The World according to Americans

[Katrina]

American viewpoint on the world

 

[Andy Nguyen]

I'm American and I do not have this viewpoint.

 

[Daniel Duffy]

yeah, it's pretty tasteless.

 

[Anthony DeAngelis]

While silly and a generalization, Americans tend to be pretty inward. When you have a country the size of a continent, it happens.

 

[koupparis]

Did an American create this? Where's Africa? :D

 

[Daniel Duffy]

While silly and a generalization, Americans tend to be pretty inward. When you have a country the size of a continent, it happens.

Do people do joggerefry at high school?

 

[sjain]

Hilarious bit. The funniest part was "Uninhabited"..

 

[Anthony DeAngelis]

Do people do joggerefry at high school?

Can Europeans or people from other countries identify all the US states? You quickly forget the location of Turkmenistan if you don't travel to the region frequently.

 

[joel_b]

This map is better

In Canada's defense Arcade Fire is good and they're all bears.

 

[bigbadwolf]

Can Europeans or people from other countries identify all the US states? You quickly forget the location of Turkmenistan if you don't travel to the region frequently.

Okay, I will try to name them roughly from west to east (and no cheating): Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Arizona, Montana, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Delaware, Rhode Island, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, -- still missing two. Let's see -- no cheating -- New Mexico. I guess I'm missing some small state in New England.

It does help that I've been to 32 of the 50 states over the years.

Postscript: Forgot Wyoming despite having passed through the state more than once.

 

[Abdel]

This map is better

In Canada's defense Arcade Fire is good and they're all bears.

The funny/scary part is what will this map look like in 5-10-15 years from now. lol

 

[ExSan]

I'm American and I do not have this viewpoint.

I am American too ....

 

[Katrina]

American viewpoint on the world

View attachment 2561

let me put it this way. Its Sarah Palin and all her follower's viewpoint. I forgot, NYC is a blue state

 

[Anthony DeAngelis]

American's get this negative rap, but I wonder if you asked rural Indians of Chinese the same question if they could answer any better.

Also, while globally ignorant, that map pretty much is how the average American interacts with the rest of the world. Call centers in India, Vodka from Russia, electronics from Japan, wine from France and Italy.

Just like I think potatoes when people say Idaho and Hollywood when people say California. We associate with goods or services a country is known for.

 

[bigbadwolf]

American's get this negative rap, but I wonder if you asked rural Indians of Chinese the same question if they could answer any better.

Also, while globally ignorant, that map pretty much is how the average American interacts with the rest of the world. Call centers in India, Vodka from Russia, electronics from Japan, wine from France and Italy.

Just like I think potatoes when people say Idaho and Hollywood when people say California. We associate with goods or services a country is known for.

I agree. There's also this foolish idea floating around that since the US government and military are involved all over the world, ordinary Americans will have a better idea of the rest of the world than other people. It's a daft notion. An ordinary American has probably not even heard of Kyrgistan, whose government closed an American base about a year back. Nor has he probably heard of countries like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, where both the US government and energy multinationals are heavily involved.

 

[Barny]

Can Europeans or people from other countries identify all the US states? You quickly forget the location of Turkmenistan if you don't travel to the region frequently.

Can most americans identify all of the states in the US?

 

[Anthony DeAngelis]

Most people don't care either. Nasty side effect of an all volunteer military.

I enjoy geography so I am versed in it. Not too many people focus on it past grade school. Also, it is like $100 bucks to fly from Italy to all over. I am going to India and it is costing me $1300 bucks. I don't think people in other countries really understand how huge the USA is until they come here.

http://goeurope.about.com/od/europeanmaps/l/bl-country-size-comparison-map.htm

 

[Anthony DeAngelis]

Can most americans identify all of the states in the US?

Haha, doubtful.

 

[Ohad]

Funny, I just had a conversation about this subject with my sister (she's originally from Israel, now living in Germany and is an international saleswoman that flies all over the world).
From my and acquaintances experience this is true to the low-average part of the population in every country.

Take this forum for example, as we know a huge portion of MFE are from Asia, yet does anyone think that out of the majority of the 2+ billion Indians and Chinese that are living in gigantic countries and have plenty of self concentrated subjects to deal with, they'll answer a general knowledge better? I doubt it.

On the other hand, I'm sure that anyone of this forum participants which are mostly highly educated,motivated and knowledge hungry people will probably devour most general knowledge question and if they can't they'll look it up.

 

[bigbadwolf]

The responses of "the bottom" do not differ. The percentile of "the bottom" does. I'd be willing to bet that the 50th percentile Russian has a better sense of geography than the 50th percentile American (but that wouldn't be fair - Russians are obsessed with going to different countries). I'd be willing to bet the 50th percentile Indian is worse at geography than the 50th percentile American.

This issue of percentiles is pertinent. The movers and shakers of any country are usually concentrated among the top one or two percentiles. It's important they have some idea of the world they inhabit. Who gives a rat's ass what the other 98% think or know?