The Conservative Cave
Current Events => The DUmpster => Topic started by: franksolich on April 09, 2013, 01:40:15 PM
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022641355
Oh my.
TimberValley (154 posts) Tue Apr 9, 2013, 12:39 PM
How to make Americans more geographically literate?
We may have all heard those stories about how Americans can't name any more than a few countries on a map or have absurdly little knowledge about the world, its geography, its nations, etc.
Any way to improve on this? Or is this simply because of "America-is-the-center-of-the-world" attitude?
I say, uh, no.
The problem isn't the "America is the center of the world" attitude.
On Skins's island, for example, there's a lot of primitives who have the "Massachusetts [or New England] is the center of the world" attitude.
And there's other primitives who have the "California [or the west coast] is the center of the world" attitude. (Although one needs to note an even sorrier example; for the oblate spheroid cousin, San Diego is the center of the world.)
1-Old-Man (1,343 posts) Tue Apr 9, 2013, 12:42 PM
1. Teaching them how to read would be a good first step
bowens43 (14,129 posts) Tue Apr 9, 2013, 12:43 PM
2. yes, drop bombs on the countries you want them to know.....
1-Old-Man (1,343 posts) Tue Apr 9, 2013, 12:50 PM
6. I'm not so sure, seems to me we've bombed the shit out of lots of places people can't find on a map.
For instance, ask the man on the street to point out the Balkans on a Globe and see what that gets you. Hell, for that matter see how many folks can find Korea or Viet Nam, North or South, on a globe - both of which we bombed to smithereens within the last six decades.
But I dam sure agree with your sentiment. Back when we still had a draft at least most folks knew where Viet Nam was, but now with so very few people having any stake in the game (or kin in the meat-grinder if you prefer to think of it that way) its not too surprising that so few of us has any sense of the world in which we live.
sarisataka (1,814 posts) Tue Apr 9, 2013, 12:50 PM
5. I don't think it is
"America-is-the-center-of-the-world" attitude since most Americans have about equal knowledge of world and US geography. If you rotate the map ninety degrees they couldn't tell the difference between North and South Dakota even with Mount Rushmore on the map.
Oh Hell.
Over the years, the primitives have shown that they think North Dakota and South Dakota are very much alike, in the same way North Carolina and South Carolina are--which is about the same line of thinking that encourages one to believe that North America and South America are very much alike.
Stupid primitives. Primitives don't know shit.
KT2000 (9,608 posts) Tue Apr 9, 2013, 12:53 PM
7. An atlas and a globe should be in every home.
Costco sells the globes at the end of summer - for back to school.
The world could really use a low cost paperback atlas. Mine is held together with rubber bands (a few countries are off) because the ones I have found are too nice and expensive. It only needs to be a handy reference, not a coffee table show off book.
<<<has several atlases here, but the one most frequently used is an enormous coffee-table-sized tome, the Hammond World Atlas from 1936.
Brigid (10,233 posts) Tue Apr 9, 2013, 01:23 PM
13. In my paralegal class last week . . .
Our instructor had us fill out a map of the states. The results were . . . Not good.
This reminds me of when the University of Nebraska left the Big 12 Conference and joined the Big 10 Conference a couple of years ago. Being the new kid on the block, we didn't have a whole lot to say about things, and had to take what we were given.
The effete eastern establishment elites, when looking at a map to find Nebraska, and to assign us somewhere, decided our main "rival" would be.....Iowa. ****ing Iowa. Iowa, of all people. "Oh, they're right next door to each other, and so they're alike; they're two peas in a pod."
Yeah, right.
Nebraska resembles Iowa as much as Qatar resembles North Korea.
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What, 40+ years of Liberals/Teachers Unions controlling the education system not working out? Look in the mirror, DUmmies.
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Fixing the education system in America would go a long way to help out with the country's geographical literacy. Since the libs have taken over we created a nation of useless idiots.
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Fixing the education system in America would go a long way to help out with the country's geographical literacy. Since the libs have taken over we created a nation of useless idiots Obummer voters.
FIFY
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They stopped teaching it, that's why DUmmies. I remember in 5th grade we had a "geography lesson." Then, it was abandoned completely. If you wanted to learn the stuff, you did at home on your own. I have gaps in my knowledge that are shoved in my face whenever I watch Jeopardy.
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DUmmies can't locate states and nations on a map, but rest assured they all know how to put a condom on a cucumber.
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What, 40+ years of Liberals/Teachers Unions controlling the education system not working out? Look in the mirror, DUmmies.
Exactly :II: . Geography was a specific class, way back on the old days pre-DOE. Other than the 'stans that re-incorporated after the USSR went kaput, you had to know them all by memory, capitals and language spoken. Gotta love these mouth-breathers calling anyone else ignorant.
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It's an issue with the rank and file Democrats at least as much as with the GOP base, in my own experience. In fact among the otherwise-well-educated, I have found Libs and Dems to be far and away more likely to be virtually ignorant of any historical, cultural, political, or socio-economic reality outside the Lower 48, with their knowledge limited to what has been screened by the MSM in the last three days and any current Democrat talking points on foreign affairs.
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My 17 year old son, who has never had a geography lesson, can locate and name most of the countries and islands of the world. I think he learned it from playing video war games or something. DUmmies should try playing some video games other than the fantasy/occult games.
He does have problems with about half of Africa but then I do too.
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I always wonder why they think it is just Americans that are like this. Go anywhere in the world and start asking basic Geography questions and most people fail it.
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I always wonder why they think it is just Americans that are like this. Go anywhere in the world and start asking basic Geography questions and most people fail it.
It's like our LC EFA, now of Immortal Memory, put it last January:
American "exceptionalism" ?
Oh please.
Clearly this person hasn't had to deal with the poms, frogs or krauts - all of who are completely convinced that their own little piece of the planet is utterly supreme and everywhere else is just an uncivilised back of backwards savages.
The notion that ones own homeland / country of residence is better than any other is hardly exceptional and by no means limited to the USA.
http://www.conservativecave.com/index.php/topic,82399.15.html
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It's like our LC EFA, now of Immortal Memory, put it last January:
American "exceptionalism" ?
Oh please.
Clearly this person hasn't had to deal with the poms, frogs or krauts - all of who are completely convinced that their own little piece of the planet is utterly supreme and everywhere else is just an uncivilised back of backwards savages.
The notion that ones own homeland / country of residence is better than any other is hardly exceptional and by no means limited to the USA.
http://www.conservativecave.com/index.php/topic,82399.15.html
If that wasn't true then the Olympics would be meaningless.
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On Skins's island, for example, there's a lot of primitives who have the "Massachusetts [or New England] is the center of the world" attitude.
And there's other primitives who have the "California [or the west coast] is the center of the world" attitude. (Although one needs to note an even sorrier example; for the oblate spheroid cousin, San Diego is the center of the world.)
You made me think of this:
(http://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o528/dummieland/sorry_zpsffa41f02.jpg)
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You made me think of this:
(http://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o528/dummieland/sorry_zpsffa41f02.jpg)
Isn't that the truth.
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If that wasn't true then the Olympics would be meaningless.
Which, in the age of unversal drug usage among athletes, they are.