Americans Can't Find Iraq on a Map

[Hamma]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/05/02/geog.test/index.html

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After more than three years of combat and nearly 2,400 U.S. military deaths in Iraq, nearly two-thirds of Americans aged 18 to 24 still cannot find Iraq on a map, a study released Tuesday showed.

:ugh:

[OneManArmy]

why is that important?

[Giovanni]

Well... in my humble opinion. If your going to bomb the shit out of someone you could atleast have the decency to know where they are located.

[Kyonye]

It does matter. It shows that many American's don't give two shits about the rest of the world, and even about their own country. It's a straight hit to our pride to know that many of the people my age had trouble pointing out certain states on a map. When I was in elementary school, even though you have to learn about U.S. geography, my teachers barely taught me anything. I'm not saying I can point out all 50 states, but I can find atleast 40 on a map, without any mistakes.

It proves that a lot of young adults just don't care about education, and it's pathetic.

[neon]

It does matter. It shows that many American's don't give two shits about the rest of the world, and even about their own country. It's a straight hit to our pride to know that many of the people my age had trouble pointing out certain states on a map. When I was in elementary school, even though you have to learn about U.S. geography, my teachers barely taught me anything. I'm not saying I can point out all 50 states, but I can find atleast 40 on a map, without any mistakes.

It proves that a lot of young adults just don't care about education, and it's pathetic.

I honestly couldn't say that any better.

[Electrofreak]

It's damn shameful.

[Rbstr]

I can get every state, and most capitals, that was a realy big thing we had to do in 5th grade.

I'm fairly good with world contries, but quite a few of my classmates aren't as an example:

Today in english we had to share what our favorite place to go was, someone said Prague.

Girl asked "Is that a country or a city."
guy replies: "It's a country"
second girl responds: "No dumbass it's in Spain"

I'm very tired of the anti-intelectual pop-culture thing. My sister, she's about as smart as I am, but if you talked to both us us, you think she was as dumb as a rock(comments such as "Only chinese people can made good chinese food, like at restaruants"). For some reason she has it in her head that being dumb and cute is the thing to do.

[internetn]

I like dumb cute girls... Whats your sisters number? :rofl:

Heh, this is kinda dumb.. Why are we like this? I blame liberal schooling/

[Mag-Mower]

I'm very tired of the anti-intelectual pop-culture thing. My sister, she's about as smart as I am, but if you talked to both us us, you think she was as dumb as a rock(comments such as "Only chinese people can made good chinese food, like at restaruants"). For some reason she has it in her head that being dumb and cute is the thing to do.


Thats nothing, in my Religion class, the IQ is arround 80. My teacher was talking about the whole CE and BCE thing, and people were going arround thinking that nothing existed before CE, thinking jesus walked with the dinosaurs, they think Abraham came after jesus, they didnt know Vatican was its own country, and some other random crap.

[Rbstr]

I blame liberal schooling/

"Conservative schooling" is 300x worse, if you call public schooling liberal.

[Setari]

Can Americans ever learn how to discuss how bad things are without separating it into liberal and conservative?


As for the topic, that's sad, but like Rob said, it's "cool" to be less intelligent.

[Peacemaker]

Im taking an elective World Civ since 1800. One of the requirements is to lable a buncha stuff on a world map. Most ppl acctualy did it.

[Kikinchikin]

You're absolutely stupid if you can't name all 50 states as an adult or even a high schooler. I can personally name most capitals and probably most of the countries as well. Then again I like history and geography, but still that's damn embarrassing.

[OneManArmy]

no one has yet to answer why it is important to know exactally where iraq is....
well unless you think it's next to australia.


seriously someone tell me how knowing exactally where iraq is on a map is benificial in any way shape or form to daily life. tell me how not knowing that useless piece of trivia. all of a sudden means we dont care about education.

I'd much rather have my kid learning about math, science, computers, etc than fucking placing countries on a map...

[Mag-Mower]

no one has yet to answer why it is important to know exactally where iraq is....
well unless you think it's next to australia.


seriously someone tell me how knowing exactally where iraq is on a map is benificial in any way shape or form to daily life. tell me how not knowing that useless piece of trivia. all of a sudden means we dont care about education.

I'd much rather have my kid learning about math, science, computers, etc than fucking placing countries on a map...


math, science, computers are all important, but it would kinda suck if some idiot said "Iraq is right below china!". Now, I would not be able to pin point where Iraq is, but atleast I know where the general location is.

Bonus: Can any one name the 10 provinces of canada, the 3 territories, and name their captials?

[Hamma]

seriously someone tell me how knowing exactally where iraq is on a map is benificial in any way shape or form to daily life. tell me how not knowing that useless piece of trivia. all of a sudden means we dont care about education

There is no reason not to know these things. There is no memory limit on the brain why be ignorant? :D

[Ivan]

I guess I'm kind of weird, I can name most of the more widely known countries in the mid east but have trouble with placing names with some of the central states.

But I'm more interested in the history of other places. I don't really like American history all that much.

[OneManArmy]

wow so just because the brain can retain useless information means people have to learn it? that's a shitty reason...

unless we're going to be a nation of trivial pursuit players!!!

[Hamma]

:lol:

I hardly consider knowing world geography useless information.

[OneManArmy]

ok so when has knowing the excat location of Zambia or Turkey or Nepal ever come in handy?

[Infernus]

Is the issue they can't find Iraq exactly on an unmarked map?

Or is it that they don't even know the general location of the middle east?

Just wondering... I think I missed it.

[Hamma]

ok so when has knowing the excat location of Zambia or Turkey or Nepal ever come in handy?
Knowing your own world and surroundings is not useless information.

Knowing there are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball. Now that's useless information. :D

[OneManArmy]

I know my surroundings quite well. I however, do not consider any of those countries my surroundings.....

[Hamma]

:rolleyes:

Do you live on Mars or something? Apparently all forms of reasoning are lost on you :lol:

[OneManArmy]

pretty much. :p I don't live anywhere near there. I'm never going to visit there. It has never come up in any situation or conversation outside of a classroom. therefore it is useless trivial information.

[Squeeky]

why is that important?

Yeah, seriously. Geography is like, totally pointless. :doh:

Your attitude reminds me of a conversation I once had.

Me: You hear about those bombings in Bali? Hundreds of people died.
Idiot co-worker: Holy shit, today? When? Where is Bali.
Me: Ya, today. Dunno how long ago. Bali is an island in Indonesia.
ICW: Oh...isn't that like....3,000 miles away?
Me: Erm, it's much further than that.
ICW: Eh, whatever dude. Doesn't affect me.
Me: :doh: :doh: :doh:

[Kyonye]

Me: You hear about those bombings in Bali? Hundreds of people died.
Idiot co-worker: Holy shit, today? When? Where is Bali.
Me: Ya, today. Dunno how long ago. Bali is an island in Indonesia.
ICW: Oh...isn't that like....3,000 miles away?
Me: Erm, it's much further than that.
ICW: Eh, whatever dude. Doesn't affect me.
Me: :doh: :doh: :doh:


ICW = Ban in life

[OneManArmy]

so you had a conversation with a rational thinking person. you want a medal?

[Mag-Mower]

so you had a conversation with a rational thinking person. you want a medal?

I want a medal. Can I have your $100 donation medal? :p

[OneManArmy]

sorry hammas rules. all sales are final and non-transferable. do not use if pregnant.

[Heavygain]

I would have to agree with OMA, long as they know WHERE the middle east is, who cares? Hell why does it matter if they even know where the middle east is even?