As a rule, American's don't give a shit about foreign lands. Since so many are utterly convinced that they live in The Greatest Country in the World™, nowhere else matters. Someone once made a crack that war is how Americans learn global geography, and there's some truth to that, although it's only a minority who ever bother to try to figure out the latest place their government has sent American troops in an attempt to protect the interests of Exxon Mobile on GM or some other big business.
Lots of Americans also don't know fundamental facts about their own country, and the fact that many have great difficulty locating states on a map is the least of it. A 2017 poll from the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center found that 37% of Americans couldn't name a single right protected by the Bill of Rights, 33% couldn't name a single branch of government and only 26% could name all three branches of government.
A survey by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni found that more than a third of Americans didn't know in which century the American Revolution took place, and half believed that the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation or the War of 1812 took place before the American Revolution. Also, more than half of those surveyed believed either Thomas Paine, George Washington or Barack Obama said, ‘From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs’, which I find highly amusing.
Then there's the 34% who believe in ghosts, the 77% who believe in personal angels, the 73% who believe Jesus was born to a virgin, the 40% who believe in the Biblical creation, and the quarter who believe the sun orbits Earth.
I'm sure many Americans would be outraged that there exists in foreign countries a Big Dumb American stereotype, but there's some degree of truth in it. I doubt if it's anything genetic or due to the food or something in the water or air, so it can only be down to the American education system seriously failing to educate a helluva lot of Americans.
This is all very true, Booj, but few Americans would care about the Dumb American stereotype. That's because if America can hire all the geniuses in England, for example, England is no longer a competitive economic threat. In fact, it's cheaper to buy brains than it is to tax the population to invest in education.
The exception, of course, is China. The Chinese keep strategic economic skills captive in their own country. They also understand that it is far better to own the world than it is to rule the world. So far, the Chinese are the only country to understand Sun Tzu's quote, "The greatest victory is that which requires no battle”. That is that America spends trillions on defense, while China simply releases a novel virus because the Chinese know that healthcare is America's weakness. Take that, Donald Trump. You will never win at brinksmanship trying to negotiate punitive trade deals with China. Destiny has made this century theirs to dominate the Earth as masters of the Universe.
Your posts are always too long. But as an American, there are tons of different cultures! And it’s a common discussion. Personally, if I don’t know what part of the world it is people hale from, I’ll look it up.
I'm part finnish but my fathers side has HEAVY finnish culture. Not to the point in teaching Finnish (cause it's practically as hard to learn as japanese for a population that is maybe a fifth japanese speakers). Is finnish enough for me, I'll keep the american bastardization version honestly cause 98% of all authentic finnish food is terrible.
I’m half Irish, half German. Irish food is pretty awful. German is pretty dope. I didn’t realize till I got older that I was being yelled at all my childhood in Yiddish. Funny world.
American bastardization makes most food better. When I was in japan I had the worst sushi in my life since the bar is so low for sushi. In America the sushi was of higher quality and I live in the midwest. Hows that possible I dont fucking know.
Why the hell are Americans so horrendous at geography?
← View full post
As a rule, American's don't give a shit about foreign lands. Since so many are utterly convinced that they live in The Greatest Country in the World™, nowhere else matters. Someone once made a crack that war is how Americans learn global geography, and there's some truth to that, although it's only a minority who ever bother to try to figure out the latest place their government has sent American troops in an attempt to protect the interests of Exxon Mobile on GM or some other big business.
Lots of Americans also don't know fundamental facts about their own country, and the fact that many have great difficulty locating states on a map is the least of it. A 2017 poll from the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center found that 37% of Americans couldn't name a single right protected by the Bill of Rights, 33% couldn't name a single branch of government and only 26% could name all three branches of government.
A survey by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni found that more than a third of Americans didn't know in which century the American Revolution took place, and half believed that the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation or the War of 1812 took place before the American Revolution. Also, more than half of those surveyed believed either Thomas Paine, George Washington or Barack Obama said, ‘From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs’, which I find highly amusing.
Then there's the 34% who believe in ghosts, the 77% who believe in personal angels, the 73% who believe Jesus was born to a virgin, the 40% who believe in the Biblical creation, and the quarter who believe the sun orbits Earth.
I'm sure many Americans would be outraged that there exists in foreign countries a Big Dumb American stereotype, but there's some degree of truth in it. I doubt if it's anything genetic or due to the food or something in the water or air, so it can only be down to the American education system seriously failing to educate a helluva lot of Americans.
--
Bazinga
3 years ago
|
pl
Comment Hidden (
show
)
Report
1
1
-
litelander8
3 years ago
|
pl
Comment Hidden (
show
)
Report
1
1
This is all very true, Booj, but few Americans would care about the Dumb American stereotype. That's because if America can hire all the geniuses in England, for example, England is no longer a competitive economic threat. In fact, it's cheaper to buy brains than it is to tax the population to invest in education.
The exception, of course, is China. The Chinese keep strategic economic skills captive in their own country. They also understand that it is far better to own the world than it is to rule the world. So far, the Chinese are the only country to understand Sun Tzu's quote, "The greatest victory is that which requires no battle”. That is that America spends trillions on defense, while China simply releases a novel virus because the Chinese know that healthcare is America's weakness. Take that, Donald Trump. You will never win at brinksmanship trying to negotiate punitive trade deals with China. Destiny has made this century theirs to dominate the Earth as masters of the Universe.
Your posts are always too long. But as an American, there are tons of different cultures! And it’s a common discussion. Personally, if I don’t know what part of the world it is people hale from, I’ll look it up.
--
LloydAsher
3 years ago
|
pl
Comment Hidden (
show
)
Report
0
0
I'm part finnish but my fathers side has HEAVY finnish culture. Not to the point in teaching Finnish (cause it's practically as hard to learn as japanese for a population that is maybe a fifth japanese speakers). Is finnish enough for me, I'll keep the american bastardization version honestly cause 98% of all authentic finnish food is terrible.
--
litelander8
3 years ago
|
pl
Comment Hidden (
show
)
Report
1
1
I’m half Irish, half German. Irish food is pretty awful. German is pretty dope. I didn’t realize till I got older that I was being yelled at all my childhood in Yiddish. Funny world.
--
LloydAsher
3 years ago
|
pl
Comment Hidden (
show
)
Report
0
0
American bastardization makes most food better. When I was in japan I had the worst sushi in my life since the bar is so low for sushi. In America the sushi was of higher quality and I live in the midwest. Hows that possible I dont fucking know.