7/4 Posted September 1, 2007 Report Posted September 1, 2007 I know where South Carolina is.... Quote
danasgoodstuff Posted September 1, 2007 Report Posted September 1, 2007 I work in a library, I meet people all the time who can't read a map. At all, period. Can't or won't, because the're too used to failure and afraid to try? I don't buy all the touchy feelie selfesteem crap, but their are lots of people who don't believe anything anyone tells them, except bad shit about themselves...and if you sere to stereotype it I'd go with plaid, but that's a rant for another day...and, no, stupid isn't sexy in and of itself, but needing my help can be and all other things ain't never equal so... Quote
porcy62 Posted September 1, 2007 Report Posted September 1, 2007 I work in a library, I meet people all the time who can't read a map. At all, period. Can't or won't, because the're too used to failure and afraid to try? I don't buy all the touchy feelie selfesteem crap, but their are lots of people who don't believe anything anyone tells them, except bad shit about themselves...and if you sere to stereotype it I'd go with plaid, but that's a rant for another day...and, no, stupid isn't sexy in and of itself, but needing my help can be and all other things ain't never equal so... Maybe I am not sexy (aka I am stupid) but I admit I didn't understand your post...and I can even read a topographic map. Quote
7/4 Posted September 1, 2007 Report Posted September 1, 2007 It's not uncommon for people to have a problem reading a subway map. Quote
Van Basten II Posted September 1, 2007 Report Posted September 1, 2007 Most people can't read, period ! Quote
porcy62 Posted September 1, 2007 Report Posted September 1, 2007 Most people can't read, period ! ...but can look at your avatar. Quote
Neal Pomea Posted September 1, 2007 Report Posted September 1, 2007 It's not like 1/5 is more than 1%, so no worries! Quote
Jazzmoose Posted September 1, 2007 Report Posted September 1, 2007 I work in a library, I meet people all the time who can't read a map. At all, period. Can't or won't, because the're too used to failure and afraid to try? I don't buy all the touchy feelie selfesteem crap, but their are lots of people who don't believe anything anyone tells them, except bad shit about themselves...and if you sere to stereotype it I'd go with plaid, but that's a rant for another day...and, no, stupid isn't sexy in and of itself, but needing my help can be and all other things ain't never equal so... Maybe I am not sexy (aka I am stupid) but I admit I didn't understand your post...and I can even read a topographic map. I was with him until the plaid part... Quote
Brad Posted September 1, 2007 Report Posted September 1, 2007 I suppose the whole thing is rather sad but most Americans don't have general knowledge of anything: their history, their political representatives, etc. I'm not sure why she's being singled out, other than that it's Miss America, etc., but it's a deeper problem. Quote
Van Basten II Posted September 2, 2007 Report Posted September 2, 2007 Most people can't read, period ! ...but can look at your avatar. That's probably the reason they can't read in the first place Quote
MoGrubb Posted September 2, 2007 Report Posted September 2, 2007 I work in a library, I meet people all the time who can't read a map. At all, period. Can't or won't, because the're too used to failure and afraid to try? I don't buy all the touchy feelie selfesteem crap, but their are lots of people who don't believe anything anyone tells them, except bad shit about themselves...and if you sere to stereotype it I'd go with plaid, but that's a rant for another day...and, no, stupid isn't sexy in and of itself, but needing my help can be and all other things ain't never equal so... Maybe I am not sexy (aka I am stupid) but I admit I didn't understand your post...and I can even read a topographic map. I was with him until the plaid part... I got lost at "sere." Quote
vibes Posted September 2, 2007 Report Posted September 2, 2007 I suppose the whole thing is rather sad but most Americans don't have general knowledge of anything: their history, their political representatives, etc. I'm not sure why she's being singled out, other than that it's Miss America, etc., but it's a deeper problem. In my experience, the same can be said for most people, not just Americans. Quote
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted September 2, 2007 Report Posted September 2, 2007 I suppose the whole thing is rather sad but most Americans don't have general knowledge of anything: their history, their political representatives, etc. I'm not sure why she's being singled out, other than that it's Miss America, etc., but it's a deeper problem. In my experience, the same can be said for most people, not just Americans. I think that is not true. I was struck, on my first visit to Africa, how wide-ranging people's general knowledge of the world and world affairs was. I tend to avoid tourist centres when I go on holiday and on my first trip to Africa stayed in a town with a European population of about two, in a motel whose clientele was exclusively African. And I did a lot of listening; not so much to the other guests, who obviously were able to afford to stay in a cheap motel, but to the staff - the dishwasher, cleaner, receptionist, cook, laundry girls, and so on. Their knowledge of world current events went WAY beyond my own. And almost all of them spoke three, four or five languages. MG Quote
porcy62 Posted September 2, 2007 Report Posted September 2, 2007 I suppose the whole thing is rather sad but most Americans don't have general knowledge of anything: their history, their political representatives, etc. I'm not sure why she's being singled out, other than that it's Miss America, etc., but it's a deeper problem. In my experience, the same can be said for most people, not just Americans. I think that is not true. I was struck, on my first visit to Africa, how wide-ranging people's general knowledge of the world and world affairs was. I tend to avoid tourist centres when I go on holiday and on my first trip to Africa stayed in a town with a European population of about two, in a motel whose clientele was exclusively African. And I did a lot of listening; not so much to the other guests, who obviously were able to afford to stay in a cheap motel, but to the staff - the dishwasher, cleaner, receptionist, cook, laundry girls, and so on. Their knowledge of world current events went WAY beyond my own. And almost all of them spoke three, four or five languages. MG You can't generalize on matters like this. In Chiapas I met an old men (lacandonian) who didn't know what Europe is, his only geographical clue was that the Pope stayed somewhere overseas. He was unable to read, though he spoke decently enough to have a conversation in spanish with me. In my latest holiday I was in Turkey. When we left Instanbul and the mediterranean coast and headed to Anatolia, we found very few persons who speak any languages, a part turk, the few we meet, approched us in the streets, we were the only single tourists a part the organized tours. They were ansious to practicing english and curious about our culture. They were obviously cultivated people with a knowledge of world current way beyond italian common people. No need to say that the olders were former immigrants and the youngers complained about the strict social control (religion, family, tradition) that they suffered in their country. About the title thread, if it was referred to a statistic among high schools' student, I find it worrying, if it's referred to the whole U.S. population, I still find it worrying, but reasonable. About maps: a map is a conventional code, like every code if you don't know how to interpretate it, you can't read map. A satirical TV program made a number of interviews to our parliament's member. Most of them didn't know when Columbus discovered America or when occurred WW I, thinghs like that is really scaring. Just for laugh this is our Vice PM and Ministry of Culture and Tourism: Quote
Jazzmoose Posted September 2, 2007 Report Posted September 2, 2007 You can't generalize on matters like this. Never? Quote
Jazzmoose Posted September 2, 2007 Report Posted September 2, 2007 Most of them didn't know when Columbus discovered America... Well, if you weren't Italian, I'd say it doesn't really matter, as Columbus didn't discover America. Quote
porcy62 Posted September 2, 2007 Report Posted September 2, 2007 (edited) Most of them didn't know when Columbus discovered America... Well, if you weren't Italian, I'd say it doesn't really matter, as Columbus didn't discover America. You're right, let's put the issue in this way: Columbus "practically" discovered Americas, as Native Americans, from Alaska to Capo Horn know at great expense. The earlier settlements in eastern NA of european people didn't produce the very same effects. Edited September 2, 2007 by porcy62 Quote
Dan Gould Posted September 2, 2007 Report Posted September 2, 2007 About maps: a map is a conventional code, like every code if you don't know how to interpretate it, you can't read map. Yes, perhaps but a map is also a graphical representation of the physical shapes of continents and nation states. America ain't the Czech Republic - if you are a citizen and can't recognize the distinctive shape of your own country, or its general position on the continent it is part of, you are too stupid to live. Quote
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