Board index › General Discussion › News and Current Events

13% of Americans can find Iraq on a map, 35% support the war

Page 1 of 2 [ 32 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next

Previous topic | Next topic

JBM
Blue Jay
Blue Jay

User avatar

Joined: 24 Jan 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 96

30 Jan 2007, 12:45 pm

do the math. 50% of Americans can't find New York or California on a map either.

SOURCE: http://archives.cnn.com/2002/EDUCATION/ ... aphy.quiz/

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

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/ ... 1756.shtml



Last edited by JBM on 31 Jan 2007, 6:39 pm, edited 3 times in total.

TheMachine1
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Jun 2006
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,011
Location: 9099 will be my last post...what the hell 9011 will be.

30 Jan 2007, 12:48 pm

90% or not atheist either. Its called blind faith.



SeaBright
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Aug 2006
Age: 51
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,407
Location: Halfway back

30 Jan 2007, 12:51 pm

what's...Iraq?


_________________
"I'm sorry Katya, my dear, but where we come from, your what's known as a pet; a not quite human novelty. It's why we brought you.... It's nothing to be ashamed of, my dear, but here you are and here you'll sit."


TheMachine1
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Jun 2006
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,011
Location: 9099 will be my last post...what the hell 9011 will be.

30 Jan 2007, 1:01 pm

SeaBright wrote:
what's...Iraq?


Its what builds up on your teeth when you do not brush enough.



MrMark
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 3 Jul 2006
Age: 66
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,918
Location: Tallahassee, FL

30 Jan 2007, 1:07 pm

SeaBright wrote:
what's...Iraq?

Slang reference for a woman's breasts. :wink:


_________________
"The cordial quality of pear or plum
Rises as gladly in the single tree
As in the whole orchards resonant with bees."
- Emerson


zebedee
Toucan
Toucan

User avatar

Joined: 30 Nov 2006
Gender: Male
Posts: 280

30 Jan 2007, 1:21 pm

JBM wrote:
on a map, but 35% support the war there?


only a shame they didnt get lost when they went to invade

"we have liberated the iraqi people!"
"I've told you a million times go away this is brazil"



Prof_Pretorius
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 20 Aug 2006
Age: 67
Gender: Male
Posts: 7,520
Location: Hiding in the attic of the Arkham Library

30 Jan 2007, 1:25 pm

What ?? Do US schools spend five minutes on geography, and then go back to how the students feel about it?????


_________________
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. I feel my fate in what I cannot fear. I learn by going where I have to go. ~Theodore Roethke


dexkaden
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 29 Dec 2005
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,967
Location: CTU, Los Angeles

30 Jan 2007, 2:10 pm

You know, just three months ago I did a poll of a class of 35, and 24 could ID Iraq on a map. I had them do it individually, and they couldn't talk to anyone still in line. So that 10% is a random number, as according to it, only 3.5 should have been able to identify it.

How about this as a statistic? Only 10% of people in the world bother to prove statistics are correct rather than blindly asserting they are true.

(I was curious to see if they could identify it as the class got into a rather heated debate over Middle Eastern politics, and I wanted to see if anyone even know the area being discussed. Interesting.)


_________________
Superman wears Jack Bauer pajamas.


SeaBright
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Aug 2006
Age: 51
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,407
Location: Halfway back

30 Jan 2007, 3:05 pm

MrMark wrote:
SeaBright wrote:
what's...Iraq?

Slang reference for a woman's breasts. :wink:


ohhhh :oops:

I thought maybe, slang reference for who will put the balls in the triangle at the soft green table.



:lol:


_________________
"I'm sorry Katya, my dear, but where we come from, your what's known as a pet; a not quite human novelty. It's why we brought you.... It's nothing to be ashamed of, my dear, but here you are and here you'll sit."


nutbag
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 27 Jan 2007
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,582
Location: Arizona

31 Jan 2007, 12:18 am

how many of the 10% is us?



Cyanide
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 24 Sep 2006
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,003
Location: The Pacific Northwest

31 Jan 2007, 12:23 am

It makes me feel ashamed to be American :cry:



SeaBright
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Aug 2006
Age: 51
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,407
Location: Halfway back

31 Jan 2007, 1:00 am

heh. heh. heh.

I'm just playing of course I know. sortof. I dont have a picture memory of it or anything. Something like North East Africa or something.

The point is.
I'm tired of the holy wars.

My muslim upbringing has left me flatlined on the subject. Especially cause I'm a jew. in a christian country. Ah America! America! My Country Tis Of Thee!! ! Sweet Land Of Liberty! Land Where My Fathers...nope...that was Russia. Land Where My Brothers...nope...that was Russia... From Sea To Shining Seeeeeeeeeee. Oooooooh Say Can Yoou Seeee. By The Dawns Early Liiiight.....What So Proudly She....We...........Till The Full Moon Shines So Bright....By The Rockets Red Glarreeee The Bombs Bursting In Aiiiiiir....Gave Proof Through The Night....That No One Climbed Up The Pole And Stole Our Flag.

America! I Love You! Only In America!


_________________
"I'm sorry Katya, my dear, but where we come from, your what's known as a pet; a not quite human novelty. It's why we brought you.... It's nothing to be ashamed of, my dear, but here you are and here you'll sit."


SeaBright
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Aug 2006
Age: 51
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,407
Location: Halfway back

31 Jan 2007, 9:54 am

Sorry. I was tired and shouldn't have been communicating with others.

Why would anyone need to know where Iraq is? We are at war there now, but the place is a middle eastern area country that may have only crossed the lips of a teacher-once . Most people for obvious reasons of america's mindset being on topics like the cold war, vietnam; years and years of topics, ect, well, the populace was not bombarded with Iraq information, and that information is still young.

I suggest that is why.


_________________
"I'm sorry Katya, my dear, but where we come from, your what's known as a pet; a not quite human novelty. It's why we brought you.... It's nothing to be ashamed of, my dear, but here you are and here you'll sit."


Prof_Pretorius
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 20 Aug 2006
Age: 67
Gender: Male
Posts: 7,520
Location: Hiding in the attic of the Arkham Library

31 Jan 2007, 10:09 am

SeaBright wrote:
Sorry. I was tired and shouldn't have been communicating with others.

Why would anyone need to know where Iraq is? We are at war there now, but the place is a middle eastern area country that may have only crossed the lips of a teacher-once . Most people for obvious reasons of america's mindset being on topics like the cold war, vietnam; years and years of topics, ect, well, the populace was not bombarded with Iraq information, and that information is still young.

I suggest that is why.


There's my argument about US schools in a nutshell ! !!


_________________
I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. I feel my fate in what I cannot fear. I learn by going where I have to go. ~Theodore Roethke


jimservo
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Jun 2006
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,964
Location: Philadelphia Suburbs

31 Jan 2007, 11:08 am

Some context to the topic. From National Geographic:

Quote:
Americans ages 18 to 24 came in next to last among nine countries in the National Geographic-Roper 2002 Global Geographic Literacy Survey, which quizzed more than 3,000 young adults in Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Sweden, and the United States. Top scorers were young adults in Sweden, Germany, and Italy.

Out of 56 questions that were asked across all countries surveyed, on average young Americans answered 23 questions correctly. Others outside the U.S., most notably young adults in Mexico, also struggled with basic geography facts. Young people in Canada and Great Britain fared almost as poorly as those in the U.S.

Among young Americans’ startling knowledge gaps, the study found that

• nearly 30 percent of those surveyed could not find the Pacific Ocean, the world’s largest body of water;
• more than half—56 percent—were unable to locate India, home to 17 percent of people on Earth; and
• only 19 percent could name four countries that officially acknowledge having nuclear weapons.
Several perhaps interrelated factors affected performance—educational experience (including taking a geography course), international travel and language skills, a varied diet of news sources, and Internet use. Americans who reported that they accessed the Internet within the last 30 days scored 65 percent higher than those who did not.


You will not get me to disagree about the inadequate American public school system. When American children are tested at kindergarten level they rank near or at the top, when they reach the middle of elementary school they have dropped to mid-range, and when they finish high school they drop towards the bottom of the Western world in knowledge.

(source link)

It should be noted as well that a large portion of those who oppose the war are lacking in geographic knowledge as well. Just do the math.



TheMachine1
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Jun 2006
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,011
Location: 9099 will be my last post...what the hell 9011 will be.

31 Jan 2007, 11:39 am

Screw social studies I have had debates with people trying to explain thermodynamics.

Seems there is a common myth that hot water freezes faster than cold water!