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Who Do SO MANY Americans think "The UK" and "Africa" are countries?

Because the government puts all the money into our military. Therefor our school systems are severely lacking. Little more than daycares/childholding.

leading to generations of americans who are both ignorant and arrogant.

I sware someday they are gunna pull google and we are going to have no knowledge base. I hope the librarians are keeping due dilligence. (so they can help with that decimal system you europeans like so much. Think deputy dewey from scream invented it if i recall.
 
I've never met an American who thinks that Africa is a country, and I believe most Americans are aware that the UK is a group of countries, but for all intents and purposes (to us, here) it really doesn't matter in general conversation.

I would bet that few Americans are aware of what all four of the countries in the UK though.

I think most Americans are smarter than the rest of the world gives us credit for.
 
smokeymcpot42088 said:
Because the government puts all the money into our military. Therefor our school systems are severely lacking. Little more than daycares/childholding.

leading to generations of americans who are both ignorant and arrogant.

I sware someday they are gunna pull google and we are going to have no knowledge base. I hope the librarians are keeping due dilligence. (so they can help with that decimal system you europeans like so much. Think deputy dewey from scream invented it if i recall.
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Don't worry they're trying to pull libraries too
 
I know they aren't funded well and due to the internet as competition and lack of readers (TBH) in the u.s. they are disappearing...Is this what you mean?

Or do you mean they are activey trying to pull libraries?? If the latter please explain as I haven't heard this yet.
 
There are people who seem to think that libraries shouldn't be funded with tax dollars and there are also groups of occasionally overlapping people who are trying to get books removed from libraries
 
My fave idiotic US tourist question : 'Denmark is the capital of Amsterdam, right?'

... overheard that while taking breakfast at an airport hotel. I sprayed coffee out of my nose.
 
It's because in school we are required to learn 50 separate states, and their capitals, and usually some facts about them. We will use this information probably about once or twice in our lives, so it gets filed into the "Don't give a fuck" folder in your brain. The US is a huge country, and most people do not visit all 50 states. Knowing the capital of North Dakota has absolutely no bearing on my life whatsoever

Ask the same question of Europeans about the capitals of US states and territories and I feel like you'll probably get the same stupid answers. I bet that more than 3/4 of people couldn't name the 16 territories of the US either, citizens or not.

Why would I have the need to know what the capital of a country is that I will most likely never visit?

FYI: I do a lot of traveling and still couldn't tell youall 16 US territories, although I do know all four (or five, depending on which Irishman you ask) countries in the UK.
 
Most non-Americans have no idea about North American geography.

The vast majority of Australians I speak to don't even know if New York / California are east or west cost states.

Similarly, I doubt the majority of Americans could tell you what ACT is or where Perth is located.

I don't care much about geography. I could name most US states. At least 40+. But, I went to an American school and I've been to many US states.

I've honestly got no idea when it comes to a lot of European countries, because I don't care... but my mother was born in the UK so I know the difference between GB, UK and England etc.

Never met anyone except for toddlers that think Africa is a country. People have a tendency to call Americans stupid. That's not my experience. (They're not as smart as Australians, of course.)
 
If you were born in the U.S. you better be able to name all 50 states and their capitols. I can name them all plus the highest point in each state. And have SOME knowledge of the different countries.
 
xaddictx said:
If you were born in the U.S. you better be able to name all 50 states and their capitols. I can name them all plus the highest point in each state. And have SOME knowledge of the different countries.
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I really think it has to be a massive failure of the education system. Some geography teachers don't even get other countries right. They seem to be pretty myopically focussed on the US. And I mean sure, it's a huge country, but c'mon you gotta at least know that Europe is a fucking continent!!

PS I've personally, in real life, come across people from there who variously couldn't tell the difference between Sweden and Switzerland or Austria and Australia, were surprised to be told that the ENGLISH language originated in ENGLAND like the clue isn't in the name, asked me what language we speak in Germany, didn't think Germany had automobiles and got irate when I stated not only do we have them but we invented them, that there is no such thing as a Spaniard and everyone who speaks Spanish is from Mexico, and also told me that my current place of residence, Wales, isn't 'real'. Since it's statistically highly unlikely I just personally happened to come across the worst examples, that level of ignorance must be more widespread than I thought.
 
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TheUltimateFixx said:
I really think it has to be a massive failure of the education system. Some geography teachers don't even get other countries right. They seem to be pretty myopically focussed on the US. And I mean sure, it's a huge country, but c'mon you gotta at least know that Europe is a fucking continent!!

PS I've personally, in real life, come across people from there who variously couldn't tell the difference between Sweden and Switzerland or Austria and Australia, were surprised to be told that the ENGLISH language originated in ENGLAND like the clue isn't in the name, asked me what language we speak in Germany, didn't think Germany had automobiles and got irate when I stated not only do we have them but we invented them, that there is no such thing as a Spaniard and everyone who speaks Spanish is from Mexico, and also told me that my current place of residence, Wales, isn't 'real'. Since it's statistically highly unlikely I just personally happened to come across the worst examples, that level of ignorance must be more widespread than I thought.
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Yep, I hear you. Well said.
 
And in canada we live in igloos

 
And we still manage to learn every country in the world and their capitol
 
TheUltimateFixx said:
PS I've personally, in real life, come across people from there who variously couldn't tell the difference between Sweden and Switzerland or Austria and Australia, were surprised to be told that the ENGLISH language originated in ENGLAND like the clue isn't in the name, asked me what language we speak in Germany, didn't think Germany had automobiles and got irate when I stated not only do we have them but we invented them, that there is no such thing as a Spaniard and everyone who speaks Spanish is from Mexico, and also told me that my current place of residence, Wales, isn't 'real'. Since it's statistically highly unlikely I just personally happened to come across the worst examples, that level of ignorance must be more widespread than I thought.
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Hang on - Wales is real?

Perhaps the people who didn't know English originated in England only went to Cornwall or Tyneside?
 
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