Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
This all quite surprises me but explains why Americans seem to know even less about Australia. Europeans in general seem to know far more about the world outside their own countries. That was something we found as far back as 1977, when as very young travellers we spent ten weeks in Canada and the US after having been in Europe for several months.
A general rule I have observed is that in the developed world, on average, people in large populous countries know less about other countries than people in smaller or less populated countries. That is certainly my (limited) experience with the US, Russia and China, where news, public affairs and political issues are centered on domestic interests.
That said, I always felt too much of my education in history and geography was too centered on Canada (and Quebec) and was insufficient for me to understand today’s global issues. But then again I love history and geography so I am biased; many of my former schoolmates were bored to death with whatever little world history we had.
This is true. I know a lot of people in the USA who have no clue where certain places are in their own country and in the world, but my usually-smart Canadian S.O. is pretty clueless about where states are located. I live in NJ and he had Massachusetts and Connecticut somewhere south of me. Of course, we grow up playing with the wooden puzzle of the United States and you guys probably didn't.
On the other hand, we don't learn about the Canadian provinces. Most of us on the east coast know about Nova Scotia because that's a popular vacation spot that's driveable, and most people in my area at least know where Toronto and Montreal are. I'm not sure everyone I know could tell me that the capital of Canada is Ottawa, though.
I played with a wooden puzzle of the U.S. as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by saibot
We did. We had to memorize the provinces and their capitals and be able to label them on a map. I think this was 5th grade, in California. But that's about all we learned about Canada, that I can recall.
By the time I was eight even I could place the Canadian provinces despite my poor intellectual and geographic knowledge.
Quote:
Originally Posted by netwit
I'm just amazed that anyone can remember what they learned in grade 5 or whatever. I find it hard to separate what I learned in school from what I learned on my own through reading.
I generally remember what I learned in various grades, particularly in social studies. Let's see:
In nursery school I learned to tie my shoelaces;
Kindergarten (1962-3) was a shirt show;
In first grade (1963-4) I learned to read. I refused to learn earlier.
Second grade (1964-5),when we moved out of NYC to the suburbs, was generally a shirt show. The less said the better, except I remember not being allowed to read ahead of the class;
Third grade (1965-6) was better. The teacher is now a New York State Assembly Member. I still don't remember what was "taught";
Fourth grades (1966-7) was the first grade in which we were "departmentalized" or had three teachers. I had my first male teacher other than phys ed for Math-Science. In social studies I learned a lot about the Eskimos n/k/a Inuits (learning a bit about Canada as well), about Marajo Island in Brazil (and myself and a neighbor cut a National Geographic magazine to pieces working on a project), and about the culture of the "Nacirema" people (eventually being told it was "American" spelled backwards). I also remember lots of snow, lots of late starts for school, though only two snow days;
Fifth Grade (1967-8) science was an experimental concept, and frankly an abortion. Social Studies featured a lot about Tierra del Fuego, and the nurse gave a powerful antismoking program. I have not smoked to this day. I also fell through the ice in that grade, on December 2, 1967. I reconstructed, though didn't remember that date; and
Tenth Grade, April 1973, took my first trip to Canada, that being Toronto, on a band trip where I dealt with actual Canadians, both at the billeting house and the aforementioned Yonge Street bookstore. I had been to Quintes Island in August 1972 but hung out with my camp group, experiencing Canadian beauty but not people.
This all quite surprises me but explains why Americans seem to know even less about Australia. Europeans in general seem to know far more about the world outside their own countries. That was something we found as far back as 1977, when as very young travellers we spent ten weeks in Canada and the US after having been in Europe for several months.
European countries are very interconnected. They’ve gone through so much history together, that the level of cross pollination between them is fairly extensive. By comparison, someone living in Kansas or Nebraska is quite isolated from the rest of the world.
A general rule I have observed is that in the developed world, on average, people in large populous countries know less about other countries than people in smaller or less populated countries. That is certainly my (limited) experience with the US, Russia and China, where news, public affairs and political issues are centered on domestic interests.
That said, I always felt too much of my education in history and geography was too centered on Canada (and Quebec) and was insufficient for me to understand today’s global issues. But then again I love history and geography so I am biased; many of my former schoolmates were bored to death with whatever little world history we had.
What I told Marissa regarding the US, largely applies to Australia and Canada as well, especially vis-a-vis the world at large. They are more knowledgeable about the US, then the Americans are about their respective countries because they get inundated with American products whereas the opposite doesn’t happen.
European countries are very interconnected. They’ve gone through so much history together, that the level of cross pollination between them is fairly extensive. By comparison, someone living in Kansas or Nebraska is quite isolated from the rest of the world.
Yes, true, but we found Europeans knew a lot about Australia. They all seemed to have a cousin in Melbourne.
Canada is not less significant. It's in the G7, NATO, UN, Commonwealth of Nations,and member of the Five Eyes and has it's own space program working in tandem with NASA missions, among other things.
I travelled in USA in a camper for nearly 2 years on the road on the west coast and mid-west.
i have visited the east coast and the South a couple of times. My relatives live in those areas.
How did you get here? Dog sled? I told people I was from Alberta, Canada and was asked "What state is that?" "Do you really live in igloos?" One person wanted to know if we drink cow's milk.
Another asked me if I knew their friend Bob, "he lives up there". "Why would anyone want to go to Canada when they live in the greatest country in the world."
What does bother me is America still thinks they win all the wars. Allies were already engaged for 2 years in WW2 before America entered it.
You realize that map has a huge error on it, right?
Who was the audience for Molson’s “I Am Canadian” commercials - Americans or Canadians?
Canadians
ETA: sort of equivalent to "I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar."
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
