UNBELIEVABLE: Embarrassing ignorant americans | History Defined

Believing that the US is still the greatest country in the world has led some people into pretty embarrassing territory.

It’s not just casual online comments either, like people saying the dollar is unbeatable or that Fahrenheit somehow makes more sense than Celsius.

Many studies and surveys have shown that a number of Americans can’t answer even basic questions about their own government, let alone the rest of the world.

A 2019 survey by the Council on Foreign Relations and National Geographic found that Americans only got about half the questions right on geography and world affairs. Only 6% scored 80% or higher, even though most say global issues matter to them.

Back in 2011, when Newsweek gave 1,000 Americans the official US citizenship test, 29% couldn’t name the vice president and nearly three-quarters couldn’t explain why the US fought the Cold War. They aptly titled their result as “how ignorant are Americans?”

Another survey found that more people could name characters from 'The Simpsons' than the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.

Bored Panda spoke to George A Barnett, PhD, a professor of communication at the University of California, to understand why some Americans are clueless and what perpetuates this stereotype.

“The US is isolated from the rest of the world, with direct contacts with only Canada and Mexico. This makes travel to other countries difficult. Only 20 some percent have passports to visit other countries and those with passports tend to be those who go on cruises or to all-inclusive resorts,” he says.

He believes that a lot of American news media outlets mostly concentrate on domestic events, not on what is taking place around the world. "Research indicates that the media only reports on those countries that are physically proxemic and culturally and economically similar."

Barnett notes that the American educational system focuses heavily on American and Western/European civilization and history. “We are taught nothing about Asia, Africa and Latin America.”

He says research on social media also indicates that people have network ties with only those that are similar, which could be another reason why Americans are less aware about the rest of the world.

Surely, Americans aren’t the only ones who get facts wrong. But their voices are everywhere online, so their mistakes get noticed more.

And with English being the main language of the internet, their clueless comments travel even further.

But that doesn’t mean they get a free pass — if anything, it’s all the more reason to pay attention and actually know what’s going on in the rest of the world. Or at least fact check from reliable sources before posting something online.

Experts recommend that people should educate themselves more by travelling abroad, studying a second language, and talking to people from other cultures and countries more often.

Try getting your news from somewhere besides your local TV channel or a US newspaper.

There are plenty of ways to learn beyond your own backyard, and honestly, with all the information available online, there’s really no excuse to stay ignorant anymore.

“Americans can’t ignore things that are happening on the other side of the world, because they do impact us. … Water availability and climate change and religious conflict — those are things that don’t pay attention to borders,” says Kathleen Schwille, former vice president of education at the National Geographic Society.

It can be frustrating and challenging if you try to reason with ignorant people, especially when they hide behind their keyboards, and it’s easy to jump straight into an argument — but that rarely leads anywhere productive.

You can approach such conversations with curiosity rather than being annoyed so that you actually help someone learn, not just send them in an automatic defense mode.

Provide facts from reliable sources to clear doubts if someone is willing to listen to reason.

Some people aren’t always ignorant on purpose, maybe they just haven’t had the chance to learn or the right environment or sources to help them.

Yet, we can't deny the fact that a lot of people online say things just to get a reaction and aren’t that interested in educating themselves. In that case, the best response might be no response at all.

Sometimes, the smartest move is simply to choose your battles. Not every dumb remark needs a rebuttal.