We are a group of friends and acquaintances -- a merry band of pranksters indeed -- who have been arguing about politics on-and-off, then really on, then a little off... since 1998. On email. But that meant literally thousands of emails a year. That was too many. So here's the blog dedicated to carrying on that spirit of political and pop culture argument and dialogue. You might think of us as "schmoliticians", because while we take politics seriously, we try not to take ourselves quite so.
Most American young people can't find Iraq on a map, even though U.S. troops have been there for more than three years, according to a new geographic literacy study released on Tuesday. More here.
posted by Sean @ 5/02/2006 07:02:00 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
When you criticize Americans' educational achievement, and hence No Child Left Behind, the terrorists win.
The NatGeo guy hit the nail on the head as to the real significance of this survey:
"I'm not sure how important it is that young adults can find Afghanistan on a map. But ... that is symptomatic of the bigger issue, and that's (U.S. young adults) not having a sense that things around the world really matter that much," said John Fahey, president of the National Geographic Society.
Americans are so self-absorbed and arrogant when it comes to our place in the world. We refuse to believe that anything not originating here has any significance or import outside of how it directly affects us. Even when we go abroad, we expect to eat in Americanized restaurants, stay in American-style hotels, and, of course, speak English. I know I'm feeding into the crass American stereotype here, but this article is not an isolated incident and I believe there's more truth to it than not.
I left America "for good" shortly after Bush won in 2004. I was convinced that the arrogance and short-sightedness that his administration practised and that voters supported was irreversible.
This is my second time living outside of the US for an extended period of time (which I define as more than six months, FWIW), and I can tell you that nothing helps introspection of one's native land than living outside of it.
My first exodus made me into a liberal; suddenly I saw how others perceived us, and what injustices were being perpetrated in the name of "democracy" and "freedom" and "America the beautiful".
My second exodus, tragically, is seeming to make me into a cynic. The American government seems now no worse than any other. The American people, likewise, are no more idiotic or bellicose than others.
America's power and influence makes her the leading lady, and with the spotlight thus focused on her, her missteps are obvious. Her motives are constantly questioned, even when she acts in seeming kindness.
It is easy to lose hope when you read the news.
But at the same time, it is easy to find your faith in humanity refreshed when you witness a simple act of kindness.
To bring this unfocused rambling back to the point, I seriously doubt that many Japanese or British kids could find Iraq on an unlabelled map, either. But only the ignorance of Americans is singled out.
I just hope that we can learn from the mistakes made by our government, instead of being clouded by our loathing for the current administration. After all, isn't this what we (rightly) accuse the Democratic Party of doing, having no definition of their own platform beyond anti-Bushism?
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