How ignorant are we really?

[SUBMAN1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww

This should be a good discussion!

-S

This clip of poor Miss Teen South Carolina (http://misssouthcarolina.com/) (That is one of the most cheesy Web sites I have ever seen by the way) is being used as a metaphor for what some declare to be rampant stupidity in the United States. But I am not convinced that this painful public incoherence by a teenage beauty queen is really an appropriate example of general stupidity. It is more a poignant example of a person inexperienced in public speaking trying to answer a question under pressure. I am a terrible public speaker myself, so I can empathize with her plight.


However, the question she is trying to answer, “why can’t 1 out of 5 Americans find the United States on a world map?” does give one pause. With Google maps (http://maps.google.com/), MapQuest (http://www.mapquest.com/), and Garmin (http://www.garmin.com/garmin/cms/site/us) UPS devices, being able to read a map and find you’re your location should be easy, but maybe that is the tech geek in me coming out.


Watching Jay Leno’s Jaywalking (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUmviuceomk) episodes one could certainly come to the conclusion that we are a doomed society - he finds some of the least aware people on the planet walking down the street. I believe that his “contestants” would be hard pressed to actually find the world on a world map.


But those people don’t generally hang out at TechRepublic - at least I have always assumed so. Judging by the talkback discussions I have seen, TechRepublic members tend to have better than average knowledge on just about everything. But maybe TechRepublic is an anomaly. Perhaps the rest of the country, the rest of the world is steadily slipping toward the lowest common denominator? What do you think?

[Tchocky]

Walk down anystreet for long enough and you'll find a Miss South Carolina :)

Regarding what you might call geographic ignorance among Americans, I think that that is more or less a function of scale than anything else. Americans don't have to leave America in the same way Europeans, for example, have to travel across national borders or hear different languages.
If I want to go skiing this spring, I'll have to leave Ireland. When I was living in Boston I only had to drive for an afternoon, and that was going out of my way :)

[XabbaRus]

Hey we in Europe can't laugh. Brits have trouble finding London on a map, let alone Scotland..they did a poll of UK teens and it was shocking. Saying that how are the polls done. I could easily find a 1000 teens who don't know jack about the world excpet where to get booze, drugs and sex.
I agree it looked like nerves though beauty pagents freak me out. Th kiddy ones are over here now.

[Iron Budokan]

The majority of people are woefully, almost criminally, ignorant. Successful politicans and advertizing executives and carnival barkers and used car salsemen and con men all know this very simple fact.

[Torplexed]

I think geographical knowledge like a lot of things simply comes down to interest. Were you ever fond of maps? Did you want a globe or an atlas as a kid? Do you have to travel internationally a lot and does that pique your interest?

When I was a kid my father was in the Air Force and we got based overseas alot. I got a head start on geography in school anyway. ;)

[Ducimus]

Boil the fat away and it comes down to interest i think. Generally speaking, people don't get interested or give a crap about anything unless it directly effects their daily lives.

[STEED]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww

This should be a good discussion!

-S

This clip of poor Miss Teen South Carolina (http://misssouthcarolina.com/) (That is one of the most cheesy Web sites I have ever seen by the way) is being used as a metaphor for what some declare to be rampant stupidity in the United States. But I am not convinced that this painful public incoherence by a teenage beauty queen is really an appropriate example of general stupidity. It is more a poignant example of a person inexperienced in public speaking trying to answer a question under pressure. I am a terrible public speaker myself, so I can empathize with her plight.


However, the question she is trying to answer, “why can’t 1 out of 5 Americans find the United States on a world map?” does give one pause. With Google maps (http://maps.google.com/), MapQuest (http://www.mapquest.com/), and Garmin (http://www.garmin.com/garmin/cms/site/us) UPS devices, being able to read a map and find you’re your location should be easy, but maybe that is the tech geek in me coming out.


Watching Jay Leno’s Jaywalking (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUmviuceomk) episodes one could certainly come to the conclusion that we are a doomed society - he finds some of the least aware people on the planet walking down the street. I believe that his “contestants” would be hard pressed to actually find the world on a world map.


But those people don’t generally hang out at TechRepublic - at least I have always assumed so. Judging by the talkback discussions I have seen, TechRepublic members tend to have better than average knowledge on just about everything. But maybe TechRepublic is an anomaly. Perhaps the rest of the country, the rest of the world is steadily slipping toward the lowest common denominator? What do you think?

Interesting how she seem to be stuck for words and made up something which made as much sense as a flat pack instructions.


Hey we in Europe can't laugh. Brits have trouble finding London on a map, let alone Scotland..they did a poll of UK teens and it was shocking. Saying that how are the polls done. I could easily find a 1000 teens who don't know jack about the world excpet where to get booze, drugs and sex.
I agree it looked like nerves though beauty pagents freak me out. Th kiddy ones are over here now.

Don't tell the current Labour government that, as far as they are concerned children here are passing exams left right and centre and doing a grand job, back in the real world this country is going to liberal and slowly going down the pan. And we wonder why teenagers have a drinking & drugs problems that because they see there is no hope or future in this country.

[Letum]

Hey we in Europe can't laugh.

Ahh, I dunno, we can laugh a little. We tend to do a bit better than the US in
international IQ tests.

That said, the Far East is laughing at us all in that respect.

[kiwi_2005]

When im in World of warcraft and get chatting with others the topic comes up where abouts in the states are you from as you all know WoW is an american made mmorpg so its full of americans, when it comes to my turn i say 'Well im from New Zealand' theres a strange eerie silence then some one will say 'Wheres that'! :rotfl:

Now i will say im from New Zealand which is two tiny islands just below Australia, then they go ahh an Australian gidday mate. With my reply "No Mate a Kiwi!:):roll:

:lol: Hardcase Yanks!

[Stealth Hunter]

Utter idiot. Her only skill is to look like a candied-up hooker and take up space on Earth. I hate stupid people. Utterly H.A.T.E. them.

[Torplexed]

Now i will say im from New Zealand which is two tiny islands just below Australia, then they go ahh an Australian gidday mate. With my reply "No Mate a Kiwi!:):roll:

:lol: Hardcase Yanks!
Heheh...we had an NZ exchange student in high school who went to great pains to remind us that he wasn't another Aussie. "Keep your vegemite, Olivia Newton-John and Men At Work jokes to yerself." :)

[Onkel Neal]

I have trouble finding my car in the airport parking lots, does that count? :doh:

[Dimitrius07]

Israel its not gone to far ether.

For examp a tenager Israel boy - 17-18 yers old don`t know when the World war 2 is started.
I don`t know what he is learned in the highschool but whatever :dead:

[antikristuseke]

Most people in my age bracket are ignorant to such a degree that it makes me sick, at least arround here in good old Estland.

[DeepIron]

"Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise." ~Thomas Gray

[Herr_Pete]

i dnt kno if its general interest. i have no interest in geography or map reading etc. but i being able to identify coutrys on map was simple. That is jst awful really. She has no excuse. Just thick as mince

[Sailor Steve]

i dnt kno if its general interest. i have no interest in geography or map reading etc. but i being able to identify coutrys on map was simple. That is jst awful really. She has no excuse. Just thick as mince
Some in the US can't find the US on a map, but I would at least hope that someone from the UK should be able to write proper English.

[XabbaRus]

Oh the joys of text speech. I hate it. OK on the forum I'll make spelling mistakes and grammar cock ups but that is more due to my bad typing and rushing than lack of knowledge. Thing is teens are starting to talk like they text. Seriously I have seen a business e-mail written in text speak.

Hands up here all those who hate SMS :rock:

[Letum]

Thats Geography and English coverd, now how about a History test (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs3SfNANtig).

[Blacklight]

I think it boils down to media portrayal. I mean, look at the most of the top rated TV shows we have over here. 99% of them are reality shows filled with people who can't find their own behind and throw temper tantrums when they have to face a situation in the "real world" beyond their little TV and movie star lives.

We live in a world where Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Miss Teen South Carolina, Lindsey Lohan, Flava Flav, New York (who came out of the Flava Flav show) Tyra Banks and her models(I have yet to find two brain cells to rub together between anyone on that show including the judges and Tyra herself who I firmly believe is a Grey {Seriously.. remove that BIG GIANT hair and tell me she doesn't look like a Grey}, American Idol, Jerry Springer, and Maury Povitch (Who's the baby daddy anyone ?) get all the press and all the TV time. You never see the media focusing on intelligent or smart people (except maybe on the Discovery of History Channel occasionally). Not only that, we have a dim witted president that the rest of the world pretty much thinks is a moron and I agree with them but I'm not going to get into a political debate about it... but it doesn't look good that we elected him TWICE and NOT through the popular vote).:nope:

So yes. I'm not surprised other countries think that we're morons over here. Till the American media stops glamorizing people like the above mentioned, they'll continue to see us that way.

When my father went to Scotland this year, he found himself having to explain over and over again to the people there how George W Bush managed to get elected twice. The people over there thought George an idiot and wondered about American brains for electing him twice. Stuped Electoral Colledge.

[Letum]

I think it boils down to media portrayal. I mean, look at the most of the top rated TV shows we have over here. 99% of them are reality shows filled with people who can't find their own behind [...]

In my experience, people who are interested in people on telly are not interesting people.
So it is no surprise that the people on telly they are interested in are likewise, uninteresting.

[Sailor Steve]

I think it boils down to media portrayal. I mean, look at the most of the top rated TV shows we have over here. 99% of them are reality shows filled with people who can't find their own behind [...]

In my experience, people who are interested in people on telly are not interesting people.
So it is no surprise that the people on telly they are interested in are likewise, uninteresting.
Huh?:roll:

[AVGWarhawk]

Boil the fat away and it comes down to interest i think. Generally speaking, people don't get interested or give a crap about anything unless it directly effects their daily lives.

Dead nuts right on this! Never a truer statement and the thought process of most if not all peoples on this mud ball we call Earth.

[DeepIron]

Boil the fat away and it comes down to interest i think. Generally speaking, people don't get interested or give a crap about anything unless it directly effects their daily lives.

The NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) Effect.

Ever watch or talk with someone regarding a significant local event, like having a telecomm microwave tower erected in the neighborhood? As long as it's SOMEONE ELSE'S neighborhood, most people will make their comments but couldn't care less...

But just talk with the same person about having that tower erected in his/her neighborhood, and watch how animated and involved they get. Especially when they are AGAINST it.

[Blacklight]

You should see how my friends react when I try to explain physics/cosmology/quantum mechanics concepts, wargames, and role playing games to them. :nope:
:D