Americans are pathetic!!

[Fred]

Its almost a strength so to speak. What other country in the world has a luxury of being so self sufficient, so contained and so enjoyable that a decent percentage of the populace feels no need to learn or go elsewhere.

Conversely, a lot of people know a lot about the US, since we are the premier world power and its hard to escape things like say Mc Donalds, hell there is actually a chain near the west bank (when I saw that in person I LOL'd for 10 minutes).

The people who enjoy bringing up the education of geography of Americans really shouldn't throw stones about that sort of thing. Please, point to me where French Guana is on a map.

As far as our intellectual capacity. heh. Take a look at the leading scientists/businessmen/innovators/artists/engineers/musicians/etc etc in the world. I think you'll find far more Americans on those lists than what our population percentage would naively produce.

 

[V3]

Aren't they taught the culture of other nations in schools??

I am sorry, if in India, they make you learn the culture of other nations

 

[micron]

Aren't they taught the culture of other nations in schools??

I am sorry, if in India, they make you learn the culture of other nations

Lol...I must be tired, I had to read that twice.
The second time, it was hillarious

 

[epicstruggle]

v3 :LMAO:

later,

 

[Deepak]

Its almost a strength so to speak. What other country in the world has a luxury of being so self sufficient, so contained and so enjoyable that a decent percentage of the populace feels no need to learn or go elsewhere.

I was taking about something else...

As far as our intellectual capacity. heh. Take a look at the leading scientists/businessmen/innovators/artists/engineers/musicians/etc etc in the world. I think you'll find far more Americans on those lists than what our population percentage would naively produce.

Most of *American* intellectual capability is imported....immigrants from Europe (post WW2)....then Asia - India/China (Post IT),

 

[Bambers]

Whatever you think about US average knowledge about the rest of the world, I'd say that in this case it turned out right. Using up brain cells to store any information about Beckham/Victoria is a waste.

Seconded

 

[epicstruggle]

Most of *American* intellectual capability is imported....immigrants from Europe (post WW2)....then Asia - India/China (Post IT),

Interesting point, there are some flaws to that argument. However, Ill say this, these immigrants came to this country because they were not going to be restricted (by money,burecracy,ignorance,...) and so they flourished in this country. Einsten was among one of many who came here and produced much while here. I think if you want to grow intellectually the best country to do it in is the US.

later,

 

[Deepak]

Can I change the title of this topic....may be that will help...

 

[Joe DeFuria]

I read in today's newspaper...that Beckham and Victoria are going to begin a marketing blitz in US to make Americans know about them.....it seems both of them were were trolling in LA and no-one mobbed them,,,,infact no-one knew them.... ....even we, Indians esp in cities know a lot about rest of world!

Seriously, I consider the fact they weren't "known" to be a positive. Nothing detracts from real education than putting effort toward pop culture.

What is the reason?? Aren't they taught the culture of other nations in schools??

Unfortunatley, if you think you can be "taught the culture" of other nations, then you haven't been taught well at all.

Culture is to be experienced.

I still find it quite laughable that you are somehow equating pop culture with actual culture. If my kids were being taught about Beckham and Victoria (or Brittney Spears, or Michael Jordan) in school, I'd be raising hell.

 

[K.I.L.E.R]

If any of you had any bloody knowledge in your heads you would come to my house and do things with me and to me...

 

[covermye]

KILER, that's got to be the creepiest post I've seen in a while. I have no idea how to interpret it...

 

[epicstruggle]

not really, kiler has had creepier posts.
later,

 

[DemoCoder]

This is a frequent claim and frankly it's BS. Look, in my job, I have to travel abroad frequently, usually atleast 10-15 times a year. I was riding in a London taxi 2 weeks ago with a blue collar driver and I brought up two topics of conversation he knew nothing about: #1 the new EU draft constitution and #2 Calgary, which I am traveling in July, and which he knew NOTHING ABOUT geographically. The only thing he could say was that joining the EU was going to destroy Britain, but had no clue that an EU constition draft had even been RELEASED.

If I pull in the average drug invested clubber punk from Leichester square and ask him who the leader of, say, South Korea is, he'd had no friggin clue.

And don't even TRY to include India in your little comparison. The literacy rate is about 50% and lower in women (like 35%) Perhaps your people know who Beckham is, but they can't read or write, all they can do is watch Cricket on dishwallah.


In general, Americans do not recognize Beckham, because we HATE soccer. Had it not been for Bend it Like Beckham, I still wouldn't know who he was. I only know who some European tennis personalities are because my wife is captain of a tennis league. I simply do not view TRIVIA, whether it is celebrity trivia or geographic trivia as a measure of intelligence or generally useful knowledge. I don't even know who most US sports celebrities are.

I don't know who the King or president of Luxemberg is, and I don't care, just like most Europeans won't know who the Governor or Missouri is, or the Mayor of Kansas City, or why Kansas City is in Missouri and not Kansas. These are trivialities.


The fundamental explaination for why Americans don't know about European media is simply: American Media dominates the world. Americans have 500 channels of satellite and cable. American media companies pump out incredible amounts of movies, print, and music, and moreover (since I know you will bring up Bollywood) have the worldwide distribution to make sure EVERYONE knows who Britney Spears is.

On the other hand, if European media companies aren't spending money to in the US to make Beckham a household name, it's not America's fault, it's Beckham's PR agency.


Face it Deepak, India is a third world country, with impoverished, under educated people, lorded over by a small minority of educated upper class elite. It has terrible infrastructure, bad roads, power, and communication. These things will be solved over time, but you will not score any points by trying to make yourself feel superior to Americans artificially because no one knows about a sh*tty Bollywood blockbuster film star, or Cricket player.


I face Eurosnobbery all the time at my company, since a large number of the sales people are from the EU, and the ignorance from the other side of the pond is astounding as well. It's amazing how someone who has seen a few American movies, and went to a few shopping malls thinks they can generalize about a country with such a huge landmass and 270+ million people.

(typical example: had a meeting with a guy from UK. He constantly complained "there are NO GOOD RESTAURANTS in the US. You can't get ANY good chinese food in the US." )

 

[Deepak]

Demo, where did I try to demean US?? All I was saying was a simple fact....your post also proved that it IS a Fact...end of story!!

 

[epicstruggle]

I read in today's newspaper...that Beckham and Victoria are going to begin a marketing blitz in US to make Americans know about them.....it seems both of them were were trolling in LA and no-one mobbed them,,,,infact no-one knew them.... ....even we, Indians esp in cities know a lot about rest of world!

So if we dont know who 2 celebrities are, then we are ignorent.
later,

 

[micron]

And don't even TRY to include India in your little comparison. The literacy rate is about 50% and lower in women (like 35%) Perhaps your people know who Beckham is, but they can't read or write, all they can do is watch Cricket on dishwallah.

 

[Gollum]

Dunno, only been the the US for a short period of time, but I certainly didn't get the impression that people there are any more or less stupid than people all over the rest of the world. They sure have more than a fair share of smart people too, that's for sure. Hell, where I live folks might know a few more foreign countries and football (its football damnit, not soccer!), but they sure aren't any smarter!

Maybe the general populace of the US is a bit less informed or slightly more ignorant about what's going on outside of the US (humus' recent comment about many people not knowing Sweden was a country spring to mind) than in some other countries (although I doubt a Vietnamese rice farmer can tell you more about global economics than a ranch owner in Wisconsin), but that doesn't mean they're any less intelligent!

I think it has more to do with the somewhat isolated geographical location and the unipue political and economical position of the US. Many people there don't really feel the need to peek over the edge of their little part of the world. The country is huge, still has lots of unused space and resources, they have their own pop culture that their media giants export all over the world, they basically have everything they need. And as for cultural diversity, few places in the world have more different cultures all mixed up than the big US cities...

 

[Deepak]

And don't even TRY to include India in your little comparison. The literacy rate is about 50% and lower in women (like 35%) Perhaps your people know who Beckham is, but they can't read or write, all they can do is watch Cricket on dishwallah.

Ewwww yea!... take that Deepak!

Let me correct Demo....Literacy is around 75% now....women slightly less...

BTW, China and India will overtake (ecomonically) US in a few decades, may be by 2050...

 

[DemoCoder]

The US isolated geographically like Japan is culturally. Americans are likely to know more about neighboring US states than EU countries. EU people are more likely to have a passport and know about other "Countries" since they do not have a federal state, and travel within the continental EU requires knowledge of "other" (cultures, language, passports, visas, etc) whereas, dosmetically, US citizens can go about almost anywhere with total freedom. Hell, I can even drive to Canada and Mexico and spend US dollars.

But someone in the UK watching German or French television is not really that different than someone in California watching New York media. The difference is, UK citizens will argue that knowing about German politics and culture constitutes knowledge of "other countries in the world", whereas someone in California's knowledge of New York culture and politics doesn't count.

I will be much more impressed if I could snag the average person off the street in Paris and see if they know where Shinjuku is located or who is currently ruling Nepal or New Zealand. (nope, Peter Jackson isn't a valid answer)

 

[DemoCoder]

And don't even TRY to include India in your little comparison. The literacy rate is about 50% and lower in women (like 35%) Perhaps your people know who Beckham is, but they can't read or write, all they can do is watch Cricket on dishwallah.

Ewwww yea!... take that Deepak!

Let me correct Demo....Literacy is around 75% now....women slightly less...

BTW, China and India will overtake (ecomonically) US in a few decades, may be by 2050...

Wrong, it's 75% only if you count Urban areas (e.g. elites)

http://www.censusindia.net/literates1.html Figures are the same, whether you consult CIA Factbook or UN or India's census. Indians are claiming gains of 2% per year (those figures I quoted were 2001), but I think it's bogus. Literacy of what level is being measured here? Previously illterate adults taught to be literate have only a small functional ability. Only children taught from a young age become quality literate. Thus, this growth rate can only apply to the education of children.


As for overtaking in just 50 years, that would require that: starting now, near 99% of the next generation is literate in the next 30 years (so that when they reach college age, working, they will be middle class and literate), and moreover, that huge volumes of them could be catapulted into the middle class overnight. It took the EU and the US about 100 years to achieve this.

Moreover, it postulates that the sheer number of people is the key, whereas I view the overpopulation as a detriment to fast progress in literacy and standard of living, and in 50 years, manual labor input in manufacturing won't even be a relevant factor to economic output.