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Have you ever seen Jay Leno do his "Jaywalking" bit. He goes out into the street and asks people at random questions like what countries border the U.S.
What you see isn't random, though. How would it look if the clips showed how many people answered correctly in between the fools who don't know what planet they're on?
Are you under the impression that those videos showed everyone they talked to?
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He gets a lot of blank stares and some very wrong answers. He claims that he never has to interview more than 10-15 people to get some major league stupid answers.
So, by your own admission, he gets 9-14 correct answers in between the dumb ones.
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I saw another segment where a man on the street asked several people if they could name a country that starts with the letter U. Well, there is Uganda and Uzebekestan, but these people didn't even guess their own country: the United States.
Why? Discuss.
Why do some folks see a 2 minute comedy clip on TV and assume it's a representative sample of a population of over 300 million?
because to americans the rest of the world is like a nightmare they are always trying to unite the world,and thier atempts end up in world wars. another reason,the rest of the world is looking towards america why,should americans look back.and there is the problem with america today. we stop to look back at the rest of the world when we should be going forward and let the world follow. dispite what abamba says, there is nothing worng with being the leader
What you see isn't random, though. How would it look if the clips showed how many people answered correctly in between the fools who don't know what planet they're on?
Are you under the impression that those videos showed everyone they talked to?
So, by your own admission, he gets 9-14 correct answers in between the dumb ones.
Why do some folks see a 2 minute comedy clip on TV and assume it's a representative sample of a population of over 300 million?
Sure he edits some out, but he says that he talks to 10-15 people and gets enough to do his bit which would mean that around 75 percent of the people interviewed were a bit soft-brained.
You have to admit that it's beyond strange when even one person doesn't know that the U.S. is bordered by Canada and Mexico.
I used the comedy bits as examples, but I've seen actual news stories covering the same subject. There are a lot of geographically challenged Americans out there.
Why do some folks see a 2 minute comedy clip on TV and assume it's a representative sample of a population of over 300 million?
I don`t think he does. When you read my post you`ll see what I have experienced on CD. Whether CD is a good representation of the 300 million Americans could be argued. I am not the one who can answer that question.
But I have seen very ignorant posts regarding other nations and cultures on CD.
Btw, I have been to the US many times and am still learning about your country. Some people on CD have never been to my country but tried to educate me on the politics of it while clearly having no clue.
An equivalent 'country' here would be New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland. Too bad they all speak the same language or we could be called 'intelligent'. Fortunately we have no need to, 'speak in tongues' if we travel one hour in any direction. That unusual phenomenom is part of the charm claimed by the EU, where after all these centuries each 'state' clings to a different language. Do you suppose that is diagnostic of a huge communication problem.
because to americans the rest of the world is like a nightmare they are always trying to unite the world,and thier atempts end up in world wars. another reason,the rest of the world is looking towards america why,should americans look back.and there is the problem with america today. we stop to look back at the rest of the world when we should be going forward and let the world follow. dispite what abamba says, there is nothing worng with being the leader
Who wants to unite the World?
Do you really speak on behalf of 300 Million Americans when you say the rest of the World is a nightmare? I doubt it.
My husband is from England and he teases me about being an "insular American".
I think it's a combination of things. We're separated geographically from the Eastern hemisphere so it's not like the average American is going to go for a jaunt or a school trip to France, Italy or Spain (as my husband did when he was young). America is huge and diverse so most American will stay here for vacations.
Then there's education (or lack thereof). Most of us don't get taught geography as a separate subject. It's sort of mushed in with history. Granted things may have changed since my husband went to school, but in England they used to teach geography as a separate course.
Let's not forget our media. How many times have you heard a news story about a disaster in a foreign country where they say, "1,000 people died - among them were 2 Americans!" My husband watches BBC news which focuses much more on events happening all over the globe. (Full disclosure: I find it kind of boring).
Lastly, for better or worse, America has become the cultural center of the world. I'm not going to opine as to whether it's good culture or trashy culture, but the fact of the matter is that people in other countries, even those who hate us, seek to emulate us. So it's no wonder that Americans tend to have an "It's all about us, baby!" attitude.
Lastly, I thought this was funny. "How Americans view the world"
I don`t think he does. When you read my post you`ll see what I have experienced on CD. Whether CD is a good representation of the 300 million Americans could be argued. I am not the one who can answer that question.
But I have seen very ignorant posts regarding other nations and cultures on CD.
Btw, I have been to the US many times and am still learning about your country. Some people on CD have never been to my country but tried to educate me on the politics of it while clearly having no clue.
So, what you've really noticed is that extremely ignorant individuals can hold very strong opinions on subjects they know virtually nothing about.
I doubt that America has anything approaching a monopoly on these people.
I think most of the ignorance stems from isolation.
Europe is a bunch of countries glommed together in almost the same amount of space we have to stick all our states (barring the barren icy reaches of the Scandanavian countries). France or Germany, large countries 'on the continent' are pretty much the size of Texas.
We also sit far across the ocean.
For a long time, communications weren't such that you could easily interact with and learn about Europe or Asia at all. In fact, until the last 50 years, LA to New York was a bit of a stretch.
Now that we have satellites, internet, and easily mobile global commerce, I think this is changing. I think you will see the awareness of the general populace change, as well.
Sure he edits some out, but he says that he talks to 10-15 people and gets enough to do his bit which would mean that around 75 percent of the people interviewed were a bit soft-brained.
I question your figures.
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You have to admit that it's beyond strange when even one person doesn't know that the U.S. is bordered by Canada and Mexico.
Not one person? Seems to me you're extrapolating rather extremely here.
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I used the comedy bits as examples, but I've seen actual news stories covering the same subject. There are a lot of geographically challenged Americans out there.
There are a lot of geographically challenged individuals in any nation you'd care to look.
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