That it is the only way of teaching Americans geography?????

So it is good for something!

Well if it were true, then they would be very good at it. All the evidence suggests that Americans are not very good at geography.

to believe it is true you would need to be a stupid as you believe they are.

http://xkcd.com/850/

The hilarious videos of ‘thick’ insular Americans, are popular because they show the thick ones. If they showed the numerous Americans I know who do know where countries are, they may not be as entertaining to your typical thick insular Brit.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmEp97yQcRQ[/video]

🙄

Bet this guy is really shit hot with maps too 🙄

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/muslamic-ray-guns-bloke-anthem

I have met many Brits who could not find their own aerses with both hands and a torch. We live on a small island – they live in a country damn near the size of Europe. We have far less excuses.

I have met many Brits who could not find their own aerses with both hands and a torch. We live on a small island – they live in a country damn near the size of Europe. We have far less excuses.

Reminds me of a conversation with our estate agent:

“Where are you moving to?”

“Devon”

“Oh I’ve been there – it’s near Stonehenge isn’t it?”

I’ve met quite a few English people who didn’t know where Wales was…

American phones up the tourist office:

“Hi, can you tell me whether the Cotswolds are open on Sunday?”

No. No they’re not.

I wonder who else in this thread is willfully ignorant of world geography, and really doesn’t feel bad about it at all? It’s not of any interest to me, and it’s never been of any use, to be able to find Guam on a map. If I ever go there, someone else will be driving the plane.

In all honestly I’m fairly poor at Geography too but it’s OK because my American girlfriend is rather good at it!

Northwind – Member
I wonder who else in this thread is willfully ignorant of world geography, and really doesn’t feel bad about it at all? It’s not of any interest to me, and it’s never been of any use, to be able to find Guam on a map. If I ever go there, someone else will be driving the plane.

I don’t know where Guam actually is, but I remember Frank piloting the plane to it in Lost.

Justin Bieber and Germany

There are times, more often than Id like to admit, that I wish I didnt know about stuff. That I was genuinely ignorant of world affairs or even national news (and Im an avid consumer of news). A hermit, if you like.

I find so much of it depressing and it gives such a sense of uselessness, temporality and futility that Id rather never to have known and just got one with my more primal activities of breeding, feeding and looking after my progeny with no care of the rest of the world and what it’s doing.

i concur. It is lots of depressing scary stuff in far off lands that you cannot really do anything about, Libya, Japan, etc. Dont ever tell you about local stuff you could do something about or tell you anything happy or positive

There are times, more often than Id like to admit, that I wish I didnt know about stuff. That I was genuinely ignorant of world affairs or even national news (and Im an avid consumer of news). A hermit, if you like.

This will help you: you are actually pretty ignorant of quite a lot of stuff outside of your cosy little bubble Stoner, and have demonstrated such on this very forum, numerous times. You arrogantly assume yourself to be quite clever and knowledgeable, but most of your ‘knowledge’ is gained from books or the media, rather than actual lived experience. Truth is, you have little or no real social experience of stuff beyond that tiny sphere from which you are seldom brave enough to venture from. 😉

HTH. You needn’t thank me.

American are obliviously not thick. What they are however is massively ill-informed – well many are at least. There are probably several reasons for this including an insular attitude to the world. And for all our smugness it should be remember that whilst we lucky enough to have the BBC at our disposal, they often have to make do with Fox News.

For me the most shocking example I have ever heard, concerning just how ill-informed the American people can be, was the result of a survey carried by the Bill of Rights Institute and conducted online by Harris Interactive a few months back.

“From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs” is the central and most important principle associated with communism. It is in fact the tenet which the entire argument for communism rests on.

So bearing in mind how the American people are fed an almost daily diet of anti-communism, whilst at the same time fed a daily diet of the American Way, and its historical links with the American constitution, the Founding Fathers, and the Founding documents such as the Bill of Rights, it is nothing short of staggering that 42 percent, yes 42 percent, of Americans apparently believe that “from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs” is a right which is enshrined in American’s Founding documents. It’s hard to imagine anything more at odds with America’s perceived notion of what democracy means. Or anything which more represents what American’s are constantly being told they should fight against.

The United States struggles to inform its own people about issues which concern their society.

42 Percent of Americans Attribute Communist Slogan to America’s Founding Documents

Stoner ….. I’ve never had you down as having a Buddhist outlook to life/global affairs 😀

You assume yourself to be quite clever and knowledgeable, but most of your ‘knowledge’ is gained from books or the media, rather than actual lived experience

well that’s put paid to the whole concept of education then. bravo.

Stoner ….. I’ve never had you down as having a Buddhist outlook to life/global affairs

more like an occasional couldnt-give-a-stuff-ist really. But that would be so un-empathetic of me, I’d have Mr “school of hardknocks”-elfin lecturing me on all the things I havent experienced… 🙄

Well I’d be there for a bloody long time with you… 🙄

Americans are stupid.

Spencer: “You know you see those people in Venice standing on the back of gondolas, pushing it around?”
Jade: “They don’t do that on the Thames though, do they?”
Spencer: “No. I don’t work on the Thames. I work in Cambridge.”
Jade: “Is there not the Thames there?”
Spencer: “No!”
Jade: “Is there a river called the Cambridge river?”
Spencer: “Yeah, it’s called the Cam.”Jade: “Really? You swear? I only thought there was the Thames. I thought that was the main one in London.”
Spencer: “It is. I don’t live in London.”
Jade: “I’m confused. I thought Cambridge was in London. I knew Birmingham weren’t in London.”
Spencer: “Would you like to go and tell the group what you just said?”
Jade: “No…”
Spencer: “Cambridge is a city.”
Jade: “But we’ve got a city in London.”
Spencer: “Yes. This city is called London. And there’s different parts of it. Cambridge is a city.”
Jade: “Of where? Kent?”
Jade: “Well England’s a country, London’s a city, Bermondsey’s just a throw-off. Now where are you? What’s your country, and what’s your things?”
Spencer: “What country am I from? England. The city is called Cambridge, the county Cambridgeshire.”
Jade: “So not Kent then?”
Spencer: “Nooooo…. The region is called East Anglia.”
Jade: East Angular? That’s abroad. Is there not a place called East Angular abroad?”
Spencer: “Jade, have you been taking the stupid pills again?”
Jade: “Every time people tell me they work in East Angular, I actually think they’re talking about near Tunisia and places like that. Am I thick?”
Spencer: “Well, I hate to say it, but you are.”
Jade: “Cos Scottish and Irish and all that comes under England, doesn’t it?”
Spencer: “No… They come under Great Britain. Scotland and Wales have their own flags. Northern Ireland and Ireland are different.”
Jade: “So they’re not together? Where’s Berlin?”
Spencer: “Germany…”

Stoner – my Buddhist teacher of, amongst other things chi kung, would tell me that Buddhist monks reach higher levels of happiness by shutting themselves away from the outside world, and its problems and troubles.

He would recommend that I didn’t buy newspapers or listen to the news – not the sort of stuff a current affairs/information addict like me wants to hear. He didn’t release that solving humanity’s concerns and finding solutions to the world’s problems might well carry a heavy burden with it, but some poor bastard has to do.

Elfie – stop being a prat.

He didn’t release that solving humanity’s concerns and finding solutions to the world’s problems might well carry a heavy burden with it, but some poor bastard has to do.

keep up the good work. I’ll lend a hand when I can be arsed. 😉

Well if you wanted to help, you could have started by correcting my spellcheck induced misspelling which I only noticed after the editing time……….git 😐

But yes, coming up with solutions to mankind’s endless litany of problems, is indeed a heavy burden which some must carry on their shoulders. And then people ask me why I’m always looking so miserable ffs

*puts hand up*

I know where Guam is. Mrs TT used to live there for a bit.

*puts hand down*

Haven’t read most of the crap spouted in the thread about Americans but its just boring to hear the stereotypes where if you took a long hard look at your own country you would see that all the stereotypes are just as applicable, if not more so.

e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_mkwB9ayK4

Speaking of the war, no mention of the hypocrisy shown by the French who were so quick to judge and sling mud over Iraq yet when it comes to their previous Libyan oil supply they’re leading the way! 🙄

its just boring to hear the stereotypes

He says ……. before moving quickly on to denounce “the hypocrisy shown by the French”.

And of course the term “cheese eating surrender monkeys” made globally famous by an American cartoon series, doesn’t fall in the category of “boring stereotypes” ……..perish the thought that the Yanks should stoop so low.

You need to look up the words stereotype and hypocrisy in the dictionary before replying any further.

Oh I’m sorry LHS, “cheese eating surrender monkeys” is a truthful fact and therefore isn’t covered by the term stereotyping ? Or are you suggesting that claiming “the French” are hypocritical, isn’t
stereotyping ?

I’m fairly sure I know what “stereotype” and “hypocrisy” means btw – maybe it means something a bit different in the US ?

Cheese eating surrender monkeys is something you came up with, and a term which is heavily used in the UK. Not sure what relevance it has to by clarifiation that all stereotypes apply to all countries, but hey ho, carry on in your own little world…

Cheese eating surrender monkeys is something you came up with

I’m a script writer for The Simpsons am I ?

Maybe I also came up with the idea of renaming french fries “freedoom fries” ?

If you look up the thread ^ you’ll see that I very clearly claim : “Americans are obliviously not thick”

I don’t like the stereotyping which suggests that all Americans are thick – it’s clearly not true. But neither do I like the stereotyping which suggests negative aspects to the French character.

I was going to type something nice n thoughtful n caring, but I feel a bit too thick, so I’m more like an occasional couldnt-give-a-stuff-ist really judging by some of you lot. The world doesn’t end at your purchasement of an orange five. chin chin!

But neither do I like the stereotyping which suggests negative aspects to the French character.

DOn’t think anyone said that did they.

TooTall – Member

I know where Guam is. Mrs TT used to live there for a bit.

Good stuff, you can drive the plane

So how well informed is the average Brit regarding the American States, where are they, what are their names etc etc

Americans are no thicker than anyone else, obviously.

However, parts of their country are a bit more insular than many parts of this one and others.

Is that their own fault? No, not really. If you lot were a bit more intelligent 😉 you’d understand the historical reaons for this trait.

The US is ranked 14th in the OECD world educational rankings with the UK down at 20th (although geography was not included)
The Germans eat more cheese than anyone else
The French are historically the most successful military nation
Oh and Cuba which despite being a pariah state in the eyes of the US and suffering all sorts of trade embargos and is ranked 85 in the world’s GDP list still has a better infant mortality rate compared to the US which is ranked 8th(this relates to another post).
Afghanistan has the worst infant mortality rate in the world around 15% and is the only non African nation in the bottom 10. It is a country still riddled with deadly debilitating diseases which have been wiped practically everywhere else.70% of the population are illiterate.50 % live in absolute poverty.
The USA spends £36 billion a year on military action in Afghanistan but spent only £5 billion on aid between 2002-2006.
The top two recipients of US financial aid are Israel and Egypt neither of which is classed as a developing nation ,around £5 billion a year the majority of which is spent on armaments.
As the Americans like to say ” Do the math”.
It’s tragedy what has happened to those aid workers and Afghanistan is a tragedy of epic proportions.

The US is ranked 14th in the OECD world educational rankings with the UK down at 20th (although geography was not included)

Only in reading. In maths the US ranks 25th whilst the UK ranks 22sd. And in science the US ranks 17th whilst the UK ranks 11th.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/dec/07/world-education-rankings-maths-science-reading

All fairly crap results for a couple of the world’s wealthiest nations imo.