What is it about Americans that makes them so notoriously bad at geography, foreign languages and cultural awareness?
>inb4: wats the point when u already speak the best language, live in th best cuntry & have the best culture? XD
>>51889820
You won't like this Giuseppe but your greentext is partly true.
Consider the fact that you can go pretty much anywhere in the USA/Canada and only have to speak English (or maybe the odd Spanish/French phrase once in a while). This is very unusual for such a large, populated land mass. Even though they have the same written language, Chinese has many spoken dialects. And of course Europe is Europe.
It has simply not been necessary for us, in our daily lives, to know four different languages, or where France is, or how the governments of other countries work. It really is that simple. I would not expect the guy on the street to know where Portugal is on a map. If he does, it's a pleasant surprise (and actually about half of the country could point out the major countries if prompted). But plenty of Harvard students didn't know the capital of Canada in an old poll.
If we were a smaller country, or perhaps situated in Asia, then we would have to know these things.
I think the internet has actually done much to improve this, however. People chat with other countries, just like we're doing right now, so they self-teach a bit.
>>51889820
Arrogance and American exceptionalism.
Exhibit A: >>51890226
>>51890840
A king does not need to take the time to personally meet every peasant.
>>51891212
There should be an equivalent to Godwin's law with the Moon landing.
>>51889820
>foreign languages
Foreign language acquisition is actually roughly equally poor in every English nation. Scotland has the fewest Anglophones reaching B2 level
The US has a pretty big emphasis on Spanish as a second language and Canada has with French, but otherwise it's English-speaking nations that share this.
>>51891388
B2 in a foreign language I mean
Ireland and Scotland statistically have the least achievement in foreign languages of the Anglosphere, Canada barely makes the top spot due to immense French immersion but even Anglos there are often uninterested in foreign languages beyond school
>>51891361
What's that Putin? I can't hear you from the moon
>>51891388
>The US has a pretty big emphasis on Spanish as a second language
C U C K E D
U
C
K
E
D
>>51891533
>When Americans try to argue.
>>51891533
holy fuck we really did it we put the flag on the moon
>>51891533
But you've never been on the Moon. Some people have 40 years ago, but you're only a basement dweller who takes pride in other people's achievements.
>>51891593
absolute madmen
Still can't head you from the moon..
>>51891542
>The same people that settled the new world ended up going to the moon
Czechmate :^)
Meanwhile Romanias colonial empire and space programme....
>>51891791
>trying this hard
>>51890226
This. America is completely and totally isolated culturally and geographically from everything besides two nations: Canada and Mexico. Of the two, Canada's culture (besides quebecois) is basically american, and Mexicans are only one group.
East and west the USA is surrounded by massive oceans, so Mexicans are basically it, unless you live in a large city, where you may see Indians or east asians.
Ironically, the most culturally, geographically and foreign language learned people tend to be either the college educated or military. College because they may have had a foreign born instructor or may have taken a decent geography class, military because they have usually actually experienced different cultures via immersion, living within or around different cultures for up to two years or more.
If you want to know what makes americans NOTORIOUSLY BAD at (insert anything here), you need to know that the media here will do absolutely anything to entertain, even belittle it's fellow citizens and their knowledge.
>>51889820
Partly, because there's no need. A lot of people pick up some Spanish or French in school, but unless you're an exchange student or have foreign parents, you probably don't speak anything else. The whole continent speaks English, and most people traveling around speak English. It's the new Lingua Franca, as you yourself so demonstrate by posting in English.
Geography and cultural awareness tends to be low among the lower classes worldwide. I've been told by Irish people that the Pacific Theater in WWII didn't happen, and met plenty of French who didn't know much about the 30 Years War.
>>51891986
I've met several europeans who didn't know that there are opposite seasons in different hemispheres
>>51891845
I have one of those in my house, theyre cool as fuck
>>51892100
Exactly. There are plenty of Australians with whom you can have a coherent, intelligent discussion with, and there are guys with mullets and southern cross tattoos who make The Castle look like a documentary.
The US has a ton of ignorant fucks, sure. But so does every place, and it's silly to pretend like that's not true.
>>51889820
Isolation. Both geographical and cultural.
>>51892223
Americans have a tendency to talk and shout loudly. I don't know why the fuck you do it, but it makes the trash even more annoying while travelling.
>>51892223
The difference is in most countries ignorance is a social faux pas, whereas in the states its almost a virtue and symbol of patriotism.
>>51889820
Our culture, especially in the Midwest promotes ignorance, and to be honest, most of the people can get away with it because they evidently don't give a shit about Europe or anywhere outside the US. That being said a lot of people can't even name most of the US states on a map.
TL;DR: Americans are isolationist af.
>>51889820
Because there is a distinct lack of gegraphy and local identity in America. Americans simply didn't have enough wars against each other to develop an identity. Europe had religious wars, wars for territory, independance, peasant rebellions, succesion wars, nationalistic wars and all that shit builds an identity that's different from your neighbours.
For non-anglos learning English is an economic survival skill, for anglos learning a foreign language is a hobby
>>51893620
>learning English is an economic survival skill
Anglos are incredibly deluded. You seriously overestimate the prevalence of your language. Most people in the world do not speak it.
>>51892100
Only retards don't know that it's June on the Southern hemisphere right now. That's why you have Christmas when we have summer.
>>51889820
Because we occupy a third of a continent and touch half the worlds oceans. The same language is spoken on two thirds of said continent.
There are other reasons, but these are some fundamentals that shape the perspective of practical relevance.
What is more indictable is our lack of knowledge about the Western Hemisphere, for which there is no excuse.
But there are some cultural obstacles in our media, as the media is trans-atlantic
focused, so it rarely comes up.
Europe is focused on Europe, so they see this from the other perspective. I find it unlikely that the average European can distinguish an American's home state by his accent, the difference between Southeast and Southwest cuisine, name the capitals of the mid-West or know a thing about our internal history. In fact, I find it amazing how few Europeans here seem to know anything about their colonial investments here from hundreds of years ago.
I am sitting in a place held by both the French and British and I doubt either know a thing about it.
