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Privateer
Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Location: Easy Street.
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 Posted: Fri May 05, 2006 12:53 am Post subject: |
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You're kidding?  |
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gypsyfish
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Fri May 05, 2006 1:23 am Post subject: |
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| OiGirl wrote: |
| Endesu wrote: |
| First of all, having visited the US several times, I have always found it almost impossible to explain to people where Im from. One waitress in Memphis who obviously tried to chat me up once wanted to know where my accent was from. Norway, I answered her. What state is that in? she asked. Nono, its another country I said. Its in Europe. |
I was teaching in the US when one day a kindergarten teacher asked me where I had been before I started working at their school.
"Korea."
"Where?"
"Korea."
"Is that in S--- County?"
"No, KOREA!"
"Is that in Virginia?"
"No, it's between Japan and China!" |
If you've been to Annandale or Fairfax, Virginia lately, you might understand the Virginia comment. The Korean community is so large, there are signs all over the place in hangeul.  |
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flotsam
Joined: 28 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Fri May 05, 2006 1:28 am Post subject: |
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| Privateer wrote: |
| You're kidding? |
I assume that was for me: and no. Oh, no. And aigoooo. |
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patchy
Joined: 26 Apr 2005
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| Posted: Fri May 05, 2006 3:59 am Post subject: |
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No, Korea (according to the guy who thinks Korea should be invaded because he doesn't like their 'attitude'  ) is next to NZ and under New Guinea (where the former Australian continent used to be). Plus North Korea is ten times the size of South Korea (should I be laughing or crying ...?):-
http://www.wimp.com/invading/
The fate of the 'free world' in the hands of these people? 
Gee, I can't wait until China surpasses the USA as a superpower. I would feel so much safer.
And seeing how dumbed-out the average American is, it shouldn't take too long for this to happen.
You can't blame the attitudes of many of the posters here I guess, with the sort of education they get in the States. It's easy for the elite there to manipulate such an ignorant group of people.
Plus the massive brainwashing they get from their media. Some of the posters just trot out the tired old propaganda they get from these sources when discussing a political issue without knowing they're even doing that (you can tell when this happens because they all focus on the same issues, use the same keywords - what they learned from the media - over and over again). Eg. they've learned to associate the word 'gulag' with North Korea. It just means prison basically but they use the word because it's a special-sounding word and it makes them feel more knowledgeable and sophisticated about world affairs than they really are. Everybody knows North Korea has got 'gulags' but do they know where NK is? Yup - it's in the Southern Hemisphere.
The brainwashing is too deeply engrained in their society -- they're not even aware of it. And they vote. Too sad really. And scary. Because people are dying as a result of the lack of ignorance of the Americans. Like right now. No wonder the world is in the mess that it is. |
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flotsam
Joined: 28 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Fri May 05, 2006 4:49 am Post subject: |
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| patchy wrote: |
Because people are dying as a result of the lack of ignorance of the Americans. |
Care to try that again, jerky?
Also, I'd like to thank you for bringing your urbanity, perspicacity and magnanimity to the discussion. You really shed some light on it all. Opened my eyes.
I wish you could be in charge of the world, patchy. |
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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 4:53 am Post subject: |
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It seems sad. I would say it seems sadder now that news is huge on other countries.
An American guy I met recently just said they don't teach anything about other countries in school. So he didn't know Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories, and Ottawa is the capital. Nice guy, not dumb, intelligent enough, just said he didn't learn anything about other countries growing up in Michigan.
If you are under 20 or did not finish high school, or never travelled, lack of geography knowledge is more excusable.
Perhaps it seems more appalling to us who have travelled a long way, and teach English as well as other cultures.
Plus, when you think about it, the world map is kind of fascinating. |
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flotsam
Joined: 28 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 5:48 am Post subject: |
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| jajdude wrote: |
It
An American guy I met recently just said they don't teach anything about other countries in school. So he didn't know Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories, and Ottawa is the capital. Nice guy, not dumb, intelligent enough, just said he didn't learn anything about other countries growing up in Michigan.
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Look, there's Canada bashing, and there is reality. And this ain't Canada bashing:
How many people, other than Canadians, know how many provinces and territories there are in Canada?
For you: How many regions are there in England? Bundeslaender in Germany? Provinces in South Korea?
Can you answer all three(or even one) without looking them up?
If not, get some context, brah.
And if you believe Americans "Don't learn anything about other countries" you'll believe anything.
Or you can make the obvious distinction between what your mate learned and what is taught to "Americans": all 300 million of them. |
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krats1976
Joined: 14 May 2003
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| Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 6:05 am Post subject: |
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| flotsam wrote: |
Look, there's Canada bashing, and there is reality. And this ain't Canada bashing:
How many people, other than Canadians, know how many provinces and territories there are in Canada?
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I do. And I knew that before I became a geography teacher.
Let's face it: geography is not taught in most American schools as it should be.
But then, I've already discussed that. |
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flotsam
Joined: 28 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 6:07 am Post subject: |
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| krats1976 wrote: |
| flotsam wrote: |
Look, there's Canada bashing, and there is reality. And this ain't Canada bashing:
How many people, other than Canadians, know how many provinces and territories there are in Canada?
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I do. And I knew that before I became a geography teacher.
Let's face it: geography is not taught in most American schools as it should be.
But then, I've already discussed that. [You edited quickly, you damn cat]
[/color] |
Fair enough. That's one.
What about the other two countries, kitty? Before you were a geography teacher, of course...
And I agree, I am a World History teacher myself. But there is rational assesment of social studies education in the U.S., and there is taking the piss out of how bad it is(like I did with my own family in an earlier post) and then there is insinuating that Americans "learn nothing about other countries". Ya know?
Last edited by flotsam on Sat May 06, 2006 6:12 am; edited 1 time in total |
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krats1976
Joined: 14 May 2003
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| Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 6:11 am Post subject: |
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| flotsam wrote: |
Fair enough. That's one.
What about the other two countries, kitty? Before you were a geography teacher, of course... |
 Can't say I know the provinces of either England or Germany. However, I never lived right next door to either one (and I'll be the first to admit that I knew little about Korea before coming here besides it's location on the globe). Besides, are the provinces of any of those 3 countries as politically distinct from their respective national governments as the provinces/territories of Canada or the states of the USA are from theirs? |
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flotsam
Joined: 28 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 6:16 am Post subject: |
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I honestly don't know.
I mean, we in the States are all twatted with the federal/state confusion in how our country is organized(in my opinion, many of the issues that should be state legislated are federal and vice-versa) but is it like that in Canada? Is there the same sense of "United Provinces"? I never got that impression.
But then again, I grew up in the States, so I never learned anything about...  |
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krats1976
Joined: 14 May 2003
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| Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 6:22 am Post subject: |
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| flotsam wrote: |
I honestly don't know.
I mean, we in the States are all twatted with the federal/state confusion in how our country is organized(in my opinion, many of the issues that should be state legislated are federal and vice-versa) ... |
Ahh.... how much better our country would operate if people would just read the dang Constitution (US government/civics being another subject not emphasized strongly enough... but that's another rant for another day).
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| Is there the same sense of "United Provinces"? I never got that impression. |
Time for a Canadian government expert to step in. It always seemed to me that the provinces were as distinctive as the US states were (perhaps more so?). But I'll admit that I've never studied the subject in much depth.
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| But then again, I grew up in the States, so I never learned anything about... |
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flotsam
Joined: 28 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 6:26 am Post subject: |
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So you don't know jack either, eh?
"From sea to shining sea..."
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krats1976
Joined: 14 May 2003
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| Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 6:29 am Post subject: |
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Jack who?
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anyway
Joined: 22 Oct 2005
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| Posted: Sat May 06, 2006 6:43 am Post subject: |
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The funny thing is that people somehow expect more from Americans. Why is that? Because we say we're the best at this and that? Well, whose fault is it for believing what YOU hear?
People like to blame the stupidity of the Americans for this and that. Good on ya, patchy. Going out on a limb? If they were smarter, then they wouldn't be messing things up? Brilliant deduction. Why do you expect the Americans to be smarter than the other ignorant people around the world? Because of the wealth? Because of the ego? No, because of the media.
Do you think that somehow geography is a basic concept or tool like math or language? If you say some country is mostly illiterate, that's one thing. To say they can't find such and such country on a map is totally meaningless. If they make war on a country, they should be able to find it on the map? The news shows the map of Iraq and the neighboring countries- that's it. Unless you know the other countries, not much help...
I've personally witnessed an American high school graduate (who was in Europe at the time) not be able to find Alaska and then Africa on the world map. Crazy? Alaska, maybe. Africa, like India, is one feature which is hard to miss...
I have also taught at an adult education center where I met a 50 year old woman (American citizen) who didn't know if San Francisco or Los Angeles was in northern California. That really shocked me, but why would she??
Let me ask you, can you find Orion's belt? Where? In the sky? On a map? or in your mind? |
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