U.S. youth can’t find Iraq, Afghanistan on map

[Genghis Cohen]

Americans have always been geographically challenged, but what is this from the same article?

.....

I think you've got a point, what the OP didnt mention was this;

Even for U.S. geography, the survey results are just as dismal.

Half could not find New York State on a map of the United States.

A third of the respondents could not find Louisiana, and 48 percent couldn't locate Mississippi on a map of the United States, even though Hurricane Katrina put these southeastern states in the spotlight in 2005.

Thats disgraceful, either way you cut it, possibly the worlds most important city and half of them cant fucking find it.

 

[mears]

Oh, that sounds nice....

Especially when I am looking to buy a flat in London soon, where I will have one floor of a victorian house in an area with very little open spaces, crammed with people, and will pay around £200k for it.

Then again, I could live in afghanistan.

Incidentally, I know where Iraq is, and I bet I'd still get it wrong on a map with no borders marked - this article is crap. Lets have an article targeted at the worst kind of american (or anybody's) stupidity - attacking things to fix them.

Yes, I can imagine the price for housing in London is out of control. But a city like London has so much to offer as well. Museums, resturants, sporting events, concerts etc.

If you live outside the metropolitan area in a place like Minnesota life can get bleak at times eventhough the cost of living is cheap and there are great outdoor activities. There is a lack of jobs and nightlife for starters. Healthcare clinics can be an hours drive away and public education poor due to a lack of qualified teachers in rural areas. And if you talk to young people most yearn to get out. I know many such small towners in Minneapolis who "escaped" the small town scene.

So I guess there is good and bad in each.

 

[colacho]

More importantly, how many Afghanis of any age know where Peoria, or Marin County are?

But that's like asking 'maircans to identify Kandahar or Managua...

 

[kakuma]

mears makes a good point. North America is bigger than Europe, we have countries they have states, but it's still the same thing. I don't think i could point to afghanistan on a map, i could guess it within about 1000 miles.....

 

[spring-peeper]

mears makes a good point. North America is bigger than Europe, we have countries they have states, but it's still the same thing. I don't think i could point to afghanistan on a map, i could guess it within about 1000 miles.....

North America consists of three counties - Canada, United States of America and Mexico.

Canada is bigger than the United States and is divided into 10 provinces and 3 territories.

The United States is divided into 50 states and 14 territories.

Mexico is divided into 9 regions (iirc).

Here a thousand miles means that you are still in the same country (and in some cases, the same province).

 

[kakuma]

what i meant was, new york is to all intents a different country to alaska or texas. it's a lot more different culturally than say england and france. or scotland and wales.....

 

[Bajie]

Not really, Anchorage is a very generic place, you could be anywhere in America.

To be honest I find this thing about Americans not being able to find places on a world map to be a have a very sneering tone to it, most UK people are quite ingnorant of how people live in other countries, the difference is we had the world map drummned into us at school in order to trumpet the achievments of the British Empire, that is what I remember anyway, in history class how much of the world map used to be pink. Most people have no idea how an average person lives in Kenya for example, what difference does it make to know where it is on a map?

 

[kakuma]

thing is tho, living in europe we can get a train to another country, it only takes a couple of hours, or you can go to stansted and leave the country for 20 pounds, americans fon' havr that....

 

[spring-peeper]

Not really, Anchorage is a very generic place, you could be anywhere in America.

To be honest I find this thing about Americans not being able to find places on a world map to be a have a very sneering tone to it, most UK people are quite ingnorant of how people live in other countries, the difference is we had the world map drummned into us at school in order to trumpet the achievments of the British Empire, that is what I remember anyway, in history class how much of the world map used to be pink. Most people have no idea how an average person lives in Kenya for example, what difference does it make to know where it is on a map?

wrt the memorizing thing - each child has to learn the regions and capitals of their respective country at school. My kids are very happy to live in Canada for this part, much less to learn than their US neighbours.

Full respect to the US children - all those states and capitals, etc to memorize and I have yet to find a US child that can't list them all.

 

[WouldBe]

I'm pretty sure that Americans are not as geographically ignorant as people make out

When my cousin worked in San Fransisco she was asked why she couldn't drive back to the UK for a holiday. She was asked this by her coleagues who were doctors and nurses.

I only hope their anatomical geography is a lot better.

 

[spring-peeper]

My cousin lives in London, England and travels to California fairly regularly. I asked her why she didn't come visit us (Montreal, Quebec). She told me that California is closer than Montreal. (it's a couple of thousand kilometers closer for those who are not strong in geography).

Geographic ignorance is not limited to the Americans.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Yes, I can imagine the price for housing in London is out of control. But a city like London has so much to offer as well. Museums, resturants, sporting events, concerts etc.

If you live outside the metropolitan area in a place like Minnesota life can get bleak at times eventhough the cost of living is cheap and there are great outdoor activities. There is a lack of jobs and nightlife for starters. Healthcare clinics can be an hours drive away and public education poor due to a lack of qualified teachers in rural areas. And if you talk to young people most yearn to get out. I know many such small towners in Minneapolis who "escaped" the small town scene.

..to the Mall of America.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

When my cousin worked in San Fransisco she was asked why she couldn't drive back to the UK for a holiday. She was asked this by her coleagues who were doctors and nurses.

I think you're bullshitting.

 

[obanite]

I doubt many people could find Afghanistan on a map easily to be honest... from memory I know it's got a border with the south of Russia and is landlocked, but that's about it...and I consider myself pretty good geographically!

 

[Dandred]

I think you're bullshitting.

You said the same about my experiences earlier in the thread Johhny.

Finding it hard to belive how poor some peoples geographical knowledge is in North America are we?





(waits for Johonny to answer when most people are off line, as he usally does) I can see you are online now...................

 

[munkeeunit]

18% of Americans believe the sun revolves around the Earth (+ 3% who didn't 'know' either way)
http://net127.com/archives/000083.html

I remember reading figures from a global study once, which I think said that half of people on the planet belive the sun revolves around the Earth, but I can't find the link, and is possibly not surprising considering the absence of basic education in much of the world.

That 20% of Americans still believe that the sun revolves around the earth given the (almost) universal education system, can probably be put down to religious influence, and not just plain ignorance.

Is this just a bit funny, or a more disturbing indication of how weak modern society is beneath the surface?

 

[WouldBe]

I think you're bullshitting.

Oh how I wish you were right.

Unfortunately your not.

 

[nino_savatte]

More importantly, how many Afghanis of any age know where Peoria, or Marin County are?

Out of the countries mentioned, which one holds the whip? Here's a clue: it's not Afghanistan...

 

[Barking_Mad]

I think you're bullshitting.

I had an American ask me if I came to the US by train. I explained that the cross atlantic rail link wasn't quite finished.

 

[laptop]

I had an American ask me if I came to the US by train.

At least they were trying to make allowance for our strange foreign habits, like using (non-suburban) trains

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

You said the same about my experiences earlier in the thread Johhny.

Finding it hard to belive how poor some peoples geographical knowledge is in North America are we?





(waits for Johonny to answer when most people are off line, as he usally does) I can see you are online now...................

Some americans can't find a place fifty miles from where they live.

But I think you said it was doctors and nurses who didn't know that the UK was on the other side of the Atlantic, and this I find hard to believe.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

(waits for Johonny to answer when most people are off line, as he usally does) I can see you are online now...................

I answer when most people are offline, because I"m in the Pacific time zone, which is GMT minus 8.

 

[Dandred]

Some americans can't find a place fifty miles from where they live.

But I think you said it was doctors and nurses who didn't know that the UK was on the other side of the Atlantic, and this I find hard to believe.

If you can't remeber what was said why not re-read before the hasty shouts of 'Bullshit"

 

[Dandred]

I answer when most people are offline, because I"m in the Pacific time zone, which is GMT minus 8.

I have seen you signed in many times when it's busy on here, you don't seem to post then. Usally when most people are off line in the UK is when you start your multi thread answering posts.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

I have seen you signed in many times when it's busy on here, you don't seem to post then. Usally when most people are off line in the UK is when you start your multi thread answering posts.

If the busy times are, say, 9 am through 7 pm GMT, that would be 1 am through 11 am local time; I certainly have posted between those times, but it would be a very small minority of my posts.

I tend to post anywhere between noon local time, and midnight local time, for the most part.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

If you can't remeber what was said why not re-read before the hasty shouts of 'Bullshit"

14-05-2006, 02:25 PM
Johnny Canuck2
Registered User Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Canada
Posts: 32,314

Quote:
Originally Posted by WouldBe
When my cousin worked in San Fransisco she was asked why she couldn't drive back to the UK for a holiday. She was asked this by her coleagues who were doctors and nurses.

.....................................................


I think you're bullshitting.


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#44 14-05-2006, 05:57 PM

 

[Dandred]

Some americans can't find a place fifty miles from where they live.

But I think you said it was doctors and nurses who didn't know that the UK was on the other side of the Atlantic, and this I find hard to believe.

Re-read what I said before the "bullshit" shouts Johhny, only a click away

 

[Dandred]

double post

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Re-read what I said before the "bullshit" shouts Johhny, only a click away

Wouldbe made a post or two, then you jumped in about how I'd dissed things you said.

Since you seemed to be taking offence at what I said, I assumed it was you who'd made the earlier comments. An honest mistake.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Re-read what I said before the "bullshit" shouts Johhny, only a click away

But the bullshit comment was a reply to wouldbe, with wouldbe's post imbedded there in my reply.