Why are Americans so ignorant about other countries?

Question

It seems to me that most (though obviously not all) people from the USA seem to be incredibly ignorant when it comes to other countries. I don't understand, don't you have geography lessons at school? If you do, do they teach you anything about the world outside America? The thing that annoys me the most is the way Americans actually believe in all the stereotypes when it comes to British people or French people or whatever. But it really isn't the same the other way round. I think that on average British people (for example) could tell you more about the United States than an American could tell you about the United Kingdom. But why is this? What is wrong with the American education system?

Also why do so many people on this website seem to think that this website is only used by Americans? There are many other people using it too so how about you try considering that when you ask questions

Answer 1

I agree.

Answer 2

I'm American, but I can only speak for myself. I know that people from other countries use this website. In fact I have friends in other countries that use this site.
I can honestly say that you probably do know more about the U.S. than I know about the United Kingdom. I can tell you that when I was in school we studied about our own country & state mostly. We don't study the rest of the world unless something huge in going on there. Most people don't see a need to learn about places they will never go. Not many people in America want to leave America. I guess you can call it retardation! That's just a joke of course.
I do see your point, and parcially agree with you. And yes the school system sucks in America.

Answer 3

Indianboy, "The thing that annoys me the most is the way Americans actually believe in all the stereotypes when it comes to British people or French people or whatever" sounds like ur stereotyping as well. So you just shot down your rant by stereotyping Americans.Indianboy (but your from the UK? so your really not Indiaboy, your really UKBOY?) sounds like your confused about where you are even from. Need a geography lesson Indiaboy? Ur in the UK not India!

Answer 4

From my experience there is more than a grain of truth in this. I think it's simply that the US is a physically big and diverse country, it's plenty world enough if you live there. The vast majority of Americans take their vacations in the US, that's the world they know (with the bonus that you never need a passport or a phrasebook). I studied South America for two years at school, I could barely name all the countries and their capitals now. It's where you've been that you remember. As to the converse issue, a feeling of knowing the US quite well is simply down to a diet of American films and TV.

Answer 5

I am an American and I love my country and wouldn't live anywhere else. But I think you are right about our education system. As students we don't really learn a whole lot about other countries. In most cases students get to chose what classes they want to take and I think that may be one reason we don't learn all that much about ther countries. I don't know how other countries education systemas work, but I have noticed that foreign exchange students visiting America are far more knowledgeable about the United States then most Americans are about other countries.

Answer 6

The schools in America do a very poor job of educating students today. Also, this country has a history of isolationism and one manifestation of this tendency is the general lack of interest in and knowledge about the outside world.

Another factor is that, due to Americans' strength in the world, we can afford to be intellectually lazy when it comes to understanding other cultures and countries.

Thanks for asking an interesting question - there aren't very many on this "forum"!

Answer 7

Well first of all, you should of said some Americans. Because I myself am a American and I'm not racist or ignorant about other countries. Your problem is that you can only see what the bad people are doing but don't look at what the good people are doing. Since the majority is bad that's is all you see. I'm one of many that have to sit here and see all this bad stuff happening in the world and for me, to cope with it, I pray to GOD and ask him to watch over the people that can't watch themselves. People that have no power of the political stuff cant do anything about helping other countries or consider their thoughts. Won't you try something in your country, where ever your from, and do something about it. Maybe you are the key to stop all this insanity in your country and all you are doing is sitting here writing to yahoo and complaining about things you have issues with. Good luck to your thoughts and yourself and God bless all the countries.

Answer 8

Even in many private schools they don't teach geography. In my Spanish class in high school a girl was told to find Spain on a map and she couldn't find it in South America. Many Americans never have to study other countries or leave the US, so they are allowed to believe that the world begins in New York and ends in California. World history is very basic and tends to cover the ancient world and on the whole (speaking as someone who studied history in university) Americans claim to "hate" history, it's "boring".
The US news is generally so localized that international coverage is insufficient if you have any desire to learn something about a country where the US military is not currently involved.

Answer 9

Maybe since George Bush thinks this is like The Land of the Free or something, he could be like "zomg I dont care about other countries cuz we're awsum"

But then again, it's like a kind of habit for a typical person living in a home, with clothes to wear, food to eat, to think about themselves and tend to their own needs.

They don't really care about the people who don't have our luxuries in other countries, such as the poor people living in places like Kenya or all the assembly line workers in China; maybe they only want to fulfill their wants before they even actually accept the fact that there's people living worse than them.

Some people these days think that they have a miserable life - small home, poor job, etc. but again, they could only think about themselves that way.

About your question about geography at school- we do learn about other countries, but it's most likely the history and culture and traditions, but in earlier grades such as in elementary school and junior high, they don't teach about modern things about other countries. Some of those kids actually know that there's poor people out there, and most kids don't.

British people probably could tell us more about America than an American telling about the Britain. That's because the British people have a better "thing" of society and education, rather than Americans just eating our fast food and such, not attending to our lives in the future, and not paying attention in school.

With your last question, many people probably assume that this website is used only by Americans because it's used by a majority of Americans, and that most people are speaking English.

Answer 10

The way it really is that a lot of Americans are even ignorant about other Americans. There is a stereotype hype raging in (US of) America and sure it needs time and education to cure.

Answer 11

The reason is simple. The United States of America is the biggest most powerful (militarily, economically, and socially) nation on the planet. The UK although no slouch, is not. We don't particularly care about English history. The problem with the education system in America is that it is government run. But you don't want to hear about that.