Peoples opinion on this Video

[eenu]

I'd just like peoples opinion on this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCkYfYa8ePI

Now having spent A LOT of time out in the states i know these people exist in large numbers but hell i know there are plenty of very well rounded american peeps too.

Whilst i know this video is biased and it isn't displaying stupidity as much as lack of education/current affairs i seriously don't think you could go to many countries and have such a bad response from so many people! (Note i am saying people like this are from everywhere)

I'd just like to have input on this, i'm not trying to offend anyone but i seriously can't grasp that people like this walk the planet regardless of where they are from and i'm interested to know why america has such a large concentration....

I'll put my hard hat and stab vest on now and wait for the abuse :o

[adrianblaine]

The last few seconds of that video explain a lot. I'm not intending to offend anyone from Texas, but I lived there for a year and I've never seen a more concentrated amount of ignorance in a population before. It looks like the whole video was shot in Texas.

I was born in a small town in southern Oregon 25 years ago, and I knew the answer to every question in that video. There are many reasons as to why so many Americans are ignorant, I don't even really want to go into them all. I've had the opportunity to visit Canada, Mexico, Honduras, Bolivia, Italy, and France. I believe the best thing for Americans to do is leave the country for a little while, it teaches you a lot. Just living in different places makes you less ignorant than living in the same spot for 30+ years. Since my birth, I have lived in: Oregon, Washington, Kansas, Colorado, California, Texas, and Michigan. It is amazing how open your eyes become after traveling and living in many places.

[eenu]

You see the Americans i know that are well rounded are those that have left America to travel (We will leave their warped views on how America won WWII single handedly out of it :D ).

I seriously believe though an average Brit could not leave Britain but be aware of the geography of the world and current affairs to a far higher level than some Americans that haven't left America. Where is the ignorance coming from? is it media lead or a cultural thing?

Sorry this whole concept just really interests me.

[adrianblaine]

You see the Americans i know that are well rounded are those that have left America to travel

Glad to know someone agrees with me!

Where is the ignorance coming from? is it media lead or a cultural thing?


IMHO, American ignorance comes from a conglomeration of many things that have merged to leave American at it's lowest cultural point. I think we have become too comfortable. A lot of it is because of oil. If we weren't so frantic to have oil, we wouldn't be meddling around in everyone's business all the time. It is a vicious cycle. Our need for oil makes us bullies, because we are bullies makes the world not like us, because a lot of people don't like us they cry out "death to America", because we don't like that we need oil to "take them out". And around and around we go.

But I think the comfort American's "enjoy" is the leading cause. There is nothing to push (or motivate) people to learn more about their world. I'm privileged to have grown up in a family that valued the entire world, and not just one country that has only about 5% of the entire word's population.

[mkrishnan]

I have to admit I didn't remember / haven't heard the term "Coalition of the Willing" much and did not know whom it described....

[adrianblaine]

I have to admit I didn't remember / haven't heard the term "Coalition of the Willing" much and did not know whom it described....


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multinational_force_in_Iraq

[mkrishnan]

EDIT: Never mind. Must not be snarky. :o

[ErikCLDR]

Well to me the people they are interviewing are white trash and uneducated people. And obviously this biased, not everyone can be that stupid in one country. I would say that here in Connecticut I only know a few people that are that stupid.

There are people like this because they don't really care about things going on around them, just what directly affects their lives. They don't care about the bigger picture. How does a little country in the middle of central asia affect them, it doesn't, so why would they be concerned with knowing about that country.

[adrianblaine]

I wasn't familiar with it *before* I looked it up, not after I posted admitting it. :rolleyes: But thank you. ;)

Lol, I wasn't really directing it at you. I put it up there for us American's to look it up so we aren't as ignorant :)

[Zwhaler]

Wow, people are really stupid.

Isn't it amazing how arrogant Americans are when it comes to how the whole rest of the world should be just like us, when we are, in fact, a shining example of ignorance and stupidity in many cases.

There are some bright people here, but for the most part people are just plain uninteligent and uninformed. What's really scary is that these people vote. Hey, maybe that's how we ended up with Bush.

[MacNut]

I guarantee that if you went anywhere in the world and asked those same questions you might get the same responses, Don't just make it a stupid American thing. Im sure there are a good amount of Brits that don't know either.

Also how much editing did that go thru, they are not going to show the people that gave the right answers but instead splice together all the "idiots".

[poopyhead]

we (americans) have the largest economy in the world, the most powerful military, a currency and language that is almost universally accepted, we head all the brettonwoods institutions or at least have veto power, and the majority of americans feel that the world owes them something due to WWII and the rebuilding of europe/ marshall plan (We like to forget about Russia's and other countries substantial role in the war)

in short we are the spoiled children of rich parents who feel that since daddy is rich and powerful that we by inheritence will be too. we, due to our self ingratiating nature see little to no value in other cultures or countries. it is not that Americans are stupid we are simply spoiled, closed minded, and jaded. It would never enter into the mind of most americans that empires can and do fall and its best to know and understand your neighbors in the world when that time comes.

also

we are pretty much the bullies of the world especially with Bush II as such it is not important that we know the name of all the dorks at the front of the class or who they are as long as we know that they are relatively weak and can easily be hit with a paper football.

[MacNut]

I think that is off base a bit. The WWII generation was fighting for something and probably saved the world from doom. I think the Vietnam generation is when everything went to hell here. The I don't care about war generation, Love not War and the hippie movement is when you would say it went down hill. The baby boomers are the ones that don't care and their kids are now starting to take power.

[killr_b]

This is proof of a failed school system, coupled with mass media propaganda and an unwillingness to learn the truth by the American's depicted.
I agree 110% that most people from the south are ignorant and- well, ignorant. (See Fark.com for "Florida" tag.)

Personally, I can answer all of those questions w/o thinking and I do my part to educate my community and the people I meet from other countries.

I will concede that ignorant Americans can be found over the majority of the land, but the educated that live in cities are the majority of the population.

But surprisingly enough what no one talks about is how the richest most powerful nation ever to inhabit this world gave up its freedom of financial independence to a bunch of bankers when they created the Federal Reserve. The F.R. is a private bank and all the income tax collected every year only goes to pay the interest we now have to pay on our own money.

Why would we do that? Why let a bunch of bankers steal our wealth and control our purchasing power, interest rates, and the rate of inflation?

We are a sovereign nation with the right to print our own money. But instead the Federal Reserve charges us interest on our own wealth. No other powerful nation has private banks running its economy. Just America. :rolleyes:

[MacNut]

But surprisingly enough what no one talks about is how the richest most powerful nation ever to inhabit this world gave up its freedom of financial independence to a bunch of bankers when they created the Federal Reserve. The F.R. is a private bank and all the income tax collected every year only goes to pay the interest we now have to pay on our own money.

Why would we do that? Why let a bunch of bankers steal our wealth and control our purchasing power, interest rates, and the rate of inflation?

We are a sovereign nation with the right to print our own money. But instead the Federal Reserve charges us interest on out own wealth. No other powerful nation has private banks running its economy. Just America. :rolleyes:Does The Great Depression ring a bell.:rolleyes:

Ask my grandparents about how much money they had. Or anyone had for that matter. That generation saw what poor was. Why do you think they wanted better for their kids.

[killr_b]

Does The Great Depression ring a bell.:rolleyes:

Ask my grandparents about how much money they had. Or anyone had for that matter. That generation saw what poor was. Why do you think they wanted better for their kids.

Are you full of propaganda or just- you know what, no.

Do some research and read between the lines.

[MacNut]

Are you full of propaganda or just- you know what, no.

Do some research and read between the lines.So your saying this country always had money? Do you want to see another stock market drop.

[killr_b]

So your saying this country always had money? Do you want to see another stock market drop.

You don't even know what you're talking about.

The Federal Reserve is a sham on the American people.

But you would rather live in your propaganda fed world…

[MacNut]

Ok so lets get rid of the federal reserve, You do know that interest rates are how people make money right. It helps to make the stock market run.

[killr_b]

Ok so lets get rid of the federal reserve, You do know that interest rates are how people make money right. It helps to make the stock market run.

England uses the gold standard and their economy seems just fine…

The stock market crashed due to "over expansion and poor speculation…"

[MacNut]

Back on topic... the main reason for Americans ignorance is that the teachings in school have gone from political to more of a we have to be the best in math and science to keep up with the rest of the world. When that happens we forget about current events.

[killr_b]

Back on topic... the main reason for Americans ignorance is that the teachings in school have gone from political to more of a we have to be the best in math and science to keep up with the rest of the world. When that happens we forget about current events.

HAHAHAHAHA

The reason for Americans ignorance is that they believe every thing they read. No, wait- they don't read. It's because they believe everything they see on T.V.

[MacNut]

England uses the gold standard and their economy seems just fine…

The stock market crashed due to "over expansion and poor speculation…"The stock market crashed because there was no money in it. When people saw the market fall they all took there money out that didn't exist. The banks had no money to pay the customers and the economy just collapsed in on itself.

[MacNut]

HAHAHAHAHA

The reason for Americans ignorance is that they believe every thing they read. No, wait- they don't read. It's because they believe everything they see on T.V.Just blame the media as a whole as it is all owned by the same people.

You have a freedom of the press, the problem is that the press is owned by a few groups. Then they have to go after the story that brings in ratings so you are not getting a true view of anything.

[killr_b]

The stock market crashed because there was no money in it. When people saw the market fall they all took there money out that didn't exist. The banks had no money to pay the customers and the economy just collapsed in on itself.

I will forgive your public education. I don't want to upset you. I only want to help you. I didn't know any of this until my Uncle brought to my attention the fact that since I had never researched any of it myself I couldn't say I knew anything about it. Well, now I do. Trust me brother.

[killr_b]

Just blame the media as a whole as it is all owned by the same people.

They are. This is why they are attacking bloggers and the independent media (http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/january2007/180107bloggers.htm) recently. Because folks are starting to notice the indescrepencies and looking for the truth from somewhere else.

[Peace]

Being American I feel so ashamed that people here are so damn ignorant and brainwashed.But there are citizens here that aren't that stupid.

Everybody knows Australia is part of the axes of evil. :p

[killr_b]

The stock market crashed because there was no money in it. When people saw the market fall they all took there money out that didn't exist. The banks had no money to pay the customers and the economy just collapsed in on itself.

You actually proved my point.

The reason their money didn't exist is because of the Federal Reserve System. If it was based on precious metals it would have existed… in gold or silver.

Oh, and don't forget the part where the banks kept all of their customers money and whatever they had in the safe-deposit boxes. Which is theft.

But I'm wrong and the media is right and the Federal Reserve was created after the great depression. Not. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Reserve_Act) And here. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_depression)

Gee, sounds like the people commonly referred to as the "global elite" hijacked our wealth and then ran our country into the ground. Read more about the people involved and what they did all the way up to what their families have now and it will all make terrible sense.

The video proves that their tactics are working. If you don't know, you won't protest. People in the 70's started to know… and then they got angry.

Peace.

[MacNut]

My point was that you said the country always had money. The people in this country were not always as rich as they are today. I will give you the fact that the fed was around long before the great depression but it is the lack of oversight that caused the markets to crash. The general idea of the fed is a national bank so that there is always a stock pile of money. The FDIC was created to safeguard from another market crash.

[ejb190]

Talk about the media slanting a story! How many correct answers did they have to edit out in order to get 15 or 20 "stupid answers"? I bet I could create a similar video in ANY major city in the world.

[Xander562]

I cant believe that there are people who are actually that stupid. :eek: My god! Makes me embarrassed to be an American.

[Les Kern]

Wow, people are really stupid.


Yes, SOME people are. If I shoot enough footage I'm sure to get what I'm looking for... what I'm trying to prove. How many people REALLY don't know how many sides a triangle has? Come ON!
The same technique could be used to show that everyone in America is a genius.
This video means nothing.

[mkrishnan]

I bet I could create a similar video in ANY major city in the world.

Good point. Don't forget that Borat made his career (ahem, sub-career?) insulting the intelligence of the British before he made his way across the ocean. ;)

[RugoseCone]

I agree 110% that most people from the south are ignorant and- well, ignorant. (See Fark.com for "Florida" tag.)


Yep, people from southern California must be ignorant, considering about a third of this video was shot in Venice Beach.

[Hummer]

I remember another video of American kids being asked to name the first 5 presidents. And then the video had clips of kids from other nations being asked to name the first 5 presidents. Of course the kids from other nations knew and the kids here didn't. The world thinks of Americans as stupid people.

[zap2]

There are stupid people everywhere...not mention they edited out an kind of smart comment.


Still pretty sad that people who are humans are this stupid(since they have a chance to learn all this info is free on the internet, and I bet most of these people can use the internet as at time.)

[killr_b]

Yep, people from southern California must be ignorant, considering about a third of this video was shot in Venice Beach.

Care to back that up with some proof.

'Cause their accents fooled me…

[poopyhead]

looked like texas, pretty sure I saw the alamo in a couple of shots

[YS2003]

Well, this does not surprise me one bit. I want to point out there are some intelligent and well educated Americans. But, there are many who are the total opposite. If you visit other forums in foreign countries, there are so many mocking remarks on average Joe American's lack of knowledge outside his home. I visit many forums based in Europe and some of those forums are brutally to the point (i.e.. they lower the expectation when you talk with Americans about anything outside USA (or state or home). Also, my own experience in USA reinforces this take on this matter.

[andiwm2003]

Well, this does not surprise me one bit. I want to point out there are some intelligent and well educated Americans. But, there are many who are the total opposite. If you visit other forums in foreign countries, there are so many mocking remarks on average Joe American's lack of knowledge outside his home. I visit many forums based in Europe and some of those forums are brutally to the point (i.e.. they lower the expectation when you talk with Americans about anything outside USA (or state or home).

i mostly agree with you. it is sad.

there seems to be a minority of well educated smart americans who are responsible for the success of this country. great scientist, great business people, visionary engineers.

and then there is the majority who isn't stupid at all but simply does not care about anything. so they never watch news beyond hearing a sound byte here or there. then they end up being ignorant beyond belief but still think they are part of a great nation while they are in fact only along for the ride. these people annoy me because they are ignorant and arrogant yet they live off the success of the small minority of productive americans.

[eenu]

looked like texas, pretty sure I saw the alamo in a couple of shots

Not to mention a lot of shots have the White House in.....

[Compile 'em all]

"Queen Elizabeth money"

:eek: :D

[shecky]

remember the late 1990's?

the .com boom? billions of dollars flowing all over the place into what turned out were shortsighted, bad businesses? a whole new culture emerging from what had once been nothing or the realm of a very few hardcore geeks?

the USA is the .com startup of the world. we are only a few hundred years old in world of cultures that are thousands and thousands of years old. America right now is like walking into Razorfish or Pets.com in 1999. We are very America-centric, just like any big upstart was during the .com boom. We care mostly about us, and anything else is just less important. We are extreme in many ways, culturally, financially, globally.

America in 1000 years will be a much calmer, much smarter place i think. Assume we do not go thru a post .com bubble bursting.

[killr_b]

^Or a nuclear war. :D

[poopyhead]

America in 1000 years will be a much calmer, much smarter place i think. Assume we do not go thru a post .com bubble bursting.

from what I understand (predicted by Zager and Evans) in the year 3535 if man is still alive and woman can survive that you wont need to tell the truth or lies becasue everything you think do or say will be in the pill you took that day

apparently american ingenuity will find a solution to american ignorance

[MacNut]

You could also make the argument that some of the best inventions came from the United States over the past 200 years. Without those people where could the world be today. Everyone is quick to judge the US but they are more then happy to use our technology without any problem.:rolleyes:

[eenu]

some of the best inventions came from the United States over the past 200 years.

Such as?

Spose we could argue that without our inventions the world would be a crap place but we don't!

Interested to know what you think has been the best inventions though.....better make this VERY good.

[adrianblaine]

Such as?

Spose we could argue that without our inventions the world would be a crap place but we don't!

Interested to know what you think has been the best inventions though.....better make this VERY good.

Wikipedia's List of American Inventions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_american_inventions)

Some of the more important ones:

1752 Lightning Rod
1807 Steamboat
1814 Iron Plough
1830 Electro-magnetic Motor
1843 Vulcanized Rubber
1857 Passenger Elevator
1873 Typewriter
1877 Phonograph
1879 Incandescent Light Bulb
1893 Zipper
1902 Air Conditioning
1908 Assembly Line
1932 Defibrillator
1939 Digital Computer
1957 Polio Vaccine
1960 Laser
1970 Optical Fiber
1974 Barcode
1976 Supercomputer
1982 Artificial Heart
1988 Graphic User Interface

I'd say some of these are pretty important...

[eenu]

UKs Inventions (Just Some of):

Light Bulb - Joseph Wilson Swan

Radar: Robert Watson-Watt (1892-1973)

The television: John Logie Baird (1888-1946)

The telephone: Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922)

The MRI body scanner: John Mallard in 1980

The ultrasound scanner: Ian Donald (1910-1987)

The Law of Gravity - Sir Issac Newton

Infrared radiation - discovery commonly attributed to William Herschel.

DNA fingerprinting - Sir Alec Jeffreys

Vaccination - Edward Jenner

Electrical generator (dynamo) - Michael Faraday

Caterpillar track - Sir George Cayley

Jet engine - Sir Frank Whittle

First correct description of circulation of the blood - William Harvey

Smallpox vaccine - Edward Jenner

Antisepsis in surgery - Joseph Lister

Artificial intraocular lens transplant surgery for cataract patients - Harold Ridley

Colour blindness first described by John Dalton in Extraordinary facts relating to the vision of colours

Fire extinguisher - George William Manby

Lawn mower - Edwin Beard Budding

Rubber band - Stephen Perry

And more here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_inventions_and_discoveries

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_inventions_and_discoveries

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_inventions_and_discoveries

So seems like we invented the things that make america what it is!

Now my point of this post isn't a willy waiving contest but the comment:

'You could also make the argument that some of the best inventions came from the United States over the past 200 years. Without those people where could the world be today. Everyone is quick to judge the US but they are more then happy to use our technology without any problem.'

Is one that I and most of the world outside America would view as the typical American egotistical we are the best BS. Making sweeping statements without thinking outside your own country. That post got so far up my nose you wont even believe. If someone had said that to me in a bar i don't think they would be standing.....

[poopyhead]

UKs Inventions (Just Some of):

Light Bulb - Joseph Wilson Swan

Radar: Robert Watson-Watt (1892-1973)

The television: John Logie Baird (1888-1946)

The telephone: Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922)

The MRI body scanner: John Mallard in 1980

The ultrasound scanner: Ian Donald (1910-1987)

The Law of Gravity - Sir Issac Newton

Infrared radiation - discovery commonly attributed to William Herschel.

DNA fingerprinting - Sir Alec Jeffreys

Vaccination - Edward Jenner

Electrical generator (dynamo) - Michael Faraday

Caterpillar track - Sir George Cayley

Jet engine - Sir Frank Whittle

First correct description of circulation of the blood - William Harvey

Smallpox vaccine - Edward Jenner

Antisepsis in surgery - Joseph Lister

Artificial intraocular lens transplant surgery for cataract patients - Harold Ridley

Colour blindness first described by John Dalton in Extraordinary facts relating to the vision of colours

Fire extinguisher - George William Manby

Lawn mower - Edwin Beard Budding

Rubber band - Stephen Perry

And more here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_inventions_and_discoveries

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_inventions_and_discoveries

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_inventions_and_discoveries

So seems like we invented the things that make america what it is!

Now my point of this post isn't a willy waiving contest but the comment:

'You could also make the argument that some of the best inventions came from the United States over the past 200 years. Without those people where could the world be today. Everyone is quick to judge the US but they are more then happy to use our technology without any problem.'

Is one that I and most of the world outside America would view as the typical American egotistical we are the best BS. Making sweeping statements without thinking outside your own country. That post got so far up my nose you wont even believe. If someone had said that to me in a bar i don't think they would be standing.....

and of cours your best invention yet

USA

[eenu]

and of cours your best invention yet

USA

HAHA well we'd all like to think so but given some peoples attitudes i dont know :rolleyes:

At least know plenty of nice Americans

[adrianblaine]

Making sweeping statements without thinking outside your own country. That post got so far up my nose you wont even believe. If someone had said that to me in a bar i don't think they would be standing.....

I was only listing things because someone mentioned it. But of course inventions have been happening all over the world throughout history. Sure, the US has only bee around for around 250 years and contributed a lot. But guess what? During the early years those people were from Europe and descended from European people not that many years before. Every caucasian in America has descended from Europeans. Have we all forgotten that?

I really believe American ignorance is such a big deal because we are only 5% of the World's population but we consume way more than our fair share and bully others into doing what is in our "best" interest.

[RugoseCone]

Care to back that up with some proof.

'Cause their accents fooled me…

First of all I was in Sydney and watched when the episode of this Australian show was first aired and they said they were in California. Secondly I've been to Venice Beach several times, so I'm quite familiar with it and that is Venice Beach. Finally, none of the people in the segment I'm referring to had "accents", especially one that would be equated with "The South".

Accept the fact that there are morons all over the USA and not just the south. Unless of course your 110% comment includes people like Martin Luther King Jr., William Faulkner, Truman Capote, Harry Truman, Ray Charles, Lyndon Johnson, Mark Twain, Harper Lee, Margaret Mitchell, James Brown, Ken Lewis, Ken Thompson, etc.

EDIT: At the 3:35, 3:58, and 6:32 marks in the video; the red and white stripes of Sidewalk Bar and Cafe/Small World Books awning can be seen. I shot a photograph on the Venice Beach Boardwalk in December of 2002 while in LA for DV Expo. You can see it on the right side of the photo. Also check out their website. http://www.thesidewalkcafe.com/index.php?page=6

There's your "proof".

[Counterfit]

First of all I was in Sydney and watched when the episode of this Australian show was first aired and they said they were in California. Secondly I've been to Venice Beach several times, so I'm quite familiar with it and that is Venice Beach. Finally, none of the people in the segment I'm referring to had "accents", especially one that would be equated with "The South".
First of all, you need to listen better, as nearly half of the people in the first minute have a southern/Texas accent. And did you not see all the Dallas Cowboys stuff (the trailer outside what appears to be ticket windows, the guy with the hat)?

I will forgive your public education. I don't want to upset you. I only want to help you. I didn't know any of this until my Uncle brought to my attention the fact that since I had never researched any of it myself I couldn't say I knew anything about it. Well, now I do. Trust me brother.

So your only source on this is your Uncle? :rolleyes:



I'd like to know a) how much editing this went through, 2) where they were (Texas was obvious, right near the Cowboys stadium, as was Times Square, the White House, and the theater where way too many movie premieres are held.) III) Whether any of the people shown got them all wrong (hard to believe). I'm sure any of my friends at school, including my cousin ("The sky is blue because it's a reflection of the water." Yes, he really said that) could get at least one of those right. Seriously, a country that begins with "U"?
I like to watch Cash Cab on the Discovery Channel, and the people on there are much more intelligent (even if they are pre-screened a bit) than anyone in that video.

[RugoseCone]

First of all, you need to listen better, as nearly half of the people in the first minute have a southern/Texas accent. And did you not see all the Dallas Cowboys stuff (the trailer outside what appears to be ticket windows, the guy with the hat)?

And you need to watch the whole clip. Several moments are spent on a boardwalk surrounded by palm trees with people roller-blading in the background and vendors. Not to mention outside of the White House and what appears to be Times Square.

Also if you read my post, I pretty clearly state "IN THE SEGMENT I'M REFERRING TO."