Nearly 1/5 of Americans can't locate the US on a map. Why do you think this is?

Question

I feel sorry for Miss South Carolina. everyone makes mistakes.

What would your answer have been?


mine would have been:
the americans who can't locate the US on a map are the ones that didn't pay any attention in school. They are the ones that didnt even try to get good grades. They probably dropped out of school when they were 16. After they realized that they really messed up their lives, they probably started doing drugs and drinking; and now they can't even locate the US on a map.

...

or:
they were looking at the map upside-down.
lol

go look at the video. its on YouTube. it said 1/5 of americans. not 5%

Answer 1

My answer:

Too much of our US funds are being spent on the war and not enough, not nearly enough, is being spent on our education system so there are mps in every classroom and students can actually learn where the good ol' USofA is located on a map AND globe.

Answer 2

I guess that maybe there is not enough emphasis on geography in school. Who knows? Did they also find out what the education levels of this 1/5 were? Maybe they could have been those who dropped out of school or those who went to school in an area where schools don't have much money or resources. Again, who knows?

I felt so bad for that poor girl though. This is a question that requires some thought to form a good response and those poor girls only given a second or two to think about the question before they need to answer. Plus, I'm sure they are incredibly nervous and under a lot of pressure. I don't think people should have made fun of her, that wasn't really fair. People took one thing that girl said and just labeled her as "stupid". I give her a lot of credit for being so brave and asking for a second chance to answer the question and try to redeem herself after the media just flat-out humiliated her. I don't think I could've have done that, I probably would have hid in a cave for the next few years until people forgot about me!!

Answer 3

Maybe this 20% that can't find the US on a map are children under 10 who haven't learned to use a map yet.
I'm pretty sure ALL naturalized citizens (recent immigrants) CAN find the US on a map, so this can't be the explanation.
I've met quite a few people of low educational level who "can't read no map." They navigate by landmarks and memory and I don't know what; I can't navigate WITHOUT a map. These people are not necessarily stupid (the ones I've known were not) but map-reading and standard grammar were not a high priority for them. Now, if you can't read no map, it stands to reason you'd have a hard time locating a country on one.

Answer 4

I've actually heard about that before the Miss SC news (and in her defense, she was standing in front of thousands/maybe millions of viewers on television). However, the poll may have been biased, or done on too small of a sample.

Though I still do not believe that this is true, I do think that the American media is largely overrated and that the education system needs to be refined (not necessarily totally redone, but a little help goes a long way). Wherever the source of this accusation originated from, I'd personally like to ask him, her, or them more about how the poll was conducted.

Answer 5

I don't think your answer would have impressed the judges any more than Miss SC.
Calling one fifth of the population dropouts, duggys, or drunks isn't the best way to get people to crown you Miss America.
People consider popularity as the most important thing in their lives. People would rather vote for American Idol than for President.
I'm not even all that suprised.
Most people would rather be cool than smart.
The problem is most likely not the student. The problem is the parents and the media.
Can you seriously name one celebrity that the media talks about who is smart?

For most Americans to go through their daily lives, it is not imperative that they know how to find the US on a map. People tend to do as little as possible to get by. If you don't need to know it, why waste time caring about it?

I just think that most of these people just don't give a damn where the US is on a map because they don't need to know it.

Answer 6

I'm little surprised at the numbers. I want to know how the poll was taken and who took the poll. 1/5 of Americans may seem like a lot, but what about all those babies? old folks in death bed? people with mental retardation? immigrants?...etc...etc...

So my question is what percentage of Americans should be able to do this when educated properly?

That kind of was weird question. I think standard answer would be something to do with issues on education and tendency for kids to gravitate towards video games and computers/internet without solid basics they really need.

Answer 7

I'm really surprised that the number is only one in five. I am around people who only are concerned about how they look and the kind of car they drive, they could not care less about anything that goes on outside their little box. People have stopped reading newspapers and books, that probably has a lot to do with it. Kids also are spending way too much time playing video games and watching useless tv shows. We include a little more education into our kids lives and less drugs and violence.

Answer 8

I would have said that since there is a world map in almost every U.S. classroom, on every newscast, and in every history book, there is no excuse for any American not to be able to pick out the U.S. on a map. It's not the fault of the education system. It's the fault of any student who doesn't bother to pay attention and do the work. "Stupid is as stupid does."

Answer 9

This is social fallout caused by several factors:

1. The basic education that the vast majority of Americans receive (public education) is of the worst quality in the Western World, simply because it is the most underfunded.

2. Many formerly educational channels' older content is quickly being replaced by shows that show you "how motorcyles are made" and reality shows. Example: Meerkat Manor, where idiots untrained in Zoology attempt to assume what thoughts are running through the heads of animals. Much of this is done for the sake of advertising because following the Telecommunications Act of 1996, requirements for more educational programming were lifted.

3. In this age of xenophobia, many Americans are just not interested in geography, so why would they pay attention to maps?

These factors are very bad for the average IQ in this country.

Answer 10

I'm afraid it's a "sign of the times..." We've become a Society that values "fame and fortune" over hard work & education. So while your average teenager probably WILL know how Paris Hilton spent her Jail time last month, they wouldn't know WHERE to begin to find it- on a map. :(

Answer 11

they never care enough to educate themselves.
its all about my 'SHOES ARE PRETTY''lets go see a movie''oh she's ugly' or something of that nature.

oh hell i dont know, and i've encountered random americans where i've asked what they thought of the situation in australia about the aborigines (any random event nothing specific- i was aiming for if they knew what aborigines are)and i never got a response, nothing logical (they didn't know what an Aborigine was), only the look of confusion and somewhere or another a look where they thought i was a crackhead.