26% of U.S. don't know who we declared independence from: Marist poll

[SoSpectacular]

I'm a Facebook user but you don't see me updating my status every five minutes. Twitter on the other hand is JUST LIKE Facebook except it leaves out everything but pictures and status updates, which is pretty retarded in my opinion. Now, I already know how stupid people can be from Jay Leno's "Jaywalking"segments and it really, really makes me shake my head. Hell, my mom herself is an immigrant and she knows more than these idiots! My dad earned his citizenship years ago!

[St Louis Car 09]

My sister says that at her middle school, there are people who think that Harriet Tubman "invented the subway" because they have been told she orchestrated the "Underground Railroad".

LOL that like saying she was the first chairman of Amtrak.In fact dont amtrak follow some of her routes from years ago.

[553 Bridgeton]

51% of americans don't know the sun is a star.

 

- A

 

Now, you hit the jackpot on this one!

 

Some still dont know pluto is no longer a planet.

[Nova RTS 9147]

How about an education that teaches kids to learn and not to pass a test (because it's one thing to temporarily know who the US declared it's independence from, but its another thing to know why we declared independence and why that's important to know)?

 

How about a political system that doesn't look down upon intelligence, and allows for a diversity of ideas to solve problems?

 

How about a greater emphasis on civics and the importance of knowing what's going on in the world (that doesn't pertain to Prince Harry, Paris Hilton or whatever insignificant celebrity figure that's out there)?

[GojiMet86]

From my experience, teachers are not the problem. Sure, there are a few bad apples here and there, but teachers are not the problem. It's the children that are the problem. They are the ones that decide whether to learn or not. The teacher may teach them all that he/she can, but it's up to the child to interpret it and learn it.

 

Nova, you're correct about people learning things just as fact; that is, they know what happened, but they don't now why.

 

For example, most people would respond like this:

Who attacked Pearl Harbor?

Japan

 

Why did they attack it?

Errr... cause the U.S. dropped a nuclear bomb on it?

 

The real reason(s) are:

1) The United States had cut off oil supplies that Japan needed. Because Japan is does not have natural resources, the Japanese invaded almost all of Asia, including China.

2) If the United States was blocking off its supplies, Japan needed to break that block.

3) The United States already knew of a plan of an attack. Many believed the Japanese were too dumb to attack, and so the U.S. did not bother in going any further.

[INDman]

Now, you hit the jackpot on this one!

 

Some still dont know pluto is no longer a planet.

 

The Pluto thing is still being debated.

[Roadcruiser1]

1 in 5 US citizens think the Sun revolves around the Earth

 

Check out these facts:

Seventeen percent of Americans believe the earth revolves around the sun ONCE A DAY

 

64 per cent of people questioned for a recent poll said they were open to the idea of teaching creationism in addition to evolution in schools

 

38 per cent favored replacing evolution with creationism.

 

80 per cent of Americans surveyed by the CNN TV news network believe that their government is hiding evidence of the existence of space aliens.

 

70 per cent believe it likely that Saddam Hussein was involved personally in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

 

40 per cent of Americans believe in the “endtimes”, according to a survey carried out in 2002. Of those believers, almost half thought this would occur in their lifetime with a return of Jesus from heaven.

 

The United States is 49th in the world in literacy (the New York Times, Dec. 12, 2004).

 

The United States ranked 28th out of 40 countries in mathematical literacy

 

Link:http://www.literacynews.com/2010/03/1-in-5-adult-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth-how-is-that-possible/

 

YOU ((L)I(E) (H)O(W) (T)UPI(D) ®I©?

 

More then that the national average IQ score of Americans at 98 is below 22 countries (including Switzerland, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, North Korea and China). The low Intelligence Quotient (IQ) score of United States puts the Americans at a lower intelligence level on an average as compared to the other industralised nations.

 

http://www.abytheliberal.com/internationalism/are-americans-stupid-statistics-and-research-data

 

Trust me though if you are smart this video will make you laugh at the dumb Americans

 

[Grand Concourse]

Now, you hit the jackpot on this one!

 

Some still dont know pluto is no longer a planet.

 

That is sad. What's more sad is ppl bitching about Pluto losing it's planet status and being downgraded to a dwarf planet. Who cares? Are they going to space to visit Pluto?

 

51% of americans don't know the sun is a star.

 

- A

 

And that the moon is a satellite, yet the word 'moon' is applied to everything else like it is interchangable.

And the 'plane' segment of the space shuttle is an orbiter, it's not the shuttle. The shuttle are the rocket components.

[Nova RTS 9147]

1 in 5 US citizens think the Sun revolves around the Earth

 

Check out these facts:

Seventeen percent of Americans believe the earth revolves around the sun ONCE A DAY

 

64 per cent of people questioned for a recent poll said they were open to the idea of teaching creationism in addition to evolution in schools

 

38 per cent favored replacing evolution with creationism.

 

80 per cent of Americans surveyed by the CNN TV news network believe that their government is hiding evidence of the existence of space aliens.

 

70 per cent believe it likely that Saddam Hussein was involved personally in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

 

40 per cent of Americans believe in the “endtimes”, according to a survey carried out in 2002. Of those believers, almost half thought this would occur in their lifetime with a return of Jesus from heaven.

 

The United States is 49th in the world in literacy (the New York Times, Dec. 12, 2004).

 

The United States ranked 28th out of 40 countries in mathematical literacy

 

Link:http://www.literacynews.com/2010/03/1-in-5-adult-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth-how-is-that-possible/

 

YOU ((L)I(E) (H)O(W) (T)UPI(D) ®I©?

 

More then that the national average IQ score of Americans at 98 is below 22 countries (including Switzerland, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, North Korea and China). The low Intelligence Quotient (IQ) score of United States puts the Americans at a lower intelligence level on an average as compared to the other industralised nations.

 

http://www.abytheliberal.com/internationalism/are-americans-stupid-statistics-and-research-data

 

God bless AMERIDUH!

[Citaro]

Another big reason is that in America there is no public tv. For example in France nearly every tv-channel is state owned, so they broadcast education tv and not everything about Paris Hilton.

[MTR Admiralty]

Well RoadCruiser, in the Bible Belt and other areas that follow religion crazily the people there would not accept anything besides the "fact" that God created the world in 6 days and left the 7th day to bless everything. It's what they choose to believe in. If they accept the creation myth, let them do it. If they want to accept Darwinism, let it be. After all, while there are many signs that do point to evolution, Darwin's theory is STILL a theory. Because we don't know what happened through the course of millions of years.

[PATCOman]

Many people think that Africa is a country. Too bad Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? is not on the air anymore.

[RokuSix]

People just don't care for what's going on outside of their SUV's. It's such an annoyingly personal mentality that dominates this country.

[553 Bridgeton]

People just don't care for what's going on outside of their SUV's. It's such an annoyingly personal mentality that dominates this country.

 

Thats the truth. What was the IQ of our last president...70? He was no smarter then a 5th grade child. Hell his IQ wasnt any higher then people that work @ mcdonalds for crying out loud. But yet he runs a COUNTRY for 2 terms. smh

 

And with the good old teachers that used to be are now retiring and it will only get worse as these young people called teachers are teaching kids and dont know anymore then the kid. I bet as the years go on college will be pointless if you ask me.

[Citaro]

This would happen if your educational system would be better. The people would fight the system like here in Europe.

 

Riots against the conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher (like Bush or Reagan) in the UK. Thatcher privatized the UK railway (she ruined it), she fought against the unions, cut the welfare state and now UK is the dark hole of Europe. But there is still resistance against capitalism in other european states like France, Italy, Spain, Germany or Greece, because of our education system.

 

 

 

So, social movements in Europe have a long tradition, especially in France-----------------------------------/\

[theaveragejoe]

that dont surprise me as alot of Americans dont even know where Toronto Canada is lol

[checkmatechamp13]

1 in 5 US citizens think the Sun revolves around the Earth

 

Check out these facts:

Seventeen percent of Americans believe the earth revolves around the sun ONCE A DAY

 

64 per cent of people questioned for a recent poll said they were open to the idea of teaching creationism in addition to evolution in schools

 

38 per cent favored replacing evolution with creationism.

 

80 per cent of Americans surveyed by the CNN TV news network believe that their government is hiding evidence of the existence of space aliens.

 

70 per cent believe it likely that Saddam Hussein was involved personally in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

 

40 per cent of Americans believe in the “endtimes”, according to a survey carried out in 2002. Of those believers, almost half thought this would occur in their lifetime with a return of Jesus from heaven.

 

The United States is 49th in the world in literacy (the New York Times, Dec. 12, 2004).

 

The United States ranked 28th out of 40 countries in mathematical literacy

 

Link:http://www.literacynews.com/2010/03/1-in-5-adult-americans-think-the-sun-revolves-around-the-earth-how-is-that-possible/

 

YOU (L)I(E) (H)O(W) (T)UPI(D) ®I©?

 

More then that the national average IQ score of Americans at 98 is below 22 countries (including Switzerland, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, North Korea and China). The low Intelligence Quotient (IQ) score of United States puts the Americans at a lower intelligence level on an average as compared to the other industralised nations.

 

http://www.abytheliberal.com/internationalism/are-americans-stupid-statistics-and-research-data

 

Trust me though if you are smart this video will make you laugh at the dumb Americans

 

 

I would thank you but I can't find the "Thanks" button.

 

Did you notice that Iran, France, and North Korea are all where Australia is, and nobody was smart enough to figure out that they were in the Middle East, Europe, and East Asia, respectively? Boy, somebody wasn't paying attention in geography.

 

The ironic thing is that I know more about our country than 26% of Americans and I wasn't even born here. Then again, I'm not too good with Peruvian history, but I at least know basic facts, like the Incas lived in Peru and that the conquistadors came from Spain and took Peru as a colony.