Miss Teen USA map trivia (in Off-topic)

If you think the Miss Teen USA competitors are all beauty and no brains, you're dead wrong. Here is some undeniable proof.

Well, she got one thing right. I don't own a map, so at least some Americans don't have maps... Honestly though, if she wasn't disqualified right then and there I'd like to do bodily harm to whomever runs that sorry competition.

I totally agree with her.

Which part Bast? South Africa or The Iraq?

I think all US Americans need to take heed of her sage "The Such As" advice...


This guy has it right:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGc278Vjo0o


Also, in support of her astounding statements, I will personally fund through NS Loans Service a "No CBer Left Behind" program. I guarantee that all denizens of Carnage Blender will never again be without a map.

For the hearing impaired that want to learn how to locate America on a map, here's the transcript:


"I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some [this is the point where her eyes go wide and she seems to realize the trouble she's in ] ... people out there in our nation don't have maps and uh, I believe that our, ah, education like such as in South Africa, and, uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and I believe that they should, uh, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., or should help South Africa, it should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future, for our children."

The questions was: Recent polls have shown [that] a fifth of Americans can't locate the U.S. on a world map. Why do you think this is?

Lax standards and union stupidity, Bast.

It sounded like miss thicko wanted to answer a question that wasn't said by the judge. Not only did she try and answer a question she thought she heard, she answered it bad enough as to not even answer it. How you can't locate your own country on a map is actually quite astonishing.

As poorly done as the question itself was, I'd have to go with "I personally believe that if you add up all the blind, permanently- or temporarily- comatose, mentally-retarded and/or developmentally-challenged adults, everyone with advanced Alzheimer's, everyone under the age of 6, and everyone at any given time suffering the effects of general anaesthesia, you would get a sum of around one-fifth of the population of the United States. This explains why one-fifth of the people of the United States can't identify same, on a map."

"How you can't locate your own country on a map is actually quite astonishing."

I really don't know how that is humanly possible, really. I could find Australia on a map before I was in kindergarten (4 years old). It's not like it's some conspicuous tiny country in the middle of Europe.

inconspicuous*.

20% of Americans can't locate the US on a world map.
78% of Americans don't own a passport.

I'm sure there must be a correlation there somewhere...

lol
omg.. hahaha that's just so funny i can't help to reply
thanks for the link =)

but seriously, how can that happen?
even i don't have map, been to us only once, and i can locate most of us states on map
and i thought their education system is one of the better ones
or are the people just ignorant?

"one of the better ones"? Compared to whom?

Such as in South Africa, and, uh, the Iraq I suspect.

A significant lack of geographical knowledge is hardly just an American problem. Take the results of the National Geographic ﾗ Roper 2002 Global Geographic Literacy Survey, found here. Here are two excerpts from the highlights section:

-However, map skills were not particularly strong among young adults worldwide. Only young adults in Sweden, Germany, and Italy correctly identified at least 75% of the locations on the world map portion of the quiz. Despite sharing a 355 mile border with the Netherlands, however, 30% of Germans couldn t identify it on a map of Europe. A sizable proportion could not find the world s largest body of water, the Pacific Ocean ﾗ even in countries that border it. In Japan and Canada, nearly one-fifth (16% and 17%, respectively) could not locate the Pacific; in the U.S., nearly three in ten (29%) could not find it.

-Worldwide, young adults performance in locating Israel was very weak across the board. In no country could even half of young adults surveyed locate Israel on a Middle East/Asia map; on average, fewer than one-fourth of respondents could locate it, including only 14% of young Americans.

G_Beee: 20% of Americans can't locate the US on a world map.
78% of Americans don't own a passport.

I'm sure there must be a correlation there somewhere...

-It's helpful to remember the size of many American states, G_Beee. Scotland is less than 70% the size of my home state of Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania is only ranked 33rd by land area. Given the density of countries on the European continent, it's not surprising that Europeans have a greater chance of traveling abroad and speaking more than one language fluently.

Scotland is more a quality than quantity kinda place. Unless of course you're talking whisky in which case obviously both apply :)

Yes, we are just ignorant. That is most definitely the answer. So simple that it must be true.

Don't forget sarcastic too Sut ;)

Hey have you looked at a map lately?! There are way too many countries on there and some of them are very little so their names won't even fit inside the country unless you use a tiny little font. Then you either have to use a microscope to read it or you get confused when the name overlaps some other little country.

Also, I have noticed that different maps use different colors for different countries - and the color doesn't even match the hue of the people who live there?!?! Some of the countries even have multicolored peoples living in there!!! I am pleased to note that thankfully, most mapmakers do consistently use blue for water but I have to tell you that I have been to some places where the water isn't really blue - sometimes it is greenish or gray so that can get you all messed up too.

Oh and there is one other thing - I have looked into this and found that most of those countries don't even have stuff that we want or need in the U.S.!! That is right - there is a surprising number of countries that don't make cars or candy or have oil bubbling out of the ground or a big supply of cheap labor to put lead in our toys! And you expect us to remember where those ones are?!

ack! I just remembered one other sneaky thing about maps - some of them supposedly don't even make Africa the right size!! That's right - a whole continent is getting gypped because of mapmakers wanting to help sailboats drive straight or something.

So as one of those U.S.A. Americans I just want to stand in support of the poor little Miss Teen USA contestant and say that as long as we don't really know where the Iraq or USA America is we might not need to fight them over here.

I think she simply misinterpreted the question, and thought it was
"Recent polls have shown [that] Teen Miss Americans can't locate the U.S. on a world map. Why do you think this is?"

Poor girl. She's got to be massively humiliated because she got stage fright in front of the world. =(

Don't be a sensitive clod!

I can't help it. She's got to be close to 18. 0=)

*chortles*

What's really going on up there. They should have just asked her to locate the US map. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB8kgdvbVNg

Apparently, the British aren't too adept, either....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6074202.stm

Trust the English to drag the average down.
A quote from the article; "Scottish children appeared to be the most geographically aware..."

Heh, who'd have thunk it.

"National Geographic Kids said it also found fewer than two thirds of children were able to correctly locate the US."

That's because we don't care. ;)

Oh, and we're lazy. Anything 'above' London is the North (including Scotland), andthing 'below' is the south.

We used to run the world, with an empire the sun never set (sat?) on. Now, the rest of the world comes to live with us.

"Scottish children appeared to be the most geographically aware with 67% able to point out the most countries, out of England, the US, France, China and Iraq, on a world map."

That's only because they had to find out where London ws to come down and try to invade again. As they's stolen or drunk everything of worth up in Scotland already. ;)

:P

(<3 ya Beee!)

"The questions was: Recent polls have shown [that] a fifth of Americans can't locate the U.S. on a world map. Why do you think this is?"

I probably would have responded with "Are Canadians, central Americans, and south Americans included in the total number of 'Americans' who can't find the United States on a world map? Wouldn't it have been better to have used a term such as 'residents of the United States' to better frame the parameters of the question? And finally, does this Double D Admantium Brassiere make me look fat?"