You know, I’d love to say I’m surprised by this, but I’ve been a victim of it first-hand. I’m from Chicago and someone once asked me where it was. Thought it was wierd they didn’t know, being that it’s such a large city and they were American, not foreign. Told them it was the largest city in Illinois and they replied “In Illinois… how can that be, isn’t Chicago a state?”
My high school never taught geography at all but as a little kid I had my own atlas, and since we lived in a pretty isolated place with nothing else to do, I looked at that atlas nearly every day. Unfortunately, you just can’t rely on schools to teach kids anything.
@mass
She was telling me to say Hispanic, which is right for a generalized term, but I was talking about someone actually from mexico…hence Mexican. I don’t know she was a little off I guess haha
Also, most US maps that are used to teach the names of the states in Elementary schools these days are maps of just the country with Alaska and Hawaii shown in there own little boxes next to each other in one of the lower corners. For example, this one. http://www.dol.gov/owcp/dlhwc/images/us_map2.gif So I can see someone who hasn’t had many geography classes, and doesn’t look at atlases for fun might think they are next to each other. However, there is no excuse for the spelling. Also, the “Africa is one country girl,” is almost certainly not American.
Oh my gracious Melissa is SO stupid. Of course Africa is country it’s all over the news DUHHHHH. They just have a president for each city cuz there is so much shit to do. Melissa totally must be one of those dumb little girls who love Edward LOL wat a gay boi! Jacob is SO much hotter. I want to bone Twilight! Excpet not that homo Edward haha what a dumb!!!
@mccowles #45: you win the internet. I’m still giggling about your ninja comment 🙂
I once went to the Philadelphia zoo, and there was an “African Safari” section, complete with a large sign that proclaimed: “Did you know?? Africa is *not* just one country!” So while Melissa may not be American, such ignorance is alive and well in that part of the world too. In fact, I once convinced a guy from Kentucky that I was part of a head-hunting tribe, and definitely convinced a number of people in Philadelphia that in Africa we ride elephants to school and live in tents… Messing with ignorant people is fun! 🙂
I am guessing Melissa is one of those people that think Zimbabwe and South Africa are the same things? I want to strangle people that say if you are Zimbabwean then you are from South Africa as though I don’t know where I come from.
This is so sad. American schools need to focus more on geography! I am from Europe, but now living in the U.S., and I had one of my co-workers ask me if I came here by train. Hahahah! I’ll never forget how serious she actually was when she asked me that question.
Melissa has been officially added to my growing list of people who should be rounded up for either animal testing or point-blank rifling. Preferably in the head. What a ignorant, oxygen-stealing, resource-depleting waste of space.
Okay, the first one has to be fake! I understand what @106 said about the map having Hawaii and Alaska pasted in, but how can you not know what your own country looks like and that Africa is not 1 country? Seriously.
I’m not gonna offend anybody by saying ALL Americans are idiots, but you (Americans) have to admit, these post do NOTHING for your world reputation.
I’m pretty sure the first one’s for real and I’m pretty sure it’s someone from UK, due to excessive and unnecessary xx at the end of every comment. My friend from greater Manchester area can’t write anything without an x or xx at the end. He wasn’t sure what continent my country was on and I thought “OK, he works in a car repair place…” but then someone with an actual university degree confused my funny little country with one of the biggest barely-inhabited areas in the world and that was a bit too much. I am not saying that UK is full of people like that, just that they exist!
@From RSA: These people will get confused when the World Cup is on, there are two countries with almost identical names.
@lostintranslation: That one really, really made me go WTF! O_o
@Mhn77
I am so tired of people ALWAYS assuming that posts from idiots like Melissa are in the United States. We are not the only English speaking country that has people named Melissa, Lucy, Sarah, and Matt. Nowhere in this post is any hint even given as to Melissa’s geographical location.
As for the Alaska/Hawaii post, again no hint is given as to where this goofball is. I am sure we aren’t the only country that learns the names of the States.
I personally would appreciate it if you would not jump to that conclusion. There are stupid people in every country in the world, and MANY of them post here. You can’t just assume a ridiculously idiotic post comes from an American.
Thank you!
-Nick
I’m ashamed that my name is Mellissa… before I was just annoyed that I would tell doctors, etc my mom chose to spell it differently and they would still spell it the normal way. now I want to change it to another name entirely. but eventually there would be a stupid girl with that name on LB. damned if I do and damned if I don’t.
@123 nick
You’re absolutely right. I shouldn’t do that. My bad.
It’s just that in my personal experience with coming from a small (not African) country, it’s only Americans who didn’t know my country. Even people I’ve talked to in India and Asia have known. So I’m probably a little quick to assume geography isn’t your (American’s) strong suit. I’ll do better in the future.
But you kinda proved my comment right by being an American not on Melissa’s level, where ever she might be from 🙂
Some of you people are bigger idiots than the folks in the post about Africa. These people are using “British English.” They’re not American. No American says “realise” and “learnt” unless they’re of the “sophisticated” American type and have adopted the British spelling of words for whatever reason, and I’m fairly sure that no American who has done that is so painfully ignorant about geography.
Okay, stupidity isn’t an American phenomenon so let’s just get that out of the way. We just happen to have a greater concentration of stupidity, yes. It’s not all stupidity though. It’s not so much idiocy as ignorance that gives us such a bad reputation with the rest of the world. Especially where I live, there seems to be a lot of anti-intellectualism floating around. It’s true that our education system has been… lacking in recent years, but we can’t place all the blame there. The resources are available, but some REALLY aren’t taking advantage of them.
And as far as education: we know what we know and that’s ALL that we know. There aren’t too many people who question, unfortunately and that’s how one remains ignorant…
I have encountered people who thought Africa was a country, and someone who was surprised when they were shown where Egypt was on a map, so I can definitely believe these posts. I’m going to be honest though, some of the countries on the African continent I’ve never heard of. I was looking it over just a couple of weeks ago and saw Eritrea, and just said “Where the hell did that come from?!” And I consider my geographical knowledge quite sound. I despair for mankind when I see/hear things like this though 🙁
I think we have to remember that these kids making the posts are just that… they’re kids! Kids go to school to learn these things that aren’t obvious from watching (EURO-CENTRIC) TV and reading American teeny-bopper magazines. As has been stated a few times already, many people refer to people from the continent of Africa as “African”. It’s weird. No one refers to me as North American. So, it’s easy to see how a child could be confused over something like that.
There is actually a wonderful workshop designed for kids that I had in my classroom entitled: “Africa is NOT a Country”. It was great, because although I have students from Ghana and Somalia in my class many kids didn’t realize that *REAL* technology exists on the continent. It was very educational and fun at the same time.
Speaking of my students… many of my students have Fb accounts and they’re only 9 and 10! I also know that some of their younger siblings have accounts… So, although the post shows what many of you perceive as a little girl’s “ignorance”, it also shows that she has learned something new. THAT is a positive thing.
Sadly, I know a couple of grown women (around 40) who had no idea that Alaska was far NORTH of the continental US because all the kid’s puzzle maps show Alaska in a cut-away box near Hawaii. I had to explain it to them. Slowly. And repeatedly. They said it’s stupid that map companies put it where they do. *facepalm*
no seriously this kind of ignorance is not acceptable!!!!
yeah Kenya is a town with over 40 milllion citizens…n yeah the towns in Africa are pretty big too…
haywiee? really?
Who the fuck is Ben? You Lamebook-ers are so hard to keep up with!!!
Anyways, these dumb bitches need to be slapped! 🙂
You know, I’d love to say I’m surprised by this, but I’ve been a victim of it first-hand. I’m from Chicago and someone once asked me where it was. Thought it was wierd they didn’t know, being that it’s such a large city and they were American, not foreign. Told them it was the largest city in Illinois and they replied “In Illinois… how can that be, isn’t Chicago a state?”
I hoped they were being sarcastic. They weren’t.
My high school never taught geography at all but as a little kid I had my own atlas, and since we lived in a pretty isolated place with nothing else to do, I looked at that atlas nearly every day. Unfortunately, you just can’t rely on schools to teach kids anything.
@mass
She was telling me to say Hispanic, which is right for a generalized term, but I was talking about someone actually from mexico…hence Mexican. I don’t know she was a little off I guess haha
Uzbekistan= U country
Also, most US maps that are used to teach the names of the states in Elementary schools these days are maps of just the country with Alaska and Hawaii shown in there own little boxes next to each other in one of the lower corners. For example, this one. http://www.dol.gov/owcp/dlhwc/images/us_map2.gif So I can see someone who hasn’t had many geography classes, and doesn’t look at atlases for fun might think they are next to each other. However, there is no excuse for the spelling. Also, the “Africa is one country girl,” is almost certainly not American.
Oh my gracious Melissa is SO stupid. Of course Africa is country it’s all over the news DUHHHHH. They just have a president for each city cuz there is so much shit to do. Melissa totally must be one of those dumb little girls who love Edward LOL wat a gay boi! Jacob is SO much hotter. I want to bone Twilight! Excpet not that homo Edward haha what a dumb!!!
@ Blaziken
I hope you were being sarcastic there about Africa. Cause that is hilarious hahahaha
#2 She’s in New York doing an internship (from Australia) and it’s been well advertised on her facebook for a while ..
@mccowles #45: you win the internet. I’m still giggling about your ninja comment 🙂
I once went to the Philadelphia zoo, and there was an “African Safari” section, complete with a large sign that proclaimed: “Did you know?? Africa is *not* just one country!” So while Melissa may not be American, such ignorance is alive and well in that part of the world too. In fact, I once convinced a guy from Kentucky that I was part of a head-hunting tribe, and definitely convinced a number of people in Philadelphia that in Africa we ride elephants to school and live in tents… Messing with ignorant people is fun! 🙂
@lostintranslation
Sweet, I’ve been trying to win the internet for AGES!
I am guessing Melissa is one of those people that think Zimbabwe and South Africa are the same things? I want to strangle people that say if you are Zimbabwean then you are from South Africa as though I don’t know where I come from.
End of rant.
@Gannet
There are so many Zimbabweans in South Africa they might just as well be the same country.
I’d like to do a little survey of my own: how many of you have ever heard of Barbados?
This is so sad. American schools need to focus more on geography! I am from Europe, but now living in the U.S., and I had one of my co-workers ask me if I came here by train. Hahahah! I’ll never forget how serious she actually was when she asked me that question.
@ poster #114 – Are you serious?
I hate #1 and #3 with the firey burning passion of a thousand firey burning things.
Melissa has been officially added to my growing list of people who should be rounded up for either animal testing or point-blank rifling. Preferably in the head. What a ignorant, oxygen-stealing, resource-depleting waste of space.
*Of course, ‘a ignorant’ should read ‘an ignorant’. The trouble when you’re ragingly typing.
bulbasaur: I have and have friends from that. Are they still called “Antigua and Barbados” or did the islands split up the name?
Okay, the first one has to be fake! I understand what @106 said about the map having Hawaii and Alaska pasted in, but how can you not know what your own country looks like and that Africa is not 1 country? Seriously.
I’m not gonna offend anybody by saying ALL Americans are idiots, but you (Americans) have to admit, these post do NOTHING for your world reputation.
I used to think France was a country and then I found out it is a Sanitarium.
I’m pretty sure the first one’s for real and I’m pretty sure it’s someone from UK, due to excessive and unnecessary xx at the end of every comment. My friend from greater Manchester area can’t write anything without an x or xx at the end. He wasn’t sure what continent my country was on and I thought “OK, he works in a car repair place…” but then someone with an actual university degree confused my funny little country with one of the biggest barely-inhabited areas in the world and that was a bit too much. I am not saying that UK is full of people like that, just that they exist!
@From RSA: These people will get confused when the World Cup is on, there are two countries with almost identical names.
@lostintranslation: That one really, really made me go WTF! O_o
@Mhn77
I am so tired of people ALWAYS assuming that posts from idiots like Melissa are in the United States. We are not the only English speaking country that has people named Melissa, Lucy, Sarah, and Matt. Nowhere in this post is any hint even given as to Melissa’s geographical location.
As for the Alaska/Hawaii post, again no hint is given as to where this goofball is. I am sure we aren’t the only country that learns the names of the States.
I personally would appreciate it if you would not jump to that conclusion. There are stupid people in every country in the world, and MANY of them post here. You can’t just assume a ridiculously idiotic post comes from an American.
Thank you!
-Nick
I’m ashamed that my name is Mellissa… before I was just annoyed that I would tell doctors, etc my mom chose to spell it differently and they would still spell it the normal way. now I want to change it to another name entirely. but eventually there would be a stupid girl with that name on LB. damned if I do and damned if I don’t.
bollywood, I think you’re thinking of Barbuda.
and krasivaya_devushka, sadly.
@123 nick
You’re absolutely right. I shouldn’t do that. My bad.
It’s just that in my personal experience with coming from a small (not African) country, it’s only Americans who didn’t know my country. Even people I’ve talked to in India and Asia have known. So I’m probably a little quick to assume geography isn’t your (American’s) strong suit. I’ll do better in the future.
But you kinda proved my comment right by being an American not on Melissa’s level, where ever she might be from 🙂
Some of you people are bigger idiots than the folks in the post about Africa. These people are using “British English.” They’re not American. No American says “realise” and “learnt” unless they’re of the “sophisticated” American type and have adopted the British spelling of words for whatever reason, and I’m fairly sure that no American who has done that is so painfully ignorant about geography.
Okay, stupidity isn’t an American phenomenon so let’s just get that out of the way. We just happen to have a greater concentration of stupidity, yes. It’s not all stupidity though. It’s not so much idiocy as ignorance that gives us such a bad reputation with the rest of the world. Especially where I live, there seems to be a lot of anti-intellectualism floating around. It’s true that our education system has been… lacking in recent years, but we can’t place all the blame there. The resources are available, but some REALLY aren’t taking advantage of them.
And as far as education: we know what we know and that’s ALL that we know. There aren’t too many people who question, unfortunately and that’s how one remains ignorant…
I have encountered people who thought Africa was a country, and someone who was surprised when they were shown where Egypt was on a map, so I can definitely believe these posts. I’m going to be honest though, some of the countries on the African continent I’ve never heard of. I was looking it over just a couple of weeks ago and saw Eritrea, and just said “Where the hell did that come from?!” And I consider my geographical knowledge quite sound. I despair for mankind when I see/hear things like this though 🙁
I think we have to remember that these kids making the posts are just that… they’re kids! Kids go to school to learn these things that aren’t obvious from watching (EURO-CENTRIC) TV and reading American teeny-bopper magazines. As has been stated a few times already, many people refer to people from the continent of Africa as “African”. It’s weird. No one refers to me as North American. So, it’s easy to see how a child could be confused over something like that.
There is actually a wonderful workshop designed for kids that I had in my classroom entitled: “Africa is NOT a Country”. It was great, because although I have students from Ghana and Somalia in my class many kids didn’t realize that *REAL* technology exists on the continent. It was very educational and fun at the same time.
Speaking of my students… many of my students have Fb accounts and they’re only 9 and 10! I also know that some of their younger siblings have accounts… So, although the post shows what many of you perceive as a little girl’s “ignorance”, it also shows that she has learned something new. THAT is a positive thing.
@KathleenOne
Shut.Up.
Sadly, I know a couple of grown women (around 40) who had no idea that Alaska was far NORTH of the continental US because all the kid’s puzzle maps show Alaska in a cut-away box near Hawaii. I had to explain it to them. Slowly. And repeatedly. They said it’s stupid that map companies put it where they do. *facepalm*
I know people like this..it makes my heart hurt..
-Gods investment in you (His son!) was SO great, he could never abandon you!-
Elixabeth, cut it out. You’re annoying.
no seriously this kind of ignorance is not acceptable!!!!
yeah Kenya is a town with over 40 milllion citizens…n yeah the towns in Africa are pretty big too…
Haywiee? Jesus.