Young Americans know little about world geography, with the majority unable to locate Iraq on a map and three quarters unable to find Indonesia, according to a study.
The Roper poll conducted on behalf of National Geographic found that most of the young adults questioned between the ages of 18 and 24 also had little knowledge about their own country, with half or fewer unable to identify the states of New York or Ohio on a map.
New York and Ohio are relatively big states. I might have let ignorance as to the exact whereabouts of Vermont slide, but New York? That's a freebie. Oh, and the "young Americans" the story refers to are between the ages of 18 and 24. If you can't find your butt with both hands at 24 you're never going to develop into a mature and intelligent human being. Let me escort you to the nearest Wal-Mart, where you will be gainfully employed.China fared better than most countries, with seven in ten (69%) respondents able to find it on a map. Still, the study found, young Americans have a number of misconceptions about China.
Nearly 75 percent believe English is the most widely spoken native language, rather than Mandarin Chinese, and half think that China is the biggest exporter of goods and services rather than the United States.
There goes any chance of a revival defending economic protectionism. The trade deficit is hurting the country with slave labor. Right. And while I should probably applaud the straggling twenty percent who hopped off the clueless train at the last stop--or perhaps only stabbed correctly in the dark--this still leaves three out of ten people who can't locate the most populous country on the planet earth. Hint for the thirty percent: Earth is where we all live.Two queries: Does anyone still harbor any doubts as to the efficacy of the public school system? Does anyone actually think universal suffrage is a good idea?
I'll say it. I'm much more intelligent and informed than the average voter. I don't want someone who can't find Iraq on a map helping decide whether or not we go to war with them. If you don't know where the country is you sure as heck don't have a clue about the people who live in the country. Trade policy is decided by traitorous politicians, sanctioned by Jill and Joe Six Pack, who, together, couldn't find their way home from Quebec, let alone formulate a cogent opinion on the topic of out-sourcing.
Democracy is self-defeating. I want a king.
2 comments:
In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king.
Why do you think the "young" remain so clueless? How do you suppose a survey of oldsters would fare? The why is the analysis that is crucial.An old Marxist will try to convince you that capitalism requires "weak citizens" the same as it requires "weak states".
The Peter principle seems to apply: In a Hierarchy Every Employee Tends to Rise to His Level of Incompetence. Alternatively stated, a person will descend to the lowest level of mediocrity he possibly can.
In the school system, the slowest pupil dictates the pace of the class as well as the material which is taught. In short order, the class is reduced to a group of nincompoops. Some students do manage to learn despite the best efforts of the educational establishment to create unthinking and unfeeling--though fearful--cogs for the corporate wheel, but the impetus to learn must be provided outside the school environment.
I don't put much faith in older people either. Sorry. The baby-boomer generation is woeful at best, and while the "greatest generation" has its merits, let's not forget that they raised the boomers.
There will always be a handful of people who possess both the intelligence and the thirst for knowledge necessary to transcend being ordinary and "weak" citizens.
I cannot understand how people can rejoice in their ignorance and stupidity, but there are many who do.
Marx was right in this respect. All forms of totalitarianism require weak citizens who will trade rights for "safety". Capitalism, as it is applied in our current times is a form of tyranny, which shows no signs of abating.
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