I'd like to know this why do Americans always think they'll see animals when they come to South Africa

Question

and that people here walk around naked and are not educated? All the celebrities of America always get surprised when they get here. The English are much better. is it ignorance?

Answer 1

Absolutely. Definitely ignorance. I am not sure if it's true that Americans as a whole seem to be more ignorant than the English, but I do know that there are people, regardless of where they're from, that have very limited world views.

I grew up in Taiwan and I had friends overseas that thought I lived in a grass hut in the middle of rice paddy and rode water buffalos to school. NO JOKE!!

One of my friends in college was from Nigeria and I was doing a report on cultural diversity for my Multicultural class, and I chose to interview him, along with a couple other students from various countries in Africa (I think there was one other student from Nigeria, and then one from Ethiopia). One of the most startling things that he said to me was that when he was getting to know his dorm roommate, they asked him if leaving Africa and coming to America was the first time that he'd ever worn clothes. I can't believe that people would actually still think that!

The interesting thing, though, is that through the interviews, my friends and I had to understand that it was just that: ignorance. These individuals making these generalizations simply didn't know any better and were generalizing based on what they knew or had heard. That was the purpose of my report: when we encountered folks like this, it was our duty to explain to them that not all folks from X Country act in X way. It's just a matter of educating them and expanding their world view. Not everyone has had the good fortune of travelling to our home countries and seeing just how diverse and beautiful they can be, but even if they're not able to actually go themselves, we can certainly share with them some of the wonderful things about our countries, right?

And speaking of - I've never been to South Africa - my dad's been to CapeTown and Johanneseburg a couple times, and the pictures always look so beautiful, so I've always wanted to go, but I've heard that there's a lot of discrimination against South Asian Indians (Which is my ethnic group). Is that still true or was it just in the past or is it only in certain areas? All part of trying to educate myself...:o)

Thanks for the great question!

Answer 2

The Amercian education system is centered on domestic geography, and their news media tend only to report on another country if there's a reason to be scared of it. So yes, it's a kind of ignorance, one that's encouraged by what a friend who used to work for Fox insists on calling "market forces." People only watch the news there if it's entertaining and evokes an emotional response. Therefore most news networks over there tend to report on either the latest terrorist threat or some kid who fell down a well. Britain has very close ties to mainland Europe, and is therefore far better exposed to other cultural influences. That gives most Brits a far wider world view than the Americans. The Canadians tend to be better educated when it comes to world affairs for the same reason - a significant proportion of Canada's population, indeed an entire state within its federation, is essentially French. They know what someone from a different culture looks & sounds like.

Also, people like me, who grew up in Zimbabwe, get a real kick out of telling Americans all about how there were no muggers in Harare until recently beacause the lions used to eat them all. It's amazing how many people believe that one.

Answer 3

It goes to show the educational level of some celebrities. I've never been to Africa but am fully aware that you have fine cities there. Personally, I would be surprised to find people walking around naked. Please don't judge all Americans by the ignorance of a few. We are like every other country in many ways. We have the well educated, the poorly educated and the rest are somewhere in between.

Answer 4

The USA is a vast country and most Americans are not aware of the real world outside their borders and don't particularly care as they live in their own world, they have everything they need, they generally believe what they see on TV and don't bother to question it just accept it as fact, the great majority won't leave the state they were born in hence the ignorance, they are not a well travelled people and those that do travel overseas are mostly bloody rude and full of themselves no wonder they are disliked in most parts of the world, as for South Africa it is a huge game reserve the most dangerous animals are not behind the fence but walking around our city streets , hi-jacking,killing, rapeing and robbing the innocent of all races, so there you have it in a nutshell.

Answer 5

Africa does not make the American news much, except for animal conservation efforts and hunger. We always hear how Africa is a third world nation, and people are starving in Ethiopia and Somalia, and we have heard horror stories about apartheid. We hear that poachers are killing elephants for their tusks and rhinos for their horns. Unfortunately, South Africa tends to get lumped in with the rest of the continent when it comes to perception. They run ads on TV at night to "adopt" a child, just 50 cents a day will feed your child, you can pick from what country (African or Central American countries are the most common). We never hear anything about South Africa to make it seem any richer than any other country in Africa. Myself, I thought that was where several diamond mines were located, so I always thought South Africa was more developed and the people had a higher level of education than other regions of Africa.

Answer 6

For the same reason they think Eskimos still live in igloos. We have a vision of what the country was like in the 19th century that has not been updated. In the US most people do not distinguish between the different countries in Africa. They know about animal preserves in Kenya and Tanganyika and tend to think the entire continent is like that. Most of the images we see on TV tend to reinforce that view. From Africa, we see tribes and clans in a more native environment and we see native African animals. We rarely see a view of the more modern Africa. I wouldn't call it ignorance. That implies little education. I think it has to do with the images presented to us. I hope this helps.

Answer 7

Not all of us are that way. I have a friend from Africa. I understand the animals roam on the reserves. He told me if you want to see them go on a safari tour.

I guess the people that do feel that way, its because if you go into our forests, that's where the animals are and yes they roam around. In Alaska they get Polar Bears and Moose walking down the streets in town. We've had reports here in Michigan of Panthers and Wildcats in people back yard. I personal had a couple of Foxes nest on my front porch.

So give them a break they came to your country out of interest and unless someone tells them otherwise how would they know.

Answer 8

Yes, it likely is. All we ever see of Africans on our news reports is excessive poverty or wild animals. They never show well educated professional Africans, even though there must be some. It's just like how many people in other parts of the world view Americans, while never having met a single one. This demonstrates the importance of travelling outside your own country.

Answer 9

Africa has the has second largest zoo in the world, doesnt it. It is also known as the best place to explore animals in their natural habitat besides the galogogus islands and austriala. Its not just on our televisions is it? There are many films and movies based on Africa animals and habitats. Perhaps, it is not just ignorance. I do believe that one could see more animals in Australia.

Answer 10

South Africa does have a Large Animal Park which is a Tourist Destination. It is understandable that the locals have never heard of it - most of us do not appreciate what is on our own doorstep.