In the English speaking world outside America (yes, there is a world outside America) there has been a lot made of the fact that many Americans just do not know many basic things about American history.
Now while the same is true of Britain and probably Canada and Australia too none of those three nations make such a big deal of chest banging, flag waving patriotism as the U.S.A. does.
So when one of my blog colleagues at blog.co.uk pointed up this online quiz that asks Americans "are you a dumb American?" several of us took part not expecting much. But we all scored well.
So are the questions ridiculously easy or are Americans really as dumb as comedians like to suggest? TAKE THE QUIZ and lets find out.
I got eigth out of ten and this comment:
You know a lot about US history, and you're opinions are probably well informed.
Congratulations on bucking stereotypes. Now go show some foreigners how smart Americans can be.
So there is the challenge folks. Can an English smart - arse really know more about American history than a true American. Looking at comments on my earlier articles from people who try and fail to make a fool of me when I write controversially (you know who you are Joe C.) I would say in a lot of cases, yes.
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You Are a Smart American
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You know a lot about US history, and you're opinions are probably well informed.
Congratulations on bucking stereotypes. Now go show some foreigners how smart Americans can be.
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<div align="center">Are You a Dumb American?</div>
Knowing what I do of these internet quizzes I reckon everybody who gets a question right gets that comment, the page design is quite clunky.
I was surprised to score eight though I have to admit there were a couple of educated guesses in my answers.
Keith is correct about the beginning of the revolution. It continued in 1776 and the question was not about the "beginning" of the war, just the "year" of the war, and it did occur throughout that entire year.
It can be argued that the rewvolution started in 1774 because that is when Benjamin Franklyn gave up trying to gain representation for the colonies in Parliament and sought the support of the French for a breakaway.
I thout it was a tad easy peasy too, but it was set by Americans for Americans. Probably someone smarting at the global reaction that followed publication of a statistic showeing many young Americans can't find the USA on a world map. I forget what the figure was but as I said I'd guess the same percentage of young British people would fail that test.
Education is not what it was...
Yeah, well everyone here is a smart American, even the Englishman (but my Grandad Thorpe was born in Utica N.Y.) but I guess a lot of Gether members would not be able to find the post even if they clicked the right link........ :-)
Rabble Rouser me? As if.
"You know a lot about US history, and you're opinions are probably well informed.
Congratulations on bucking stereotypes. Now go show some foreigners how smart Americans can be."
How embarrassing. That alone shows how stupid Americans can be.
Sigh....it's no wonder the rest of the world thinks we're ignorant...many Americans really are, and even damn proud of it, too. They equate education and worldliness with some "elite" evil. I think it's getting worse with the rise in religious fundamentalism, not better.
Just as an example, a friend of my daughter's at MIT comes from Texas, Bible country. Her parents are thoroughly immersed in church life - go almost every day. When this girl was accepted at MIT to study engineering (very smart girl) her parents and all the people at her church told her that it was a waste of time, that she was just going to get married and have babies like any Christian girl should, and that she was taking up a place that a boy could have gotten. Talk about Victorian era thinking! This was just 4 years ago! It makes me shake my head in shame at how Americans are regressing in many ways.
The average American is an idiot, just like the average Brit, the average Aussie, the average "what-have-you-sir".
All average folk are just that - AVERAGE!
When educated foreigners (aka - they done went to school son and got them there a good learning *spoken in America's southern tongue*) ask average folk (aka - idiots, dolts, "insert you native language equivelent here") questions about anything!!! they are going to show their true colors and have stupid answers. This is true for questions about history, literature, current events, etc...
Try asking "learned" Americans questions - they will have the answers you are looking for!! (The same holds true if a "learned" American went to your country and asked a "learned" joe some questions!!) However, if you ask the average American (just like an average idiot from your country) a question- expect a stupid answer!
That's how the world works!!
"""You know a lot about US history, and you're opinions are probably well informed.
Congratulations on bucking stereotypes. Now go show some foreigners how smart Americans can be.""""
As much as I agree with that statement I was surprised at how basic those questions were. Most Americans know them all by the 6th grade.
""" No kidding. When I was in London I swear people spoke to me more slowly when they heard my accent."""
Thats because the common Brit has such a think accent and clucking speech they realise that they are hard to understand you dip-shit. Or maybe you look dumb....
Actually stastistics show most Amerricans do not know those answers by the time they are in 6th grade, but as I said, I suspect the same would result if similar questions were asked in Britain.
Your comment is more or less what I sad in my post. It was only meant in fun, one lesson many Americans do need to learn is how to laugh at yourselves.
Its the religion think that makes the world think America is a nation of oddballs and halfwits. And Evangelical preachers coming over here and telling us the error of our ways does not help. Joel someone - Osbach (?) was here a couple of weeks ago and he was made a laughing stock.
Good luck to your friend's daughter, I hope her MIT education launches her on a great life journey.
You're talking to a long standing Eddie Izzard fan. Yes we have that video and the flags routine is great. And as a couple of people seem to be trying to do the American Paranoia thing on me, I'm a fan of Bill Hicks and Dennis Leary too.
When Londoners speak to anyone with an accent they are actually being polite. They usually speak at 200 words per second and without moving their lips.
But don't be fooled, everrybody is polite when they are hoping you will spend money.