11 Bizarrely Wrong Beliefs Americans Have About Themselves

Users who are viewing this thread

Johnfromokc

Active Member
Messages
3,226
Reaction score
0
Tokenz
0.00z
Damn we are dumb.............:(

Here are some of the more glaring American dumbassery from the link:

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics...mericans-have-about-themselves/239810/#slide1

The United Kingdom is one of America's closest allies. The nations have together fought multiple wars, and remain closely tied commercially, politically, and militarily. Yet a 2006 National Geographic survey of young adults found that only one in three could find the United Kingdom on a map.

Foreign aid is often controversial, particularly during economic downturns. Yet its unpopularity may be out of scale with its cost. According to a 2010 questionnaire, on average, Americans believe that a full 25 percent of the budget is spent on foreign aid, with most responding that 10 percent would be a more appropriate appropriation. In fact, the actual figure stands somewhat below 1 percent.

An old cliche asserts that everything good comes in threes. When it comes to the Three Stooges, the statement certainly holds true; 78 percent of Americans can name Larry, Moe and Curley. Yet only 42 percent can identify the three branches of government as the legislative, executive, and judiciary.

According to polls, 76 percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians. Yet significantly fewer can identify central facts about the faith. According to the Pew Forum's Religious Survey, only 45 percent know who the Gospels are attributed to: Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Earlier this year, Republicans called for defunding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which in turn funds NPR and PBS. There has meanwhile been a common understanding that CPB funding constitutes significant percentage of the budget . Only 27 percent of respondents recognized that federal spending on public broadcasting represents well under 1 percent of the federal budget (the actual cost is about 1/100th of 1 percent), while 7 percent of respondents thought the costs were over 50 percent of the budget -- which in real terms is the cost of Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and interest expenditures combined.
 
  • 52
    Replies
  • 1K
    Views
  • 0
    Participant count
    Participants list

Kakapo Dundee

Active Member
Messages
2,317
Reaction score
48
Tokenz
644.22z
Maybe the fact that Americans have known about the geography thing for years but chosen not to remedy it is worse than the fact itself.
 

redliner

Active Member
Messages
2,031
Reaction score
2
Tokenz
0.64z
Education system has failed big time. They don't take a map out and look at the world. Maybe in grade six have a test of the different countrys in the world. That is bad.
 

Johnfromokc

Active Member
Messages
3,226
Reaction score
0
Tokenz
0.00z
Education system has failed big time. They don't take a map out and look at the world. Maybe in grade six have a test of the different countrys in the world. That is bad.

Careful piling on Americans - you're not exactly the preferable one to set the shining example of Canadian educational excellence. Don't you have an NHL to occupy yourself with?
 

redliner

Active Member
Messages
2,031
Reaction score
2
Tokenz
0.64z
Careful piling on Americans - you're not exactly the preferable one to set the shining example of Canadian educational excellence. Don't you have an NHL to occupy yourself with?

Okay so you can say what you want about your education system but I can't ?


ummm okay.
 

Johnfromokc

Active Member
Messages
3,226
Reaction score
0
Tokenz
0.00z
Okay so you can say what you want about your education system but I can't ?


ummm okay.

Nope. Didn't say that. Just implying that your comprehension skills, or lack thereof might be better served elsewhere. Your fellow Canadians would certainly appreciate it.

But by all means - jump right in and contribute all you wish.
 

skyblue

KEEP THE FAITH
Messages
27,194
Reaction score
16
Tokenz
0.51z
i've said this before,most people know where countries are because they either go to them,go to country near to them or their country is in conflict with them.....now alot of brits can point out most countries that are visitable,but america is different.....there you have nearly every climate and habitat that there is,why would americans need to leave the place,if you live north and want sun you go south,you live south and want snow you go north etc etc
 

Zorak

The cake is a metaphor
Messages
9,923
Reaction score
1
Tokenz
0.01z
Woodrow Wilson's veep, the suitably obscure Thomas Marshall, liked to tell the story of a woman with two sons, "One ran away and went to sea, the other was elected Vice President of the United States, neither one was ever heard of again.”

:24:​
 

skyblue

KEEP THE FAITH
Messages
27,194
Reaction score
16
Tokenz
0.51z
Woodrow Wilson's veep, the suitably obscure Thomas Marshall, liked to tell the story of a woman with two sons, "One ran away and went to sea, the other was elected Vice President of the United States, neither one was ever heard of again.”

:24:​
fuck me....for a moment i thought you were going to post something anti-american
 

Aeval

Active Member
Messages
3,665
Reaction score
1
Tokenz
0.17z
Years ago during a visit to Boston, I was talking to my aunt's neighbours' kids (all high school students) and they were asking about Canada....it was an election year but I can't remember if it was a Canadian or US election...

Anyway, the Prime Minister came up in conversation and they were wondering where he fit in the grand scheme of things...was he above, below or equal to the Vice President. I explained none of the above, that Canada was a separate country, and all that goes with that, they wouldn't believe me, thought I was crazy...Canada is DEFINITELY a part of the States. Ummm...yeah...ok....great learnin' there.

Yes, I know that's not the general population but I was just flabbergasted and thought I'd share. :cool
 

retro

Well-Known Member
Messages
12,886
Reaction score
0
Tokenz
0.00z
Yay, it's another "bash Americans" thread... from an American. Jesus Christ, you'd think you hated the country that you live in with all of the shit you post. Oh wait, you just hate Conservatives and everyone else that dares to have beliefs that differ from your own... because you're obviously the most intelligent person in the country, so we would all be wise to believe everything that you do.

That being said, there's stupidity of the same sort in just about every country in the world. This isn't a problem unique to America; it's a problem shared by the human race.
 
80,524Threads
2,194,629Messages
5,014Members
Back
Top