This is more evident to me because I was born in a small country in the north Atlantic, called the Faroe Islands. When I tell people that, they usually don't know where that is. That's not a big deal, and it's not that surprising to me. But what is surprising is that when I tell people that it's part of Denmark, they have no clue what that is. I have to explain where in Europe Denmark is. I know most people over there know way more about the U.S., and perhaps even Missouri, than people here know about Denmark.
Even worse than Americans not knowing about other cultures or countries than our own, is our lack of knowledge of our own country. If you've ever watched YouTube videos of people being questioned on the street about who our Vice President is, or other questions of that nature, you know what I'm talking about. People only ever seem to know who our president, but have no clue who the Speaker of the House is, or other fairly important political things.
Another things Americans don't often know well is our own language. My dad knows half a dozen languages, with English being his third language. And he still speaks and writes better than the vast majority of Americans. I think he's a large part of the reason my siblings and I know the English language well. Of course, part of that means that he loves puns, which drives several of us crazy. He says it probably is because he hears nuances in our language that a lot of us don't hear, having grown up with English.
I wish kids in our school system were taught to appreciate other cultures more. I know foreign languages are often offered in school, but that still doesn't seem to have changes the general lack of knowledge that kids have about the world outside of our country.
In a way, it does make some sense that we in the U.S. would being a bit more selfish about knowing less about other countries, as movies and TV shows are often in English. So people from other countries naturally know our culture better than we'd know theirs, because, apart from England or Australia or a few other countries, most entertainment seems to come out of the U.S.
Anyway, it's still astonishing how little most Americans know. I've always been fascinated by Geography and History, so perhaps my viewpoint is a bit skewed because of that. Naturally, people think others should be more knowledgeable about what their favorite subjects are.
When my dad's mom, brother, and his family came over from the Faroe Islands last year, the kids knew almost everything about our culture. My family is a bit conservative, so in a lot of ways, they knew more about our pop culture than my siblings did.
Yesterday, my dad was trying to tell my younger sister about the electoral process in Denmark, and she asked how they vote for the president over there...
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Kristian,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your freewrite post. As an American I'll be the first to admit that I know way too little about other countries. My husband is from Morocco and when I first met him in 2009, I was like,"Where in the world is that?!" Little did I know that Morocco is at the very northern tip of Africa. My husband is able to speak a handful of languages and I am only able to speak one. I too wish that kids in our school system were taught to appreciate other cultures more and that it would be required to take a foreign language. Meeting my husband and traveling outside of the United States opened my mind and heart to a whole new world. I've never heard of the Faroe Islands, but I do know where Denmark is :) I really enjoyed reading your story. Thanks for sharing.
Kristen,
ReplyDeleteI like how you brought this topic up. I too think it is amazing how little Americans know about their own political structure. As well as, more than just the English language and other foreign cultural knowledge. I wish that in our school systems we would be taught to learn three different languages and more intense global knowledge. If anyone ever gets the chance to travel abroad it is common to find most people know more than two languages and more about how American history than we do. Maybe this will change with the globalization.
P.S: Today I was hanging out with a friend and brought up how I wanted to volunteer somewhere in Latin America, and she goes "where is Latin America?"........ I couldn't believe it and we both laughed for a minute once I explained. Goes to show you, people need to study more than they think, or something of the sort.
Very well put. American ignorance is something that I have a hard time understanding and I was born and raised in this country. Although I don't claim to know everything about everyone else's cultures, I still strive to gain knowledge when I can. As a cook I am very interested in the food culture of other nations. Watching Anthony Bourdain travel the world and feast on local delicacies with his accepting hosts has taught me a great deal about other cultures. Also, being a former debater and political science major, with a focus in Middle East relations, has lead me to researching many events in world history. It amazes me also what people in this country don't know. Even my own mother astounded me with her lack of knowledge of the CIA lead overthrow of the Iranian government. An event that happened in her life time. I only wish that people could put their selfishness aside and learn to explore the cultures of their world and give up the mentality that "America is the greatest country in the world" and everyone else doesn't matter.
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