Americans are NOT stupid!

[Andrew Green]

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The scary thing, these people can vote

 

[MA-Caver]

Embarrassing... at first kinda funny... then it just got down right pitiful. :angry:
One guy old enough to remember thinks that there were THREE world wars? Then (another?) older gentleman who should've remembered... thought that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were famous for JUDO WRESTLING???

Wonder how many euros/brits were seriously laughing their collective butts off watching that. Wonder how many were sadly shaking their heads.

Makes one wonder... what happened?

 

[Andrew Green]

Makes one wonder... what happened?

Well, one of two things:

All you Americans are that dumb, and these where the only people interviewed.

or

Most people got the right answer, but they don't make for good tv

 

[bluemtn]

Ok... I had to force myself from trying to beat my head with my keyboard! That's worse than sad. Just down right PITIFUL!!

 

[bluemtn]

Well, one of two things:

All you Americans are that dumb, and these where the only people interviewed.

or

Most people got the right answer, but they don't make for good tv

Well to be honest... I know that I'm not that good under pressure (nerves causes my brain to blank out). I've had that problem with tests in school. I could've kicked myself in the *** 3 minutes after the test for not getting certain questions right, but that was rediculous in the video...

 

[MA-Caver]

Most people got the right answer, but they don't make for good tv

You're probably right there... but it's still embarrassing because man... Australia is the new Korea?

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Well, one of two things:

All you Americans are that dumb, and these where the only people interviewed.

or

Most people got the right answer, but they don't make for good tv

Well there are a few out there that do not know those answers (yikes :ergbut I think more got them right but were edited out.

 

[bluemtn]

Well there are a few out there that do not know those answers (yikes :ergbut I think more got them right but were edited out.

Or suffering from a temporary brain fart...

 

[Sukerkin]

I notice that there are not that many from this side of the pond making any comments ... I'm tired enough to embarass myself, so I'll speak of what has not be spoken.

American Gentlemen and ladies, those of you who are members of MartialTalk are, it has to be said, not typical of those who make up the populous of your nation. You tend to be erudite, thoughtful and above all, knowledgeable about the wider world outside your house.

Altho' it has to be said, that it is also true that those who post at MT from England (and Europe) are also a 'cut above', so maybe there's a trend to be observed there.

I do not wish to be disparaging of the home country of some people who have come to be friends of mine so I have to be careful what I say (please forgive me if I fail in my efforts to be objective).

What seems to have happened, in contra-valence to every other immigration wave that I can think of in recorded history, is that the US has absorbed into itself all the negative attributes of it's emigres from other nations and educated down to the lowest common denominator. Is it any wonder that the majority (Net fact warning) of citizens cannot even point to their own state on a map?

Combine that with an abundance of indiginous resources and you have what you see before you today - a powerful country with no idea how to excercise it's power effectively, lashing out at the parts of the world that are very different from itself, that it does not fully comprehend, and subsequently being surprised at what rebounds back at it.

It's a sad and woeful progression of events that seems to be gradually spreading - I'm starting to term it the New Dark Ages - where knowledge and tolerance is being replaced with ignorance and violence.

Perhaps I'm just too tired and am seeing events in shades of black .

 

[Steel Tiger]

Is this level of ignorance any sort of indicationas to the state of the US's education system? I don't really know. Unfortunately, this is the face of the United States that the rest of the world sees most often.

I once read an article from the US where various people were shown their own Bill of Rights and asked what document it was. The majority of them said it was the Communist Manifesto.

The United States is a country with a clearly high level of engineering skill and education which seems to have let other fields of knowledge (like geography) slide below mediocrity. Can anyone hazard a guess as to why this might be?

 

[Kembudo-Kai Kempoka]

I notice that there are not that many from this side of the pond making any comments ... I'm tired enough to embarass myself, so I'll speak of what has not be spoken.

American Gentlemen and ladies, those of you who are members of MartialTalk are, it has to be said, not typical of those who make up the populous of your nation. You tend to be erudite, thoughtful and above all, knowledgeable about the wider world outside your house.

Altho' it has to be said, that it is also true that those who post at MT from England (and Europe) are also a 'cut above', so maybe there's a trend to be observed there.

I do not wish to be disparaging of the home country of some people who have come to be friends of mine so I have to be careful what I say (please forgive me if I fail in my efforts to be objective).

What seems to have happened, in contra-valence to every other immigration wave that I can think of in recorded history, is that the US has absorbed into itself all the negative attributes of it's emigres from other nations and educated down to the lowest common denominator. Is it any wonder that the majority (Net fact warning) of citizens cannot even point to their own state on a map?

Combine that with an abundance of indiginous resources and you have what you see before you today - a powerful country with no idea how to excercise it's power effectively, lashing out at the parts of the world that are very different from itself, that it does not fully comprehend, and subsequently being surprised at what rebounds back at it.

It's a sad and woeful progression of events that seems to be gradually spreading - I'm starting to term it the New Dark Ages - where knowledge and tolerance is being replaced with ignorance and violence.

Perhaps I'm just too tired and am seeing events in shades of black .

I wish I had something clever to say in defense of my fellow Americans, but the reality ios that our society is comprosed mostly of grossly dense idjits. I lived in Bruxelles for a bit, and after only a few months of seeing my fellow citizens doing thier idiot-best, I started to hide my civil identity so none of the locals would think I was "one of them".

The Ugly American has the biggest stick and the smallest brain. Sad, really. Sad. Even if this is edited for TV play, I can too easily step out my home and meet 10 people like that in an hour. The masses are asses, and this is the failure of democracy; the informed vote is not informed enough to vote.

Thanks for the laugh, and the grief.

Dave

 

[bydand]

What seems to have happened, in contra-valence to every other immigration wave that I can think of in recorded history, is that the US has absorbed into itself all the negative attributes of it's emigres from other nations and educated down to the lowest common denominator. Is it any wonder that the majority (Net fact warning) of citizens cannot even point to their own state on a map?

I find it hard to believe a MAJORITY of our citizens cannot find their own state, some, sure I'll grant that, but not a majority.

Is this level of ignorance any sort of indication as to the state of the US's education system? I don't really know. Unfortunately, this is the face of the United States that the rest of the world sees most often.

NO it is not the average level of education in the States.

The United States is a country with a clearly high level of engineering skill and education which seems to have let other fields of knowledge (like geography) slide below mediocrity. Can anyone hazard a guess as to why this might be?

I think that you two have hit the nail on the head mostly. Granted I was educated a while back and in a different State than I now live in, but while working in the High School here in Maine I was appalled by how lacking the curriculum was now. I was in one 11th grade history class and they were covering a subject I had been taught in the 6th grade, and they still were asking questions that clearly indicated that they didn't get the material at all. There seems to be a trend to teach everybody to the same level and if some in the class are lagging, the whole class slows down. I do realize that I am living in an area where education is NOT highly prized like it should be and for that simple reason, we have been talking about leaving Maine and moving back to our little town in West Michigan where education is still something to strive after. My friends that have lived here their whole lives are astounded when they find out I had to actually read most of the classics in lit classes in High School, they watched the movie (you can't make this stuff up) in their Lit classes. WATCHED THE MOVIE-----FOR LIT CLASS!!!

What is the answer? I wish I knew. There are many fine teachers here on MT and I am willing to bet they are just as frustrated at the system as the rest of us, or they are in much better school systems than we have up here. I just know here, the policy is that it is better to "socially promote" a student than to fail them and make them feel bad about themselves. :flammad:

 

[Ping898]

Uganda people or Uraguay....or Uzbekastan (sp?)
K...I knew the answers to everything but the coalition of the willing...personally I think al queda being a wing of the masonic order is hillarious! and I am sure the whole interview was edited to only have the *dumb* answers....but still amusing...

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I regularly teach art at one of my children's school. My youngest son's class is comprised of a bunch of intelligent first grader's. Due to the art that I teach they not only know where their own state is but also where each and every country is Europe is located on a map of the world. In any country USA or otherwise there will always be people who are not as intelligent on certain thing's as other people. This is just simple nature at work as not everyone can be on the top of the food chain so to speak. Having said that and having been in many households of varying financial means we have plenty of very, very intelligent people in the United States and this video is not representative of the majority.

 

[Andrew Green]

Uganda people or Uraguay....or Uzbekastan (sp?)
K...I knew the answers to everything but the coalition of the willing...personally I think al queda being a wing of the masonic order is hillarious! and I am sure the whole interview was edited to only have the *dumb* answers....but still amusing...

Or the most obvious, "United States of America" :lol:

 

[Blotan Hunka]

American Gentlemen and ladies, those of you who are members of MartialTalk are, it has to be said, not typical of those who make up the populous of your nation.

Forgive me but Im going to be blunt. What the hell do you base that assumption on? A video or television spot? Id wager I could take a camera and go to a number of places in your country and make all of you look like idiots too.

If thats what makes you all feel better about yourselves, enjoy.

 

[Sukerkin]

And the prize for Word Twisting goes to ... :lol:

To dig such an interpretation out of words I chose hoping to be non-confrontational is quite an achievement (tho' as I said I was practically asleep at the keyboard so my diplomacy skills might have been on 'standby' ) :rei:.

Insult or self aggrandisement was not the aim of what I posted, Blotan - if that's what reached your 'ears' then I can only apologise.

EDIT: Oh and you're quite right about being able to find 'eejuts' anywhere - I despair for the entire race at times.

One final addition is that I based my 'assumption' about the higher than average mental abilities of my fellow forumites on a mix of 'profile peeking' and 'post-content' reading. That was only a sample of course and a biased one too as it's no doubt skewed by my preferences.

One final, final, addition ... bear in mind this is the Comedy Cafe, so I think a little semi-humerous stereotyping is harmless enough (even if it is rooted in something akin to truth).

 

[mrhnau]

Due to the art that I teach they not only know where their own state is but also where each and every country is Europe is located on a map of the world.

Heck, thats not a fair one... seems like every other year there is some kind of boarder change, country split or renaming. I looked at a current map of Africa and it was -nothing- like what I remembered. Scary! Same thing with Europe, especially the Eastern countries...

 

[Ping898]

Heck, thats not a fair one... seems like every other year there is some kind of boarder change, country split or renaming. I looked at a current map of Africa and it was -nothing- like what I remembered. Scary! Same thing with Europe, especially the Eastern countries...

Oooh...I am with you on that. i can do North America, Weatern Europe, Most Of South America and The Pacific Rim, but forget Eastern Europe or the Middle East....

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Oooh...I am with you on that. i can do North America, Weatern Europe, Most Of South America and The Pacific Rim, but forget Eastern Europe or the Middle East....

I'm pretty safe everywhere except Africa. Europe I can keep up with.