Recent polls show that 1/5 of Americans can’t locate the US on a world map. Why do you think that is?

Question

Miss South Carolina Teen USA had a difficult time answering this question during the "final questions" portion of the pageant last Friday night, and is receiving a lot of negative publicity as a result. How would you answer this? To refresh your memory:
Here’s the original response:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3inxz8d...

Here’s the musical response:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lak4w__fg...

Here’s the comedic response:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7schxqa8...

Here’s the redemption:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqknvpn3v...

Now what’s your response?

Answer 1

First, I think a significant portion of the population does not value general knowledge such as geography. That is people just don't think it is relevant to their lives.

Second, the public education is deteriorating, in part because schools are trying to be social agencies as well as schools.

Third, I am not sure I completely believe the poll results. How was the poll done? Did they just set up some booths at malls and ask people as they walked by? How would it word as a scientific poll? Drag people in from home? Door to door?

Where was the poll done? Do it in southern California or any other southern boarder state, you may have significant language problems. You may be testing the Mexican education system.

Why was it done? Many polls are designed to get specific results. If the poll was done by people who wanted more funding for schools or people who wanted school voucher programs, either group may have skewed the results for their own purpose.

Answer 2

Reasons:
1. Schools are evaluated by test results, which only tests math and English. Nobody cares about Geography. You don't get Government grands for that.
2. Traditionally, the US has a very low level of education on average, but has this rich people Trainings centers like Harvard, which make sure, the rich get richer. Similar like in the middle ages, where the church didn't allow people to learn how to read and write (European Universities are free).

Answer 3

It just goes to show that if you run a poll and target the right people you can get then numbers you want.

I'd like them to run the poll at a rest stop on one of this Countries major highways. Bet you'd get numbers the other way, showing that 95% of the people did know.

Answer 4

Its because most people don't care..we're all given opportunities and some people waste them. I for one, studied hard through high school and am in college now. You can't blame the educational system for their lazyness, or their parents lack of parenting and supervision. And if they have some sort of learning disability, there are special classes for them too. There's no excuse for it. (I'm an American)

Answer 5

The blame for that must, MUST, be placed on the the public education system that allows the inmates to run the asylum.

Answer 6

Geography is no longer taught in the school system. It was considered too hard for the kids to understand. Our system does not want to challenge our students any more.

Answer 7

Saw the pagent broadcast, poor girl was un-nerved...however, her information was incorrect. The 1/5 figure has been disputed as unfounded.

Answer 8

The degradation of this country on purpose by cunning forces out to take over & depopulate.

Answer 9

Oh come on now, we don't have time to study geography. We are busy reading about Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.

Answer 10

We watch FOX news and support our President Bush! Edication is for loosers.