I’m not trolling or trying to start a flame war, but what is up with the intelligence of Americans? Especially when it comes to Canada.
How can Americans be so naive when it comes to one of their neighbouring countries and one of their biggest (if not the biggest) trading partner?
In Canada we have a show where a guy travels the states and starts asking Joe Public American questions, or asks them to congratulate Canadians on things like “just getting their first newspaper”, or “getting electricity”. Now I know the show is edited to show the not so bright responses. But come on electricity? It’s not like he is in the backwoods of West Virginia or anything, he’s in DC, University campuses, etc.
Also National Geographic just did a global survey (.http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geosurvey/index.html ) of people between the ages of 18 and 24 from multiple countries. The US finished at the bottom of the pack. Canada did better, but not as well as other countries. You can take a sample of it (20 questions) here:
Broad generalizations are often grossly misunderstood, and can be construed as devious. So McDeath though the quote above shows that Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 may be lagging. Making remarks about Americans as a whole based on that article is not exactly the mark of genius.
Most American’s I bet aren’t as naïve as you think. You are forgetting those over 24, and under 18…
The people making those idiotic responses are probably the same people who know they won’t be shown with Jay Leno, when he does his street quizzes, if they answer questions like “Who is the President of the U.S.?” with what they know to be the correct answer. It’s hardly a valid method of demonstrating the intelligence or lack thereof of Americans.
If you judged the intelligence of Americans by the caliber of the majority of people who post to the SDMB, you might think all Americans are all very smart, literate, well read, and witty. And that’s no more valid than saying we’re all stupid because of a few jokesters on some stupid TV show.
Or Grey maybe it would work out to 98% to 86% in favour of the Canadians.
And Phlosphr I know it sounds like a broad generalization, but I don’t think it is. I have travelled in the states, and I like to have a little fun. People ask where I live, I say Canada. I then proceed to tell them I get to work via dog sled and live in an Igloo. And they usually always believe me! And these are people in a bordering state (Washington) within minutes from the border!
Then try explaining to an American that Toronto Ontario is just as far south as Northern California!
You’re absolutely right – television would never dare to skew viewpoints and reinforce stereotypes for the sake of entertainment! As such, I feel it would only be fair for Americans to base their entire view of the intelligence of Canadians on Bob and Doug McKenzie, Terence and Philip, and the various characters on the Red Green show. The mountie on Due South is obviously anomalous.
Actually mods, please move this. I realize this should not have been posted in GQ.
Maybe us Canadians aren’t as smart as I think…
And missbunny I highly respect the intelligence and responses from Americans on the SDMB, this is where I come for the Straight Dope. But I’m not basing this on just the responses I have seen on the TV show (even though they did ask a governer who the Prime Minister of Canada was and he had no clue). How about the NG survey? How about my personal experiences?
Perhaps Americans who are just meeting you, and thus are not familiar with your sense of humor, smile and nod to be polite. I’m not comfortable telling a complete stranger, “Nuh-uh! You lie!”
Canadians, bah! They think they’re so special, like they had their own country or something.
Seriously, you see the same kinds of TV spots on Jay Leno’s street interviews and elsewhere. You can always find ignorant people who will hold forth on things they know nothing about. In general, it may be worse in the US because of several factors:
It’s a very big country geographically, so a lot of people have never travelled internationally. Compare to Europe or other collections of relatively small contries. It would be rare to find a person in, say, Iowa who didn’t know anything about the neighboring states just like it’s rare to find a European who knows little about neighboring countries.
It’s a very important country, politically and economically, so a lot of people don’t have a need to know about international relations. Compare to a small country with few internal resources which is much more reliant on international dealings, etc. Of course the US has enormous imports, but as long as there are goods on the shelves, most people don’t concern themselves with the mechanics of how they got there. Canada is no trifling country themselves, but I think you’d have to admit that Canada’s economy and culture draws more from the US than vice versa, so it’s natural that Canadians are more informed about the US than vice versa. It would be a gross overstatement, but basically “you need us, and we don’t need you”.
It’s a very wealthy country, so a lot of people have a comfortable standard of living and are relatively complacent. I know a lot of people who are happy to go through their day-to-day routine and would be doing well to know the current US President, much less their own representatives, much less any international issues. This is human nature. I’ve seen the same thing in England and elsewhere among the comfortable middle class.
It’s a convenient butt of jokes for everyone else. No one likes to make fun of the poor and down-trodden, but a lot of people take enjoyment from making fun of the rich and powerful. This is why celebrity scandals are so big. By the same token, other countries like to make fun of the US and draw attention to its flaws.
I’m not a social or political scientist, so these are opinions rather than objective fact. I’ll also be the first to admit there are problems with general education in the US. Still, I think you could find similar things to ridicule anywhere in the world.