Are Americans as stupid as the world thinks we are?

[PUGalicious]

http://www.megavideo.com/?v=GW398WXW

[Midtowner]

They were probably there for hours, did hundreds of interviews and came up with only a few of these morons.

The American education system is not that bad, especially when you consider our unparalleled higher education system.

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

You could do that in any country on the planet and get answers along the same lines. Even more so in underdeveloped countries.

[Karried]

I got one right.. Name a country that starts with an U! Utopia! yaaayyy me.

I kid, I kid .. I got a few right - lol ..

We need to send a reporter over there and do the same thing and then post in on YouTube.. the results would be the same.

( We probably do have one, I'm just too lazy to go find it).

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

That news station couldn't even spell "CNN" right.

[raw98682]

Those aren't everyday Americans. Quite a few looked nuts.

[Midtowner]

Countries that start with a U? I got all of them except for the United Kingdom (I always think England/Britain) and the United Arab Emirates (no excuse).

I got Uruguay, Ukraine, United States, Uganda and Uzbekistan...

Really though, those questions aren't hard. It's just that American education does not focus very much on foreign affairs. Neither does the American media really.. It seems to be more fixated on the avian flu or the staph superbugs du jour.

It's not really that these folks are necessarily uneducated dolts, it's just that they don't discuss Israel or the middle east as much as they do Britney Spears and K-Fed.

[PUGalicious]

It's not really that these folks are necessarily uneducated dolts, it's just that they don't discuss Israel or the middle east as much as they do Britney Spears and K-Fed.

Is that a good thing or bad thing?

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

Countries that start with a U? I got all of them except for the United Kingdom (I always think England/Britain) and the United Arab Emirates (no excuse).

I got Uruguay, Ukraine, United States, Uganda and Uzbekistan...

Really though, those questions aren't hard. It's just that American education does not focus very much on foreign affairs. Neither does the American media really.. It seems to be more fixated on the avian flu or the staph superbugs du jour.

It's not really that these folks are necessarily uneducated dolts, it's just that they don't discuss Israel or the middle east as much as they do Britney Spears and K-Fed.

That's probably because the naming structure for that mess is about as organized as a monkey-sh*t fight at the zoo.

Click here.

[Midtowner]

Is that a good thing or bad thing?

It's just a thing. I don't really judge a person's worth or their education based upon how knowledgeable they are on world events. The American experience is that generally what happens overseas has very little effect on our own lives. Most people (anywhere) are generally unconcerned with things which don't really effect them.

I could answer any of those questions, but I, like you am more aware of the world I live in.

Most Americans have never been out of the country. Many haven't even been to the ocean.

Why in the world would you expect them to know where to find Israel on a map?

[PUGalicious]

Why in the world would you expect them to know where to find Israel on a map?

Because these are the same people who have been granted the privilege and responsibility of electing our nation's leaders who must deal with international matters, and if, as voters, Americans don't know much about the world, how are we supposed to elect the best leader to deal with the issues of the world?

But, then again, it explains how we got the results of the last presidential election and the mess we are in now.

I suppose I just have unusually high standards of expecting people to think outside of themselves and how the world around us affects our lives, whether we know it or not.

[Midtowner]

You're making the mistake of projecting your intelligence and awareness and expectations for the same on the rest of the world. That, unfortunately, is not really realistic.

People are only generally moved by what they perceive as things which effect them or by things they think they can control. What goes on in Kosovo, the Middle East, etc., do effect us -- you and I and most folks on this board understand that. Most people, however, lack the education and awareness to grasp that.

Perhaps our founding fathers were wise when they founded this nation as a Republic and not a Democracy. It was their judgment over 200 years ago that Americans (and people in general) simply aren't cut out to make these sorts of decisions. They did, however, recognize that they needed to set up a government which was somehow accountable to the people it governed, so they modeled us after the Roman Republics of old which recognized the same essential principles.

This state of affairs is not uniquely American. It's human nature.

As for those who voted in the last presidential election, again, I'm going to have to differ with you there. The root of that problem goes back to the 1999 primaries which gave us Bush v. Gore and the later 2003 primary which gave us Kerry.

Each primary ensured that regardless of the outcome of the election, we'd have an underqualified President.

[PUGalicious]

Each primary ensured that regardless of the outcome of the election, we'd have an underqualified President.

No argument there. Thus exposes the flaws of our current primary system... but that's for another day/thread...

[lkberry1]

Because these are the same people who have been granted the privilege and responsibility of electing our nation's leaders who must deal with international matters, and if, as voters, Americans don't know much about the world, how are we supposed to elect the best leader to deal with the issues of the world?

But, then again, it explains how we got the results of the last presidential election and the mess we are in now.

I suppose I just have unusually high standards of expecting people to think outside of themselves and how the world around us affects our lives, whether we know it or not.

You must love living in your perfect little world with your perfect little life & your perfect education. What joy for you.

[Midtowner]

You must love living in your perfect little world with your perfect little life & your perfect education. What joy for you.

He's guilty of being an idealist. I don't think what he said makes him elitist at all (which is what I think you're implying).

[Dark Jedi]

Americans are not as stupid as the world thinks we are.

However, the most ignorant among us are also the most outspoken that seek the spotlight. Creationists, Conspiracy nuts, and George W Bush are classic examples.

[kmf563]

I work with a few people who are proving to be prime examples to support this theory. :P

[traxx]

It seems alot of people on here consider someone stupid if they do not agree with their world view.

I don't agree with global warming. Several of you probably think that I'm stupid and how could I not agree with it. I think it's sky-is-falling science and if you look hard enough you can find that anywhere. I think that maybe "you" aren't educated on the matter, that you haven't dug deep enough, that you haven't looked at each side of the arguement objectivley, that you're just repeating what you've heard because believing in global warming is the cool thing to do these days.

I'm not bringing this up to argue global warming, but instead to make a point. If you go to a middle eastern country and ask questions about the world at large most of them won't be able to answer the questions either. They are just concerned about what affects them in their immediate world and don't understand how world affairs affects them.

I get tired of people always thinking the US is a country filled with idiots because the US is apparently the root of all evil in the world and it's popular to be an America hater and run down the US. We are the richest country in the world with the most opportunity. When people want a chance at a better life they don't say they're moving to Saudi Arabia, or France or anywhere else. It's always America, the land of opportunity. So we must be doing something right.

[Dark Jedi]

A prime example. That global warming is happening is undisputed and undisputable. There is a lot of controversy over the cause, is it man made, natural, cyclic, etc.

Much of America is misinformed because anyone with an agenda has learned that with enough money, you can fool people in to believing whatever you want them to.
This reflects on us to outsiders, when they hear people on the news denying moon landings and similar wacky pseudoscientific conspiracies.

[traxx]

A prime example. That global warming is happening is undisputed and undisputable. There is a lot of controversy over the cause, is it man made, natural, cyclic, etc.

Much of America is misinformed because anyone with an agenda has learned that with enough money, you can fool people in to believing whatever you want them to.
This reflects on us to outsiders, when they hear people on the news denying moon landings and similar wacky pseudoscientific conspiracies.

That's exactly what I mean. I don't agree with your world view so you describe me as having "wacky pseudoscientific conspiracies."

If it's undisputed and undisputable, then why are scientist disputing it amongst themselves? I read an article just the other day about a scientist ( I want to say he's from the University of Colorado, but don't precisely remember) who disputes global warming and says it's just a natural cycle for the earth to warm and cool and says that there are other scientist who agree with him as well as those who disagree. He's an expert in the area. I'll try to find the link.

Anyway, I said I wasn't here to argue global warming, but you felt the need to argue the point that said I wasn't arguing anyway. I was just using it to make a point and you came in on cue and made my point perfectly.

[PUGalicious]

You may not want to argue the point, but when you make an arguable statement, people are likely to argue.

[Misty]

Forget global warming, did anyone see the Nature special on OETA about the bees? If we lose the bees we're toast way before global warming will kill us. TOAST! That's toast with no honey!

[Dark Jedi]

That's exactly what I mean. I don't agree with your world view so you describe me as having "wacky pseudoscientific conspiracies."

If it's undisputed and undisputable, then why are scientist disputing it amongst themselves? I read an article just the other day about a scientist ( I want to say he's from the University of Colorado, but don't precisely remember) who disputes global warming and says it's just a natural cycle for the earth to warm and cool and says that there are other scientist who agree with him as well as those who disagree. He's an expert in the area. I'll try to find the link.

Anyway, I said I wasn't here to argue global warming, but you felt the need to argue the point that said I wasn't arguing anyway. I was just using it to make a point and you came in on cue and made my point perfectly.

That it is happening is not in dispute. There are some paid for shills of various groups claiming dispute, but there is nothing to back it.
Those groups, be they global warming deniers, creationists, AIDS deniers, Flat Earth Society, or what have you are what make Americans look stupid. Too many Americans pick up that torch and run with it without bothering to learn the facts.

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

That's exactly what I mean. I don't agree with your world view so you describe me as having "wacky pseudoscientific conspiracies."

If it's undisputed and undisputable, then why are scientist disputing it amongst themselves? I read an article just the other day about a scientist ( I want to say he's from the University of Colorado, but don't precisely remember) who disputes global warming and says it's just a natural cycle for the earth to warm and cool and says that there are other scientist who agree with him as well as those who disagree. He's an expert in the area. I'll try to find the link.

Anyway, I said I wasn't here to argue global warming, but you felt the need to argue the point that said I wasn't arguing anyway. I was just using it to make a point and you came in on cue and made my point perfectly.

You make a post like that and then say "I wasn't here to argue about global warming"? So now you can say "thanks for your agreement" when somebody posts "me too" in response to you or say "but I don't want to argue" with people that don't share your opinions to avoid defending your position. Smooth. You're the good guy either way.

Scientists are *gulp* human. They're going to disagree. You can get 100 ivy league educated surgeons in a room, all with over 20 years post education experience, and one of them will say that the other 99 are cutting people's bellies open all wrong. That doesn't make him a) right or b) smarter than the others. Either way, people that aren't as "educated" as him might very well like the cut of his jib and believe that his points are valid and therefore discount the 99 surgeons that are screaming how retarded he is. Every field has it's kooks, science is no exception. Personally, I don't think it would hurt a bit to stop polluting so much even if we aren't impacting global temperatures.

I'm not arguing with you on global warming, just your logic. Indisputable? Nothing is.

[Dave Cook]

My years abroad taught me one thing........that foreigners were CONVINCED we were all idiots following the 2004 Presidential election.