NationStates

I have always wondered how so many people can be so ignorant of the world around them. It's the freaking planet you live on, how could you not know how to locate basic nations essential to it's history, or know that history? It's a half and half problem, partly because schools insist on keeping Social Studies programs in the bubble of American History and State History (State History I see no freaking point of) up to the end of high school. The other half is students and people knowing that they are ignorant, but refusing to take up the minute to Google simple words like "Russia" or "Germany" or "Napoleanic Wars". I find it appalling and disgusting that our citizens can be so out of touch, and think Congress needs to seriously reform the education system to mimic our European superiors counterparts before wasting the year debating about Gun Control or Healthcare.

Hochste Kaiserreich wrote:I have always wondered how so many people can be so ignorant of the world around them. It's the freaking planet you live on, how could you not know how to locate basic nations essential to it's history, or know that history?

The problem is apathy to history and poor education.

I looked at the map, and most of the false answers are in the general area.

As someone who can pinpoint virtually every country on a map, I never quite understand why it's used as a barometer of international understanding. I know fuck all about their political situations, but because I can point out Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Equatorial Guinea on a map, I'm informed? It's never made any sense.

Benuty wrote:Too small a sample size to be fair.

A sample size of 2066 is enough for the population of the United States to be confident of the results +/- 3%. It's more than large enough to be fair.

Blakk Metal wrote:I looked at the map, and most of the false answers are in the general area.

Here's the map in question for those too lazy to read the linked articles.

As someone who can name about 180 out of 196 countries, this result is really saddening. It shows how little the US education system puts on geography. Then again, it's not just the US. I bet that most Japanese or French kids couldn't find it either.

Americans are stupid? They want to invade random countries? No way!

I think the problem with proto-Geographers in the US is that their world is so confusing...

http://xkcd.com/503/

...with that disadvantage, no wonder there's a lot of people thinking that North Korea¹ is in Australia (or that it's South Korea that's the enemy).


On the other hand (but maybe it's just the kind of people Randall gets to meet), there's http://xkcd.com/850/ as well...

edit: ¹ Actually, it's coming back to me, it was maybe Iraq or Iran that that famously got placed in Australia, instead, by a (willing?) participant of one of these "Aren't us Americans stupid" videos that I'm sure is on YouTube, somewhere.

The Emerald Dragon wrote:

Viritica wrote:Oh great, here come the anti-America twats spewing their bullshit.

You can give it out, but not take it.

Typical.

Give what out?

Lemanrussland wrote:

Blakk Metal wrote:I looked at the map, and most of the false answers are in the general area.

Here's the map in question for those too lazy to read the linked articles.

I still hope those that put it in the US were being tongue in cheek.

Viritica wrote:

The Emerald Dragon wrote:

You can give it out, but not take it.

Typical.

Give what out?

Sex, presumably; he might be calling you a slut, I don't know; I'm getting my threads confused.

Kiruri wrote:Shocker! Americans suck at geography I don't think this is anything new. Yes, obviously Americans need to pump up their social studies / history / geography curriculum

I'm great at all three. This statistic is rather shocking, though.

I feel like geography is like math. Most students are well versed in it but they forget as adults. I mean how many jobs would require it. School is weird because it tries to teach us all different subjects, and we just forget the ones that we don't use in our jobs.

United Marxist Nations wrote:

Lemanrussland wrote:

Here's the map in question for those too lazy to read the linked articles.

I still hope those that put it in the US were being tongue in cheek.

I thought it was pretty funny when people in Georgia, USA started freaking out when Russia invaded Georgia, the country.

The Sotoan Union wrote:I feel like geography is like math. Most students are well versed in it but they forget as adults. I mean how many jobs would require it. School is weird because it tries to teach us all different subjects, and we just forget the ones that we don't use in our jobs.

I think one big problem is that geography is just not taught that much. It's lumped into social studies, which is history, sociology and geography all put together. I wasn't really taught geography past the 8th grade.

Fionnuala_Saoirse wrote:

Nervium wrote:
Well, you thought wrong.

Go on, use your words. Why?

Understanding where a country is located, along with how big it is, puts things in context. I demonstrates an understanding of the situation and helps form a persons opinion on the subject.

If you don't know, at least roughly where a country is located you aren't going to understand the situation.

Viritica wrote:

The Emerald Dragon wrote:

You can give it out, but not take it.

Typical.

Give what out?

Criticism would be my guess.

Geography is certainly an important subject, and I'd love for Americans to know more about other countries, but one shouldn't really expect Americans to learn these things on their own.

Fionnuala_Saoirse wrote:

Alyakia wrote:
while there are few people that can pinpoint literally every country ever it demonstrates a very large lack of understanding of the world if you're struggling to find the places you invaded

can you seriously tell you'd take someone on the other side of the world who doesn't even know what an ireland looks like seriously if they started rattling their mouth?

Well obviously I whip out a map and ask them to pinpoint it to determine whether they're idiots....

Nah just kidding. If they understand the players involved and the factors involved their ability to point at a globe and shout "that one" really means fuck all.

How exactly can people understand the players involved, if they don't know where the players are?

Also:

Magna Libero wrote:The shocking part of this news is that those, who did not know where Ukraine is were more likely to call for a military intervention.

It's important to know that Ukraine's not located in Alaska, when considering if war with Russia is worth defending Ukraine.

Kratu wrote:

United Marxist Nations wrote:No, geography is really easy; even someone with a basic understanding of geography should be able to know that Ukraine is in Eastern Europe. Hell, just from the news reports, they should know that it borders Russia, and that really narrows it down.

But that requires them to know where Russia is.

Geilinor wrote:

Hochste Kaiserreich wrote:I have always wondered how so many people can be so ignorant of the world around them. It's the freaking planet you live on, how could you not know how to locate basic nations essential to it's history, or know that history?

The problem is apathy to history and poor education.

TBQH, apathy to history's driven by poor education, and the return of the twat mentality that only hard sciences matter.

Murkwood wrote:As someone who can name about 180 out of 196 countries, this result is really saddening. It shows how little the US education system puts on geography. Then again, it's not just the US. I bet that most Japanese or French kids couldn't find it either.

It is, especially since there are only 193 UN members, and way more than 3 states with limited recognition

Abkhazia, SADR, Palestine, Taiwan...

Lyttenburgh wrote:Americans are stupid? They want to invade random countries? No way!

"Who won the Vietnam War?"
"We did! Wait, were we even in the Vietnam War?"



(2nd video)

Spartan Philidelphia wrote:Geography is certainly an important subject, and I'd love for Americans to know more about other countries, but one shouldn't really expect Americans to learn these things on their own.

Time for China to liberate the US from geographic ignorance?

Since America gained independance, they constantly think about "merging with Canada".

First, it wouldn't be received very well, especially by the patriotic French-Canadians (Trust me, I live in Quebec).

Second...it doesn't surprise me that Americans know so little about geography. Sure, they KNOW where Arabia and all the oil is, but they don't even know their Canadian neighbor...I went to Texas once and when we asked about Canada, they said it was "A state up north".

Wow...

-The Trade Federation- wrote:Since America gained independance, they constantly think about "merging with Canada".

Constantly? I don't think we've seriously said that since 1812.

2000 people seems like too few to extrapolate to a country of 300 million. Isn't it?

Margno wrote:2000 people seems like too few to extrapolate to a country of 300 million. Isn't it?

Welcome to statistics.

Lemanrussland wrote:

Blakk Metal wrote:I looked at the map, and most of the false answers are in the general area.

Here's the map in question for those too lazy to read the linked articles.

Holy shit Who the fuck thinks Ukraine is in central Asia?! There are things that I can forgive in Geography like for example, getting the Czech Republic mixed up with Slovakia Or getting Algeria mixed up with Nigeria (less so) but Ukraine is a large country with a very distinct coastline. Also I would imagine they have been shown masses of maps on the news recently to demonstrate what precisely is going on in Ukraine... really people just need to pay attention more.