Searching for Most Americans.

[fireheart17]

I don't know about "most", but a lot of Americans still seem to think that there's such thing as a "British accent" or that Britain is all one country. Seriously, a lot of Scottish, Welsh and Irish would bite your head off for that assumption. And residents of Eire would be seriously pissed off if you told them they were part of Britain. Kind of like Canadians if people assumed they were part of America. XD

The only picky issue I had on that one was that I didn't realise one of the kids in my class in high school was Welsh until he actually spoke it.

1. Whenever I get involved with discussions like this, I always think of what one of my friends experienced when he worked as a summer camp counsellor in America one year. He had a very strong Aussie accent, and so obviously all the children were fascinated and asked him where he was from. When he replied 'Australia' he had about 3 kids in the group ask 'Where in America is Australia?'. He tried to explain, but had to walk off in frustration when they just didn't get that there was a world outside of America.

2. But it's not just Americans. I'm in Canada right now, and I have a lot of people come up to me and ask if I'm a Kiwi. Grr. When I tell them I'm Australian they said 'Oh, aren't they just the same country?' That's a good way to get punched btw.

3. And even when I meet other Australians I get the same thing. When I tell them I'm from Perth a lot go 'Is it true that you guys are 20 years behind the rest of the country? Do you still dress like it's the 90's?'

Numbered the points to make it easier to reference.

1. I'm surprised the kids didn't ask him if he rode a kangaroo to school, used expressions like "strewth" and "She'll be right, mate" and ate vegemite for breakfast.

2. That IS a good way to get punched. For starters, New Zealanders have a VERY distinct accent compared to Australians (fish and chips in a New Zealand accent sounds more like "Fush and chups"). It'd be a humungous insult as well if someone said that a Maori was Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

3. I get people who ask me if my driving sucks, if I know David Hicks, if it's true that our largest shoppig centre has balls in it (half-true), if we all wear kevlar vests whenever we go walking around and finally, if I know Mike rann. All because I live in South australia and we all supposedly know one another. We're not THAT much of a small town for starters, there are less murders in the state than people think and yes, our largest open air mall has balls in it.

[Mr. Anubite]

I know plenty of "those Americans" at my school. It bothers me to no end.

The worst where I live is ignorance over non-Christian faiths. I'm Jewish, and if it happens to come up in conversation, I'm CONSTANTLY asked if we believe in Jesus. Ugh.

Or, they think that all Germans are Nazi party members. People are SHOCKED to learn that my German mother married my Jewish father. They think she should be trying to kill us or something.

[Nyoibo]

The worst where I live is ignorance over non-Christian faiths. I'm Jewish, and if it happens to come up in conversation, I'm CONSTANTLY asked if we believe in Jesus. Ugh.

And do you enlighten them that Jesus was a Jew and watch their brains implode?

[Plaidman]

And do you enlighten them that Jesus was a Jew and watch their brains implode?

I told one christan friend that Jesus was arab. He punched me in the face for hersay, and that Jesus was white, and I better never color him a well...
"sand nigger" again.

[KabeRinnaul]

The worst where I live is ignorance over non-Christian faiths. I'm Jewish, and if it happens to come up in conversation, I'm CONSTANTLY asked if we believe in Jesus. Ugh.

I've seen enough ignorance about the Christian faiths. I once got to hear a girl in the cafeteria loudly explaining that Catholics weren't Christians because they worshiped the saints as gods. And this was in college.

[Kheldarson]

I remember that girl. Still wish I had been awake enough to formulate a proper response to her.


But I think the main problem here is stereotyping. We all do it all the time. Humans seem to like to have some group labeled as "other". "Those" people. Someone we can feel superior too.

That being said...I think World Geography is going to be a major point in all of my Social Studies classes when I get the chance to actually teach.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Perhaps our education system is to blame for this?

I don't know about other schools but until my freshman year of high school (oddly when I was looking at maps for our band trip to the UK) I thought the country was England because whenever you learned about it, it was always called "England". Never Great Britain and never the United Kingdom. Even in modern history classes the country was called "England".

I know now pointing to the UK and calling it England is like pointing to the US and calling it Texas.

That example makes me a sad panda. There needs to be better geography taught in American schools if that's the norm. O_o

[blas87]

And all Americans are fat and lazy, just as they are stupid.

I don't believe the majority of Americans are that ignorant or stupid.

[smileyeagle1021]

Oh, since Plaid brought it up, with the whole white Jesus thing.
There was a big hoopla about a closing prayer up in Cache County (I want to say the town of Hyrum) being spoken in Spanish.
I pointed out to someone how stupid it was to be upset over a prayer in other languages, after all Jesus wouldn't have prayed in English... they had no clue what I was talking about, they thought that Jesus really did speak in English... just like in the Bible.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

they had no clue what I was talking about, they thought that Jesus really did speak in English... just like in the Bible.

Ow! That made my brain hurt. Stop that!

[draggar]

That example makes me a sad panda. There needs to be better geography taught in American schools if that's the norm. O_o

This will make you sadder:

In high school I was not only shocked at the number of people who failed a test to name all 50 states, but even shocked more at the number of people who got a score lower than 20%.

Many didn't even know where our home state (New Hampshire) was.

And I felt bad because I got a 96% (I got Colorado and Wyoming confused).

Many people can't point the USA on a map, some war protesters I've met can't even post Afghanistan (sp?) or Iraq on a map.

Another thing - in school today it's not "cool" to be smart - if you get good grades you're an outcast but if you don't do well you're cool. It reminds me of a comedian I once heard, he was imitating a grade schooler who haded spelling bees and thought it was cool to not do well.

"Spell cat"
"Heh, K-A-T Alright! I'm out!! Ha ha ha! (whisper) heh, I know there's two T's)."

[IDrinkaRum]

Dragger - that comedian was George Carlin.

As for asking Jews if they believe in Jesus, there is a movement within the Jewish faith called: Jews for Jesus. Literally, they are Jews who believe that Jesus was the Messiah. My favorite author/singer/songwriter/politician Kinky Friedman is a member. The website is fascinating to read.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

In high school I was not only shocked at the number of people who failed a test to name all 50 states, but even shocked more at the number of people who got a score lower than 20%...And I felt bad because I got a 96% (I got Colorado and Wyoming confused).

I have a problem with rote memorization being taught as a learning tool. It's bullshit at best and at worst gives a false sense of accomplishment for learning something that will really only help them in a game of Trivia Pursuit.

Learning how to read a map strikes me as being more valuable than being able to figure out what goes where and what the capitals are.

And so for confusing Colorado and Wyoming?

I sued Colorado
'Cause you know, I think it looks a little bit too much
Like Wyoming

Got to give the Weirdness his props.

they are Jews who believe that Jesus was the Messiah. My favorite author/singer/songwriter/politician Kinky Friedman is a member. The website is fascinating to read.

Well it's nice to see that someone finally realized that Jesus was freaking Jewish himself.

[Greenday]

In high school I was not only shocked at the number of people who failed a test to name all 50 states, but even shocked more at the number of people who got a score lower than 20%.

Sorry, but I'm going to have to one up you. I saved my last humanities gen. ed. for senior year of college to make life easier. I took History 150 - The American Experience. It was a very broad class on American history. He gave us map quizzes as the class went on and added a few more states each time. First map was the original 13 colonies, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Ohio River. People complained about it since "they already knew the states". Not sure why you'd complain about an easy grade booster (stupid freshmen). We got the map quiz back, tons of people failed. He then told us the exact same map quiz would be part of the first test and people still screwed it up on the test. He did this all semester. Gave us a map quiz, then later gave us the exact same map quiz on the next test. People still bitched and somehow still failed. I just don't get it.

And Colorado and Wyoming are the only two I confuse.

[AdminAssistant]

I can remember Colorado because it shares a border with Kansas.