Poll Shows Many Can't Find La. on Map

Associated Press ^ | May 02 | RANDOLPH E. SCHMID

[george76]

Despite the wall-to-wall coverage of the damage from Hurricane Katrina, nearly one-third of young Americans recently polled couldn't locate Louisiana on a map and nearly half were unable to identify Mississippi.

Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 fared even worse with foreign locations:

six in 10 couldn't find Iraq...

_ Nearly three-quarters incorrectly named English as the most widely spoken native language.

_ Six in 10 did not know the border between North and South Korea is the most heavily fortified in the world.

Thirty percent thought the most heavily fortified border was between the United States and Mexico.

[1rudeboy]

I didn't bother to click-through, but I wonder what the NEA had to say about this? What, the reporter didn't ask?

[fanfan]

Thirty percent thought the most heavily fortified border was between the United States and Mexico.

That 30% must have been illegals from Mexico.

[jdm]

"Thirty percent thought the most heavily fortified border was between the United States and Mexico"

LOLOL!!!!

[bilhosty]

How many of the kids were from illegal alien families?

[george76]

[theDentist]

Can't find La.? Heck, seems every illegal immigrant in the world knows where Los Angeles is... :)

(yes, I know La. is Louisiana)

[Muleteam1]

>>nearly one-third of young Americans recently polled couldn't locate Louisiana on a map <<

Unfortunately they do not have the same problem when it comes to finding their polling place.

Muleteam1

[george76]

Thomas Sowell's "Inside American Education" documents numerous ways teachers attack parental authority.

Teachers have asked third-graders, "How many of you ever wanted to beat up your parents?"

In a high school health class, students were asked, "How many of you hate your parents?"

[in hoc signo vinces]

This is no real surprise. The only thing Kids are taught in public schools is to hate republicans because "they" are "intolerant".

Civics, Geography, Logic, "Fact" based critical thought are counter to the NEA agenda.

[Onelifetogive]

Nearly three-quarters incorrectly named English as the most widely spoken native language.

This is a stupid question if you fail to define "widely spoken." If 1 Billion people speak Mandarin Chinese, but 95% of them live in one small area of the world, is that "widely spoken." I would define "widely spoken" as the language that, if you were randomly dropped soemwhere on planet earth, you'd be most likely to be able to communicate with the locals using. I'd bet on English or Spanish.

[JmyBryan]

Bush's fault or the legacy of racism?

[Dawgreg]

OMG! These people have the right to.....VOTE! God help us all!

[steve-b]

Nearly three-quarters incorrectly named English as the most widely spoken native language.

What exactly does this question mean? English (or at least some dialect thereof) is most certainly the most widely spoken language of people native to the US....

[darkwing104]

Liberalism at work, isn't it wonderful /s...

[Dane]

How many of the kids were from illegal alien families?

Amazing you frothing mouth one issuers.

Anyway the people who are rebuilding New Orleans(hispanics) seem to be able to read a map to get their, unlike our shining star students in leftist run public schools.

But that's ok go ahead and blame illegals instead of the teacher unions.

[Rokke]

I spent a few months in Mississippi recently. I don't think a lot of people in that state could find it on a map.

[hauerf]

Future Democrap voters.

[doorgunner69]

Oh wow man, like, you know, geography is hard, dude...............

[Dane]

What exactly does this question mean? English (or at least some dialect thereof) is most certainly the most widely spoken language of people native to the US...

I think that question was pertaining to Iraq9arabic) or the world, where the answer would be Mandarin Chinese, although one could make the case that English is world's most spoken second language and the world's business language.

[brownsfan]

Anyway the people who are rebuilding New Orleans(hispanics) seem to be able to read a map to get their

Your public school education is showing.

[Panzerfaust]

The question reads "widley spoken native language", which defines the issue pretty well. If the question had read "widely spoken language", I'd agree with your bet.

[Oztrich Boy]

_ Nearly three-quarters incorrectly named English as the most widely spoken native language.

What language did the other quarter incorrectly name?

According to Google the correct anawer is Navaho. Did anyone know?

[Panzerfaust]

The question reads "widely spoken native language", which defines the issue pretty well. If the question had read "widely spoken language", I'd agree with your bet.

[lesser_satan]

This comes as no surprise to me. Kids would get a far better education on their own in a public library (for FREE) or by travelling abroad than wasting their time in school.

[ASH71]

Joining in the effort to improve geographic knowledge will be the 4-H, American Federation of Teachers, Asia Society, Association of American Geographers, National Basketball Association, National Council of La Raza, National PTA, Smithsonian Institution and others. ---- That seems to say alot also I wonder if the 510 people we stumbling out of a bars one night.

[poobear]

"Your public school education is showing."

;D!

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

Back in ancient times, when I was about four years old, my mother bought me a puzzle that was a map of the United States. I loved it -- I found the shapes of the states interesing, and I used to put it together all the time. When I learned to read, then I learned the names of those shapes. And then a few years later we got this thing called a globe, and I used to spend a lot of time looking at it. So, when I was in the about the third grade, I had a pretty good general grasp of world geography. And, believe it or not, a good knowledge of geography actually comes in handy sometimes in the work I do.

If a high percentage of young people (or not-so-young people) today can't find Louisiana or Israel or whatever on a map, it's probably because they are generally ignorant about most things --science, literature, civics--having never paid attention to anything important in their lives.

Sad, because it isn't really that hard to accomplish. Just get off their lazy duffs, turn off the TV and the CD's and the chatrooms, and shake the cobwebs out of their heads.

[concerned about politics]

The liberal indoctrination centers don't believe in borders, remember?
They don't teach history any more, either. They teach socialist studies instead. An uninformed public is easier to deceive.

(Support school choice)

[Dane]

Your public school education is showing

Thank you for pointing out my faux pas in regards to the homonyms, there and their.

BTW, if my original sentence had been spoken, there would be no problem.

NTW, the point remains that the people rebuilding New Orleans(hispanics) seem to be able to read a map better than our shining star public school pupils.

[bilhosty]

" Anyway the people who are rebuilding New Orleans(hispanics) seem to be able to read a map to get their, unlike our shining star students in leftist run public schools."

Or did somebody pick 50 of them from a street and put them in the back of a panel truck and drive them there.

[Dane]

Or did somebody pick 50 of them from a street and put them in the back of a panel truck and drive them there

Whoever drove still has a better grasp of geopgraphy than our shining star public school students.

[The South Texan]

And we are surprised the Rats have a lock on 30 to 40 percent of the electorate???????

[george76]

SHOCKING POLL: A MAJORITY OF AMERICANS CANNOT NAME A SINGLE DEPARTMENT IN THE PRESIDENT’S CABINET.

Most Americans are unable to identify even a single department in the United States Cabinet, according to a recent national poll of 800 adults.

Specifically, the survey found that a majority (58%) could not provide any department names whatsoever; 41% could.

Only 4% of those surveyed specified at least five of the 19 executive-level departments...

[Doctor Stochastic]

LA is in Southern Califas. WTP?

[george76]

64% of Americans could not name any of the Justices of the United States Supreme Court...

[carmenbmw]

Exactly right. My daughter graduates from public high school in 39 days (Yeah, not much choice in private schools around here)
And I am just offended at the junk that she is being taught....
Fortunately, my kid is very conservative, and doesnt believe in the tripe that she is being fed.
I must have done SOMETHING right! ;-)

[Dane]

LA is in Southern Califas. WTP?

Uh no, LA is the postal abbreviation for the state of Louisiana.

[Oztrich Boy]

The question reads "widley spoken native language", which defines the issue pretty well.

Not really. Most people here had difficulties interpreting the question (including me)

On reflection the only optiosn are Mandarin Chinese and Hindi.
Bengali, Russian and Japanese are way down the list.

And of course the other biggies - English, Spanish, Arabic, Portugeuse - are mainly introduced languages, not native ones.

[concerned about politics]

Or did somebody pick 50 of them from a street and put them in the back of a panel truck and drive them there.

Maybe they used the buses from Jessie Jacksons "Give the work to Katrina victims" failed round up tour. They were dark and empty anyway!

[siunevada]

I wonder what the NEA had to say about this?

We need to give more political donations to Dems.

[GAB-1955]

"Can't find La.? Heck, seems every illegal immigrant in the world knows where Los Angeles is... :) "

Maybe we can hire the illegal immigrants to teach geography then.

[No Truce With Kings]

Ah kin give ya the Texas instructions fer gittin' to Louisiana.

You walk east until ya start smellin' somethin real bad. Follow your nose until you are up to your knees in crap. You are now in Louisiana -- a place where half the state is under water, and the other half under indictment.

For special extra credit, keep goin' until you are up to your neck in raw sewage. You are now in the state capitol of Louisiana.

[Oztrich Boy]

Can't find La.?

A three year old could do that

[avacado]

The "liberal educational system" at work! At least they have their "self-esteem!"

[cpdiii]

I went to school in the sixties in South Louisiana. Our school district was very poor. If you look at it in constant dollars we were receiving less than half the funding provided today. In our class of 83 students in 1966 we now have 1 medical doctor, 2 pharmacists, 1 PHD in Biology, the executive vice president of Exxon oil, one business man that owns and runs a publishing company and about 40% obtained college degrees. None of us have been sentenced to prison. The non college grads today have mostly middle class to upper middle class jobs. The curriculum was not slanted politically. In civics class we debated different forms of government and in one debate we were divided in groups to defend socialism and defend capitalism. The debate was open and fair. The teacher did not try to slant or control the debate.

The real secret of the success of the class of 1966 was a school that did not try to bend us in a political direction, a school that focused on education with only a limited budget and foremost we came from mostly middle class backgrounds of hard working American parents that wanted their children to be successful.

[reformed_dem]

My 11 year old son has to read Scholastic News magazine for homework and answer questions, then write an essay on the main topic of that edition. A couple months ago the topic was global warming. He complained and bellyached the whole time. "Why do I have to write about this? It's a myth. I don't believe in it....etc."

That's my boy!

[hosepipe]

[ But that's ok go ahead and blame illegals instead of the teacher unions. ]

Illegals are democrats and so is the NEA.... Are you a democrat?..

[maica]

Remember that these same people are widely quoted when they participate in political polling.

[Carl LaFong]

I bet they all know how to put a condom on a cucumber.