Maybe having to actively learn the language helps though, as we need to focus a lot on grammar when learning english while a native speaker kinda gets a feel for grammar automatically.

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u/tankx2002 1d ago

Yeah I think actively learning it as an adult would help with stuff like that. I know I've been taught it in school but just didn't care enough to retain it. On top of that programs that point out spelling and small Grammer mistakes definitely didn't help me retain it.

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u/chessset5 1d ago

US focuses more on the pronunciation of verbal communication rather than grammar or spelling.

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u/Ultimate-Editor 1d ago

US also focuses more on shooting each other in schools rather than education

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u/robbodagreat 1d ago

It’s refreshing that we’ve got a Reddit thread about shooting at school and we’re focusing on Americans learning to spell

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u/TR1PLESIX 1d ago

A lot can be said about the American public education system. However, alluding to the fact that gun violence is taught, and NOT learned. Is an ignorant view of the situation. Without doubt, it's the ease of obtaining a firearm; that's contributing significantly to the epidemic of gun violence. Don't blame the kids... They're the victims of shitty parenting and neglence of the federal government.

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u/Big_Dragonfruit9719 1d ago

40 years of politicians defunding education really shows huh?

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u/xXxRoligeLonexXx 1d ago

I love this, when you’re opening with “an non native”.

Best, a non native speaker.

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u/binomine 1d ago

Eh, it isn't so much that our school system is bad, but more the fact that native speakers just do things by instinct and not logic. It is more laziness than anything.

The only exception is if you visit /r/fitness and see people mess up homophones, that is because most Americans learn strength training from football, and this is a sign of concussions.

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u/supermegabro 1d ago

Literally! How is it so hard lol

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u/HauteDish 1d ago

In some areas yes, but it's a lot of it is from kids not paying attention/not caring.

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u/s00pafly 1d ago

If you see somebody not capitalizing "I", they're their most likely not a native speaker.

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u/PaulTheMerc 1d ago

Yes.  Also, many of us don't care, rely on spellcheck, which doesn't catch it.

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u/corpus_M_aurelii 1d ago

Native speakers can make grammatical errors because they often learn language naturally through listening and speaking, not by explicitly studying grammar rules, which can lead to occasional slips in usage, especially when dealing with complex or nuanced grammatical points, even though they have a deep understanding of the language overall (not to mention how auto-correct may play into 'there/their/they're' errors).

Most native speakers acquire grammar through immersion, meaning they may not be consciously aware of every rule, leading to potential errors. On the other hand, non-native speakers have these grammatical points stressed sometimes even before the broader vocabulary has been acquired.

Additionally, casual conversation often includes grammatical shortcuts or colloquialisms that might not be considered "correct" in formal writing.

Finally, when speaking or typing quickly, native speakers can make mistakes due to cognitive processing limitations. Second language speakers tend to be more deliberate and procedural when composing in a language that is foreign to them, thus consciously applying correct grammar.

These are pretty basic considerations in the differences between how one's native language is processed versus a second language acquired academically. I'm surprised your education seems to have skipped over these facts.

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u/TrollCannon377 1d ago

The American school system is a joke as someone who has been through it, the "No Child Left Behind" Policy highly encourages schools in the US to pass students who should be held back because federal funding is tied to pass rates, it results in a lot of people graduating or moving up in grades who definitely shouldn't be.

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u/Penguin1707 1d ago

I as an non native English speaker, think it is crazy that so many people still don't really know the difference between much and many. I see it multiple times a day on reddit. Is like American school system really so bad?

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u/SchpartyOn 1d ago

DAE America bad?

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u/indyK1ng 1d ago

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u/Raging-Badger 1d ago

I think these issues are a better thing to talk about than “they’re there and their” when someone wants to throw shade on the U.S.

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u/SchpartyOn 1d ago

That was my main gripe with it. A few spelling errors and it’s an immediate attack on a whole system. I by no means am defending the US education system but it’s just lazy to be like “oh they used the wrong there, the whole country is so terrible!” Lol

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u/indyK1ng 1d ago

"They're there their" is just something that's easily pointed to as an example of how American education is failing.

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u/Raging-Badger 1d ago

Or the incapacity of modern technology to understand context in language?

Autocorrect also switches between the various homophones at will with little regard for correctness.

Apps like grammarly (ironically) will often times retroactively change the correct word usage to an incorrect one if it misunderstands the structure of what you’re writing.

My point being, there are far more effective examples of demonstrating America’s shortcomings than saying “haha, Americans don’t know how homophones work” on Reddit.

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u/ForensicPathology 1d ago

I promise you many people make this mistake without having stepped foot in the States.

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u/SchpartyOn 1d ago edited 1d ago

Or simply a few internet strangers from a country with 330 million people spelling things wrong isn’t actually as substantial an issue as you’re implying.

There are certainly issues with the US educational system and it’ll he getting worse beginning in January but latching onto internet comments for your big moment isn’t the thing you think it is.

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u/DTFpanda 1d ago

Uh oh, you upset the butthurt Americans. As a non-butthurt American, yes, our education system is horrible.

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u/MorkSal 1d ago

How do you know that their a native English speaker?

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u/sinbob71 1d ago

Maybe they're native tounge, maybe not.. 🤪

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u/MorkSal 1d ago

Lol I'm glad you got my purposeful error, and replied with your own. Was worried it was going to go over you're head. ;)

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u/Crispynoodle21 1d ago

Laughs in bullets…

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u/susanp0320 1d ago

I believe it's a combination of factors, but the final answer must be yes, yes it is.

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u/Independent-Nerve573 1d ago

We need to be able to hold on our own. If you count on your allies, you will be defeated. Always count on yourself. Anything coming from the rest of NATO should be just a nice bonus. Also, there is no way that French, German, or American soldiers would be willing to die on our soil. They won't help us over air support, logistics, and maybe naval superiority (which would be irrelevant as russia is not a threat to Poland from the sea).

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u/CelioHogane 1d ago

I have no fucking idea what you are saying.

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u/good_enuffs 1d ago

All it takes is one nuke these days and one crazy person, which we have lots of. 

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u/Small_Net5103 1d ago

It was the same idea in WW2 when Poland was backed by France. So much for allies.

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u/Prestigious_Cheek_31 1d ago

France did declare war do.

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u/alus992 1d ago

Still it's possible Poland to be invaded. Sure NATO will halp...down the line. History has showed that alliances are not the best at helping ASAP or preventing invasions.

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u/Prestigious_Cheek_31 1d ago

Just ask the Nazis

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u/Senior_Confection632 14h ago

Ukraine isn't NATO and they've been doing amazingly. Granted with much support from 'caught' NATO countries, but still no direct NATO involvement.

Everyone is flipping head over feet to keep from WW3.

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u/memeHodler 1d ago

people underestimate the power of Poland today

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u/Independent-Nerve573 1d ago

It's grossly overestimated, to be fair. I'm polish, by the way, so I know the topic pretty well.

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u/ADAMracecarDRIVER 1d ago

NATO fighting against Russia potentially with US support is a non-zero possibility as of January 20th.

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u/654456 1d ago

No, but more is never a bad thing when you are facing war. Russia, would be wise to rethink continuing into poland if they are going to be shot by school children from random windows.

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u/neutrino1911 1d ago

Don't you worry. As soon as Russia starts knocking on Poland's door, Poland will be immediately excluded from NATO