Perhaps americans are stupid...

Ever see the TV game show "Street Smarts." They showcase some truly clueless people, and it seems they have no trouble finding them on the streets. I don't know how they get their people, but I've just assumed they've grabbed them as they're walking by. Anyway, it's kind of an eye-opener as to the levels of ignorance of many.

Parents seem to want the schools to teach their children, rather than teach them themselves. If children aren't learning at home they might not acquire a thirst for knowledge.

jpinMilwaukee wrote:

by the way, panz ... A2K isn't the same without your usual witty posts... I hope you get back to your past high levels of involvement... I enjoy reading what you have to say.

ditto

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Same with Leno's JayWalking bits... those people are truley clueless... and it doesn't seem to be to hard to find them.

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I don't know, you never see how many people they asked or how long they waited to find the numb nuts they show. You watch those programs and read these polls and you might actually believe the average American might actually be an idiot.

Everyone I have asked here at work and in my social circles seem modestly bright. Even the factory workers. Like George Carlin says though... "Think how stupid the average person is and realize half the people are stupider than that!" But, to add a bright side, half are smarter as well.

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Quote:

It is also a lot easier to travel between countries in Europe. A tunnel from london to paris a quick plane ride to Italy from there maybe Greece... you can literaly spend a weekend in another country and be back for work on Monday. It takes a lot more for Americans to be able to do that.

Yeah, I kinda knew that..........

Quote:

I think saying that we don't know about other countries because we only care about ourselves is an inane statement.

Come on, be realistic. Do you think your average american has a clue as to what is going on in Italy, or Nigeria, maybe india... give me a break. Brittney Spears gets more ink than most foreign policy , aside from Iraq. Once again, unless your country is involved you rarely pay attention as a nation.
I watch american tv. I see what you see, I've read your local newspapers, and I've heard american radio. World news is not that important to the AVERAGE american. If it was, they'd more of it. If you think the 5 minute coverage CNN devoted to reporters with funny accents is an indepth look at world events...I hate to break it to you, this problem with your schools IS indemic to america's intrest.

I'm not saying americans are stupid, merely... they have other interests, other concerns. If you live in most places in the world, you are not as likely to be as isolated from your neighbours.

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Ceili... do you know more about your own country or do you pay more attention to Italy? Of course you are going to pay more attention to where you live. But to say it is because we care more about Britey Spears or navel watching is insane and degrading to Americans.

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prove me wrong, thin skin much.

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It's got nothing to do with thin skin... its got to do with you making false assumptions.

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Assumptions, buddy do you watch network news, read local papers. How much foreign news is front and centre. Virtually none, unless you, the americans are involved. Why is this such a hard thought to stomach.

It's been proven time and time again, this poll is one of thousands that point it out. Americans as a whole are not interested in world affairs. Your latest election proves that. I digress,,,
I get all five major new outlets in Canada, abc, nbc, cbs, cnn, and fox(for lack of a better example, plus pbs). Not one of them give much time to foreign news.
I'd bet, if you divided up the air time and ink space - entertainment news ranks higher than most foreign news stories, aside from your war on terror and the terrorism.

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I ask you again... do you know more about your own country or the goings on in Italy?

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Ceili wrote:

prove me wrong, thin skin much.

Not proving you wrong, but backing you:
344 frontpages from 39 countries - compare them re international news.

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Thanks Walter... here is one from Sweden (who scored first on the poll)

http://www.newseum.org/media/dfp/lg/SWE_AB.jpg

Here is one from the uk:

http://www.newseum.org/media/dfp/lg/UK_DM.jpg

Now who has the fetish with celebrities?

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Oh and here are some from Canada:

http://www.newseum.org/media/dfp/lg/CAN_ES.jpg

http://www.newseum.org/media/dfp/lg/CAN_CH.jpg

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jpinMilwaukee wrote:

I ask you again... do you know more about your own country or the goings on in Italy?

That's stupid question, It's not a case of knowing more about my country in favour of another, but being aware of the other country at all. But I bet I know more about italy than the average american. Canadians didn't fare much better on the test, but canadian newspapers do report on far more diverse news items than the USA and world geography is studied several times through the average school kids career.

You can continue to blame your underfunded schools and underpayed teachers but the reality is, schools mirror society. If latin was important every school would be teaching it. It's not a priority so therefore...

You can jump up and down and call me a bigot if you want, I don't care, just remember to breathe once and awhile.

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Walter Hinteler wrote:

Ceili wrote:
prove me wrong, thin skin much.

Not proving you wrong, but backing you:
344 frontpages from 39 countries - compare them re international news.

First of all, thanks for that awesome link!

Secondly, what is the point here? That American news sources report American news? Duh.

Do German news sources report more German news? I would hope they do. Do Canadian news sources report more Canadian news? Again I hope so or you guys are getting short changed...

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Ceili wrote:

You can jump up and down and call me a bigot if you want, I don't care, just remember to breathe once and awhile.

Who called you a bigot?

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jpinMilwaukee wrote:

But to say it is because we care more about Britey Spears or navel watching is insane and degrading to Americans.

Potato, Patato

McG, exactly.

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jpinMilwaukee

Are you quoting tabloids only to become manifest in other prejudice about US-Americans :wink:

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So becasue I think you are making asinine statements about Americans when the same thing happens all over the world... that means I am calling you a bigot?

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jpinMilwaukee wrote:

So becasue I think you are making asinine statements about Americans when the same thing happens all over the world... that means I am calling you a bigot?

You do?

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Walter Hinteler wrote:

jpinMilwaukee

Are you quoting tabloids only to become manifest in other prejudice about US-Americans :wink:

I'm trying to point out that Americans aren't the only ones that read news about celebrities.

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Perhaps americans are stupid...

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