Where in the World Is the United States?
Although this may not be a current article, geographical illiteracy has always been a pet peeve of mine. I remember seeing this same debate when I was in high school in the late 80's. A majority of high school students couldn't even find the US on a map. Let's take a second to soak that in. They could not find the country they live in on a map. One might be forgiven being a little hesitant in picking it out, but it's not like the US is a small country either. One also wonders if given a map of the solar system they could even narrow it down to the correct planet.
Part of the foundation of a strong culture is knowledge, not just in the history of itself, but in its place in the world. Losing this identity, as we have, is a sign of the weakening and watering down of our culture. The article suggests the blame might lay with us being too Americanizes and thus too absorbed in our own culture. Perhaps, but only in the junk culture, as it indirectly notes with its reference to Survivor.
More young U.S. citizens in the study knew that the island featured in last season's TV show "Survivor" is in the South Pacific than could find Israel.
That part of our culture is worthless, and most cultures have that. Where we fail, and what National Geographic seems to miss, is that where it matters, our culture is not Americentric. Daily we are reminded by those, primarily on the left of how despicable and worthless our culture is compared to those of the rest of the world (which of course explains why so much of the rest of the world wants to live here). In response, many children growing up in the US school system no exactly zero about their own culture, about what made and continues to make this country great.
A symptom of that is not even knowing where America's physical place in the world is. I realize that knowing where Canada is in relation to the U.S. isn't as important as knowing the difference between a Tall and a Viente at Starbuck's, (still not understanding that, by the way tall=small, an argument for another time). However, knowledge of the world and who's in it is essential, whether you're on the left or the right. If you're going to have any part in the national discourse about what the US should be doing and where it should be doing it, at least know the basics of who's playing and how they're involved.
Those in the Midwest, it's important to remember that not only are there two coasts in this country that we don't see, but people live there and usually are the first to interact with people from other nations and cultures. Take some time to educate yourselves on the people of your own nation, and from there perhaps you can get a sense or at least a desire to know what is beyond our borders. Those on the coasts, remember, there's more to your world than your little microcosm of a city. Sure, you have a bit more cultural exposure being at arrival points, but there's a whole middle to this country you shouldn't just assume is crops and rednecks. You do so at your and our country's peril. There are vibrant communities of extremely diverse and educated people with a lot worth saying here as well as thriving immigrant communities most of you wouldn't have occasion to even believe existed.
Take time to learn these things. You're not a New Yorker. You're not an Angelino. You're not a Hoosier or a Buckeye. You're not a Chicago or a Texan, anymore than you're an American. It's important to remember that. Perhaps most importantly, maybe by finding out more about what's beyond your local tattoo parlor, you'll find out that as Americans, we aren't terribly different, and as citizens of this planet, we Americans are some of the very best.
Although this may not be a current article, geographical illiteracy has always been a pet peeve of mine. I remember seeing this same debate when I was in high school in the late 80's. A majority of high school students couldn't even find the US on a map. Let's take a second to soak that in. They could not find the country they live in on a map. One might be forgiven being a little hesitant in picking it out, but it's not like the US is a small country either. One also wonders if given a map of the solar system they could even narrow it down to the correct planet.
Part of the foundation of a strong culture is knowledge, not just in the history of itself, but in its place in the world. Losing this identity, as we have, is a sign of the weakening and watering down of our culture. The article suggests the blame might lay with us being too Americanizes and thus too absorbed in our own culture. Perhaps, but only in the junk culture, as it indirectly notes with its reference to Survivor.
More young U.S. citizens in the study knew that the island featured in last season's TV show "Survivor" is in the South Pacific than could find Israel.
That part of our culture is worthless, and most cultures have that. Where we fail, and what National Geographic seems to miss, is that where it matters, our culture is not Americentric. Daily we are reminded by those, primarily on the left of how despicable and worthless our culture is compared to those of the rest of the world (which of course explains why so much of the rest of the world wants to live here). In response, many children growing up in the US school system no exactly zero about their own culture, about what made and continues to make this country great.
A symptom of that is not even knowing where America's physical place in the world is. I realize that knowing where Canada is in relation to the U.S. isn't as important as knowing the difference between a Tall and a Viente at Starbuck's, (still not understanding that, by the way tall=small, an argument for another time). However, knowledge of the world and who's in it is essential, whether you're on the left or the right. If you're going to have any part in the national discourse about what the US should be doing and where it should be doing it, at least know the basics of who's playing and how they're involved.
Those in the Midwest, it's important to remember that not only are there two coasts in this country that we don't see, but people live there and usually are the first to interact with people from other nations and cultures. Take some time to educate yourselves on the people of your own nation, and from there perhaps you can get a sense or at least a desire to know what is beyond our borders. Those on the coasts, remember, there's more to your world than your little microcosm of a city. Sure, you have a bit more cultural exposure being at arrival points, but there's a whole middle to this country you shouldn't just assume is crops and rednecks. You do so at your and our country's peril. There are vibrant communities of extremely diverse and educated people with a lot worth saying here as well as thriving immigrant communities most of you wouldn't have occasion to even believe existed.
Take time to learn these things. You're not a New Yorker. You're not an Angelino. You're not a Hoosier or a Buckeye. You're not a Chicago or a Texan, anymore than you're an American. It's important to remember that. Perhaps most importantly, maybe by finding out more about what's beyond your local tattoo parlor, you'll find out that as Americans, we aren't terribly different, and as citizens of this planet, we Americans are some of the very best.
posted by Rob Beck | 4:07 PM
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