2006-11-26 16:11:10 · 14 answers · asked by pnatt89 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Cultures & Groups ➔ Other - Cultures & Groups
Because many Americans (erroneously) assume that America is the greatest country on Earth and that every country wants to be like the U.S. This decreases whatever motivation Americans might have to learn about other countries.
Not only do many Americans not know about other countries, but they are also pretty oblivious to a lot of America's history. Namely, those things that we are not proud of. How long did it take to free the slaves, grant black people the vote and the right to attend public schools (not specifically set aside for blacks). How much fighting did it take for women to get the vote? When did the American judicial system finally recognize spouse and child abuse? When did our country finally realize that infants, toddlers, and young children do not seduce their fathers? Of the homeless, which population is the greatest- veterans, mental health patients, or families with children. Look these questions up- you will find the answers appalling.
I am American, and I love my country. However, I do recognize that our country has weaknesses and could stand to learn from other countries.
2006-11-26 16:14:43 · answer #1 · answered by the guru 4 · 5⤊ 1⤋
You know I'm an American but I am forced to agree with you and it is a shame we are that way because in a sense my country is the world metaphorically speaking of course and by that I mean this country is a mix of all the other country's of the world I think we might be that way because most of the time we are basically the police of the world always jumping into a problem to fix it granted a lot of the time we end up making things worse but I think most of us mean well and i guess we have put are self's so high up that we think we don't need other country's it's a real shame
Well if you need a pick me up or need to see a world were this is not so, Watch some star trek it always cheers me up :)
2006-11-27 00:26:41 · answer #2 · answered by animescifigamer359 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't think that Americans are ignorant of other countries because they choose to be. I think that many has not been taught about different counties or some had to work instead of going to school. My self on the other hand did not want to learn about different countries because I was not every going to leave the USA. I also think that if people from other countries move here I should not have know about their country, they should know about mine. And how to speak English I should not need to learn their language.
2006-11-27 00:21:32 · answer #3 · answered by BASHFUL 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
haha i agree with the guru
i hear that you only really learn american history, not enough history of other countries or their customs and such
ahem:
i am australian, i have a sister who lived in america and i've been there before and trust me, you guys (most of you) are gullable and defianetly ignorant of the rest of anything outside america
many of us australians often discuss this and joke about it, we've often told americans that we have pet kangaroos and ride them too school... and you've believed us
i've also asked americans what they think australia looks like i get answers mainly like this:
"the desert and bush"
but if you would go and research two of the big cities in australia, Sydney and Melbourne you would find that it is big city buildings and tons of suburbs.. NOT BUSH OR DESERT
sure in the outback there's bush and desert but most people live in the cities or suburbs
and another thing.. we don't go around wrestling crocodiles (no offence to Steve Irwin he was a great guy) infact the state i live in does not contain any crocodiles, except of course the ones that live in the zoos
so basically.. i think americans should learn more about other countries :)
2006-11-27 00:25:35 · answer #4 · answered by bridgexoxbillie 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Because were not taught about it and are made not to care
We are to into this trying to get Americas bad past when its not that long ago
They want to focus on the good of America no matter how little there is of it theres no time for the others when you have to make people forget about the country being started by smugglers who didnt want to pay taxes or do labor(slavery)
Yeah thats east to forget
2006-11-27 00:24:20 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because we don't take the time to learn about them, go there & be a part of their world..But then there are those who pass judgement on Americans without knowing who we really are...We are not war mongers, trying to control the world...we make mistakes and are not trying to hurt anyone...
2006-11-27 00:27:46 · answer #6 · answered by evemarkra 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, we aren't really. I know SOME kids are really dumb in that area, but otherwise we focus mainly on other countries in history and about their relations with us. What do you mean by ignorant?
What things can you tell me about America?
2006-11-27 00:14:07 · answer #7 · answered by Picard Facepalm 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think much of the blame lies in the public propaganda sys... uh... I mean public SCHOOL system. People only know what they've been taught, and most don't have the motivation to investigate and learn on their own.
2006-11-27 00:22:19 · answer #8 · answered by crx81 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't undersand. If there were any problems going on in another country we would know about it and do something positive. But there are no problems in other countries. For example, I have a big problem right now: I need to sort my sock drawer.
2006-11-27 00:21:12 · answer #9 · answered by Like Glue 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
America is the 800-lb gorilla, it's big enough and strong enough to rely only on itself. USA has the biggest economy, biggest military, and is self sufficient (although this is not optimal or efficient).
2006-11-27 00:18:07 · answer #10 · answered by sargx2000 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋