True enoguh ice I wish I had a chance to learn a language of my choice from a young age but I didn't want to learn spanish or french so i blew off language lessons until High School where i'm taking German and intend to continue leanring German in College (it's practical for me half of my dad's family is in german adn doesn't speak anything but german)
On Somalia and the like some one had to get those nations that way and I know it wasn't the US so it had to be morons in charge
"The very existence of flamethrowers proves that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves, "You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done"."
-----"""yeah you want to talk about morons with a nation let's talk about Somlia or the former Yugoslavia"""---
In those war-torn countries getting food for the day is the primary concern. Americans have more food than we know what to do with. The point is that many countries with roughly equivalent economic status to ours have a leg up on us in some ways when it comes to education. Hell even in Cuba the literacy rate is higher!
"What do you call someone who knows three languages? Trilingual. What do you call someone who knows two languages? Bilingual. What do you call someone who knows one language? American."
Most Americans don't need to know another language. But still it reflects poorly on us when we travel to foreign countries, and it prevents many Americans from getting an international awareness that people in other countries have, and learning another language is a very good mentally stimulating activity. It would be simple to fix this problem: don't teach foreign language to kids for three or four years in highschool, teach it for five or six years starting from 4th grade. Also, many other industrialized nations have a more standardized education system, the schools are more equal with eachother whereas quality can vary greatly here.
"To see the world in a grain of sand, and heaven in a wild flower. Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour..." -William Blake
im afraid so...but we are kinda stupid. look now...we are so competive at everything...which is so stupid. well maybe we (the people) are not the stupid ones..maybe it's just the politicans, the people who make the choices of our future.
if u can't beat em' join em', if u can't join em...then just give up! -Brittney
Originally posted by pigeonman: I read a recent article in the Washington Post that stated Americans are the stupidest people in many aspects of life. As an american I was shocked!!!! Apparently we feature as one of the worst countries in the world for Geographical knowledge of places outside of our own country, with some countries commenting "Yanks, don't know the difference between their ass or their elbows". What do we need to do to re dress this theme. Is it possible to launch pre emptive strikes against countries that are cleverer than us or countries we haven't heared of?
You need to have more Americans educate themselves. As a Canadian and South Asian, several times upon entering the United States have predjudice and ignorance. It's one thing to be ignorant about my race- but my country!? CANADA IS RIGHT NEXT TO YOU. I'm tired of being asked if I live in an igloo, and Americans being surprised that "I have that too!?"
Yes, we do have shopping malls and television, just like you do.
I mean, honestly, people.
Education is key. America is not the only country in the world.
she was a good girl & it felt great liar - - - dee
I think we are stupid a lot because our schools and things are not the best usually, but I think that it is not good to stereotype people just because a lot of people are stupid.
But really we are stupid. I think that the U.S. needs to do a much better job of teaching kids so that older people are smart and can make our country a better place.
Granted, half of Americans are very intellectual and strive to be the best they can be, there is the other half that makes America have a bad name. Millions of Americans just go through life, doing the most minimal work required to get by. Going day after day, doing nothing but what is required. And this gives the rest of Americans, who actually try to go a little further, and doing everything in the best possible way, a bad name. You may think that this fact is completely screwing America over, and in fact, it partially is. Just because some Americans aren't as smart as others, doesn't mean we should be all should be called stupid. Every country has it's ignorant citizens. I believe everyone should stop complaining about one country, and try to fix their own first. Once there's is picture perfect, they can become the super-power, and fix every other countries problems. But for now, we as Americans need to do our best to help fix this "generalization", as Maya said, and attempt to help make our country a little better. I do think we have our faults, but we aren't the superpower by luck.
quote:
"No one can make you feel inferior with out your consent. _Eleanor Roosevelt
The way I see it is that yes, Americans are more arrogant in their ways, but that is only because the average person has seen too little to care about things like that. When you grow up eating food that you did not have to raise for the past seven months, you tend not to worry about such things. It is a known fact that when Americans go abroad, a large (I do not say majority) I did not say percentage of them expects people to speak English instead of trying to speak the native language themselves. It's interesting how people are saying that America as a country is ignorant because they themselves do not come off very knowledgeable, labeling a population the way they do.
I remember reading somewhere about the President's surprised remark at the size of the country when shown a map of Brazil...When the representative of a people does not think twice to keep those remarks to himself, I can sort of see where others start believing they've got everyone figured out.
A great many people mistake opinions for thoughts.
Of course we have been we were/soldified our status as the most powerful nation on earth with the defeat of the Axis war machine then squashed through force of success the next largest the USSR it would give anyone a bit of a swelled head
"The very existence of flamethrowers proves that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves, "You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done"."
Bluedemocrat, I am sorry for generalising saying that all Americans are stupid. I cannot say that Venezuela is the most cultured nation in the world. The problem is that I believe that the Us has been arrogant ever since WWII and I would say that i am not the only one to think this way. Sorry for my generalization
some of you guys need to take a chill pill or something and stop acting so fucking defensive.
Generalization is what this is called. I've heard so many stories about someone's friend's friend who went to the US and met an American that thought that Spain was in South America for example, or many other things of the sort. and from that they automatically jump to the conclusion that ALL Americans are stupid, ignorant, etc. When I hear these stories all I can do is laugh, and I honestly don't give a shit about what these people.
What I do find to be a big problem though is for Bush having been able to be re-elected. I can't believe that 51% of the votes went to him. That I find pathetic and STUPID. After this I do understand in some way why lots of people HATE and look down at Americans.
quote:
Just because we have an idiot president, doesn't mean that America is a failed country.
I don't think the US is a failed country, I just think that it's VERY fucked up. BUT I also think it has great things.
Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time. - E.B.White
Is it just me, or does anyone else find it funny that, even while defending their non-ignorance, no one can correctly spell Somalia?
Shit I'm usually pretty good about catching that!
"The very existence of flamethrowers proves that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves, "You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done"."
Originally posted by da: You Americans are so self centered.... If you are stupid fight agaisnt it with better enducation adn educational programs not
quote:
Just nuk[ing] the places who's names you can't pronounce
YOU ARE NOT THE WORLDS BOSS ANYMORE!!!
Dude I was kidding. I hear a lot of mispronounced country names in the news and I was making fun of that fact. Are you familiar with sarcasm? And I'm not American so shut up.
~*The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true.
As far as history, geography, and world news go Americans are definatly up there with the less knowledgable. I am from England but I live in Texas now and I was so surprised when I got here to see what they were teaching in schools. They hardly ever move away from Texas history and when they do they go onto U.S. history. Even the news broadcasts only mention other countries when there is a huge disaster or a war. I have honestly learned more about world history and geography in my elementary school in England than I have learned in my 7 years in U.S. middle and high schools. Although I must give you credit, most americans would throw a fit and go into denial if they read something like that. Scroll down a few posts, you'll see what I mean. I would say most are more arrogant than stupid. Of course this isn't all Americans and I am not trying to generalize, but they do have a way to go before they will be concidered a very intelligent nation in general.
" If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other" -Mother Teresa
Risk, I agree that many Americans are ignorant in regard to international issues.
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have experiances american culture and all come to the same conclusion...its stupid, its arogant and ignorant.
Clearly, Americans must have some idea what they are doing. They've been considered the main world power since pre-WWII. I find it hard to believe that such a "stupid" and "ignorant" culture could rise to such heights. And, I agree, many Americans are arrogant, but rightfully so, if you ask me.
And how is American so different from European culture? A little more conservative...maybe? How else? I don't see any European country rising to power.
Just because we have an idiot president, doesn't mean that America is a failed country.
quote:
You Americans are so self centered.... If you are stupid fight agaisnt it with better enducation adn educational programs not
Please do us all a favor and shut the hell up. I can start to generalize about Venezuala, if you want.
but hey ive only met a few dozen americans in my life,perhaps its only a coincidence they were all loud annoying and stupid.
duh tourists
it's not the we try to be ignorent we just don't care and any one who has problem with it can declare war and we can squash you while the rest of the world begs for money from us
"The very existence of flamethrowers proves that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves, "You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done"."
Nobel Prizes than any other country and that the majority of the globe's top universities are in the US. Total coincidence.
high education doesnt mean no ignorance. And I am not arguing alone here, millions aroung the world agree....all those people cannot be emphasising a stereotype, they have real experiances with real americans, have experiances american culture and all come to the same conclusion...its stupid, its arogant and ignorant. id love a reply to prove me wrong that isnt one of these 3.
'it's better to have your ministers inside the tent pissing out than outside, pissing in'
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