Are Americans really this stupid?

[Anonymous]

We are still the "richest and most innovative" but unsure for how long.

[Anonymous]

Yes, every American is stupid, and every person where you’re from is very very smart.

[Anonymous]

Yes but so is the rest of the world. Fools everywhere

[Anonymous]

Half my MS kids' friends believe blood is blue. No amount of convincing them it's red works. Sigh. They believe something in the air makes the blood turn red. 13 year olds. Some moms also did not know blood is red.

Ugh. My kid wants to go to a different school.

[Anonymous]

How do you know they were Americans? Did you check their passports?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes but so is the rest of the world. Fools everywhere

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you know they were Americans? Did you check their passports?

Regional accent made it pretty clear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, sorry but I don't think it's excusable to be able to know the Atlantic is east coast/Pac west. That's not even US geography but knowing about 7 seas. Not even all 7 but the 2 closest to our country. I'm not talking state capitals, names of all states or even anything more sophisticated than tracking 2 large bodies of water. If you look at google maps you would likely notice the names of the ocean if you're looking at a coast of a state east and west. That's somewhat education but it's also observation. That Americans can't even track anything obvious is so sad. While most people in other countries are bi/trilingual, we can't even distinguish between 2 oceans. I think that's really amazingly devastatingly sad.

I also think that on some level basic elementary school geography should offer up this knowledge.

OP here. This was pretty much my thinking. I recall being taught about the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in very early elementary school, certainly by second grade. Granted these were women in their 30s, but it really made me wonder about the consistency of education in America and whether basic geography is taught in schools today. I have heard that things like penmanship and spelling are no longer emphasized in schools, and I certainly hope basic geography is not another casualty of the internet era where people can look anything up but apparently rarely do.

Basic geography is not really taught in schools. My DD did state history and studies state geography in 4th grade, and did state capitals and states in 5th grade, but were it not for me constantly shoving an atlas in her face when she asks questions and traveling with her, she would have zero sense of the basics of geography.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Half my MS kids' friends believe blood is blue. No amount of convincing them it's red works. Sigh. They believe something in the air makes the blood turn red. 13 year olds. Some moms also did not know blood is red.

Ugh. My kid wants to go to a different school.

This belief is not uncommon (and in past times was accepted to be true).

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321442#why-does-it-look-blue

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, every American is stupid, and every person where you’re from is very very smart.

What makes you think OP is not American?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you know they were Americans? Did you check their passports?

Regional accent made it pretty clear.

What region?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most people don’t even know their own state capital. Or the nations capital. Or who the first President was.

This shouldn’t be surprising.

At least they didn’t say Indian Ocean.

Honest question that I’ve been wondering about since I was a kid: why do so many people conflate the ability to memorize completely unimportant facts with intelligence? (e.g. who gives a shit if you know every state capital?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, sorry but I don't think it's excusable to be able to know the Atlantic is east coast/Pac west. That's not even US geography but knowing about 7 seas. Not even all 7 but the 2 closest to our country. I'm not talking state capitals, names of all states or even anything more sophisticated than tracking 2 large bodies of water. If you look at google maps you would likely notice the names of the ocean if you're looking at a coast of a state east and west. That's somewhat education but it's also observation. That Americans can't even track anything obvious is so sad. While most people in other countries are bi/trilingual, we can't even distinguish between 2 oceans. I think that's really amazingly devastatingly sad.

I also think that on some level basic elementary school geography should offer up this knowledge.

OP here. This was pretty much my thinking. I recall being taught about the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in very early elementary school, certainly by second grade. Granted these were women in their 30s, but it really made me wonder about the consistency of education in America and whether basic geography is taught in schools today. I have heard that things like penmanship and spelling are no longer emphasized in schools, and I certainly hope basic geography is not another casualty of the internet era where people can look anything up but apparently rarely do.

So, yes geography is getting minimized in the obsession with STEM, but I guarantee you that Pacific and Atlantic oceans are taught in all U.S. schools. The problem is that nobody remembers everything from third grade and if you don't use knowledge, you lose it.
I'm the "America" is a big place" poster and while I'm not seriously excusing ignorance of the Atlantic (that's pretty bad) it's important to remember that many Americans never leave their home state and would have literally no reason to encounter the ocean, ever. We have a big country and a lot of people too poor to ever travel it. So, why would that knowledge be retained?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Half my MS kids' friends believe blood is blue. No amount of convincing them it's red works. Sigh. They believe something in the air makes the blood turn red. 13 year olds. Some moms also did not know blood is red.

Ugh. My kid wants to go to a different school.

This belief is not uncommon (and in past times was accepted to be true).

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321442#why-does-it-look-blue

Right? This is what we were literally taught in school…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most people don’t even know their own state capital. Or the nations capital. Or who the first President was.

This shouldn’t be surprising.

At least they didn’t say Indian Ocean.

Honest question that I’ve been wondering about since I was a kid: why do so many people conflate the ability to memorize completely unimportant facts with intelligence? (e.g. who gives a shit if you know every state capital?)

It's not a mark of intelligence, but it is a mark of education and knowledge rather than ignorance.