[prog2djent]

....

[TimHuak]

Yes I know where every US state is

[Meteorshower]

That's like asking where Andorra or Liechtenstein is

[IdeasForLife]

I wouldn't be able to name the states but why would I need to?

[prog2djent]

(Original post by Meteorshower)
That's like asking where Andorra or Liechtenstein is

What is?

[Meteorshower]

(Original post by prog2djent)
What is?

Asking to point out Wisconsin on a map

[prog2djent]

(Original post by IdeasForLife)
I wouldn't be able to name the states but why would I need to?

That's my point, Wisconsin is the size of country. British people often sneer at American for not knowing any european geography, names of places, or just having really general views, like the Only place in Britain is London, getting confused about Scotland, Wales and Ireland and what they are a part of etc etc

Yet most of us can't name a lot of US states, let alone any cities in then, or their location.

[prog2djent]

(Original post by Meteorshower)
Asking to point out Wisconsin on a map

Exactly, but Wisconsin is the size of a country, its actually bigger (or it appears so on google maps) than Belgium, Denmark, Holland, Austria, Scotland, Wales, Ireland .... which are pretty major european countries, if an American couldn't point to Denmark, Austria or Holland on a map, we would be like "ahaaa, typical stupid American".

[Bill_Gates]

you have alot of spare time eh.

[Pandabär]

(Original post by prog2djent)
That's my point, Wisconsin is the size of country. British people often sneer at American for not knowing any european geography, names of places, or just having really general views, like the Only place in Britain is London, getting confused about Scotland, Wales and Ireland and what they are a part of etc etc

Yet most of us can't name a lot of US states, let alone any cities in then, or their location.

Yes, I know where most states are. I've been to the USA once. A big difference you've overlooked is that countries in Europe, whilst smaller, are more culturally unique, and this is significant. They have different currency, language and food to their neighbour, so it's not unreasonable to expect Americans to think of, say, Malta and Greece, or Serbia and Finland as different places, and not just 'Europe'.

Many states are, by and large, very similar. They have the same president, drive on the same side of the road, have similar food, wear similiar clothes, speak the same language, study the same subjects at school, shop at the same shops...

[prog2djent]

(Original post by Pandabär)
Yes, I know where most states are. I've been to the USA once. A big difference you've overlooked is that countries in Europe, whilst smaller, are more culturally unique, and this is significant. They have different currency, language and food to their neighbour, so it's not unreasonable to expect Americans to think of, say, Malta and Greece, or Serbia and Finland as different places, and not just 'Europe'.

Many states are, by and large, very similar. They have the same president, drive on the same side of the road, have similar food, wear similiar clothes, speak the same language, study the same subjects at school, shop at the same shops...

I think that is a generalisation, I think the people of the state would be offended if you say there is no real cultural difference between say, Montana and Missouri, California to Oregan.

[prog2djent]

(Original post by Bill_Gates)
you have alot of spare time eh.

I'm avoiding flood water in my house.

[Bill_Gates]

(Original post by prog2djent)
I'm avoiding flood water in my house.

I understand.

[Meteorshower]

(Original post by prog2djent)
I think that is a generalisation, I think the people of the state would be offended if you say there is no real cultural difference between say, Montana and Missouri, California to Oregan.

But compared to the culture difference between pretty much any bordering European countries the difference is negligible.

Size isn't everything. Russia is frickin' huge, but few people know much about the individual provinces.

[Eloquai]

(Original post by prog2djent)
That's my point, Wisconsin is the size of country. British people often sneer at American for not knowing any european geography, names of places, or just having really general views, like the Only place in Britain is London, getting confused about Scotland, Wales and Ireland and what they are a part of etc etc

Yet most of us can't name a lot of US states, let alone any cities in then, or their location.

I think I understand the point you are getting at regarding foreign ignorance and slight double standards, but I think there's another layer to this which needs to be quantified first. Outside knowledge of foreign geography/local customs will generally be poorer compared to people who are actually from that region - I wouldn't expect everyone around the world to have a perfect understanding of British geography, and vice versa.

However when commenting or weighing in on debates when you are an outsider to the topic in question, then you should ideally have done your homework beforehand. To take one example, I don't mind Americans not knowing the intricacies of our healthcare system, but if an American were to comment in a public forum on the NHS in a misinformed way, then they have opened themselves up to criticism.

[Pandabär]

(Original post by prog2djent)
I think that is a generalisation, I think the people of the state would be offended if you say there is no real cultural difference between say, Montana and Missouri, California to Oregan.

Read my post again, that's not what I said. In other news, I think the people of Finland and Serbia would have more right to be offended if Americans didn't think there was any real cultural difference between them. Mainly because...you know...they're different countries and all.

[prog2djent]

(Original post by Eloquai)
but if an American were to comment in a public forum on the NHS in a misinformed way, then they have opened themselves up to criticism.

All they understand is that our system is "socialised" (nationalised for us) and that it is free to use, in the same we that we think the US system is just "privatised". I think they understand our healthcare is good generally, but they don't like the fact people are potentially forced to pay for other people's personal choices, which falls into the whole "freedom" superiority thing they have. In the same way, we generally think that their healthcare is only good for that can afford it, regardless of the innovations they make, if you can't afford it straight up, or insurance, then you are turned away. Both assumptions are both false.

[Eloquai]

(Original post by prog2djent)
All they understand is that our system is "socialised" (nationalised for us) and that it is free to use, in the same we that we think the US system is just "privatised". I think they understand our healthcare is good generally, but they don't like the fact people are potentially forced to pay for other people's personal choices, which falls into the whole "freedom" superiority thing they have. In the same way, we generally think that their healthcare is only good for that can afford it, regardless of the innovations they make, if you can't afford it straight up, or insurance, then you are turned away. Both assumptions are both false.

I agree - healthcare is one of those debates where there's a unfortunately a lot of misunderstanding from all sides. The problems and limitations of local knowledge arise when we make assumptions and judgements regarding technical facts on foreign events and debates. There's nothing wrong when arguing or challenging the philosophy behind healthcare (or most other things in the world) and approaching it from different perspectives, but it is jarring when people leap into debates using information which is derived largely from assumptions and half-truths (the less said about people like Palin and Santorum commenting on the NHS, the better!).

But regarding the wider point about foreign 'ignorance', I'd say that it's only a problem if you walk into a debate without having all the relevant knowledge at your fingertips. There's a big difference between simply not knowing something and being ignorant of something. If a British person hadn't studied America and its geography, then it's not really a problem if they can't point to Wisconsin. If they had studied it, and still failed to point to Wisconsin on a map, then that's slightly dubious. And if a British person were to then discuss the recent tragic events in Wisconsin using totally incorrect geographical/cultural information, then that is a major display of ignorance. I guess that same template could be used regarding pretty much any country or event in the world.

[wenger16]

Who says americans don't know anything outside their own country?

It is true though that americans and a lot of the world can't tell the difference between sikhs and muslims. This is evident because of misindentity attacs on sikhs after 9/11 and has been highlighted once again now.

Don't know who talking about geography?