Eight crazy things Americans believe about foreign affairs

hamidreza

Active member
Americans have some astonishing misconceptions about international affairs.
As the Washington Post's Dylan Matthews explained last month, the baffling fact that 15 per cent of Ohio Republicans believe Mitt Romney deserves more credit than Barack Obama for killing Osama bin Laden may have as much to do with polling psychology and sampling error as with self-delusion or ignorance. But here are some other statistics that may surprise you:
* 41 per cent of Americans believe China is the world's leading economic power, according to a 2012 Pew poll (the correct answer is the United States, which 40 percent of respondents in the Pew poll selected).
* 73 per cent of Americans could not identify communism as America's main concern during the Cold War, according to Newsweek, which administered an official citizenship test in 2011.
* 9 per cent of Americans frequently worry about becoming victims of terrorism, according to a 2011 AP-GfK poll (Reason magazine has calculated that the chances of being killed by a terrorist are roughly one in 20 million, and that "in the last five years you were four times more likely to be struck by lightning than killed by a terrorist").
* Nearly 25 per cent of Americans don't know that the United States declared its independence from Great Britain, according to a 2011 Marist poll.
* 71 per cent of Americans believe Iran already has nuclear weapons, according to a 2010 CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll (Israel, the United States, and the International Atomic Energy Agency would beg to differ).
* The average American thinks that the United States spends 27 per cent of the federal budget on foreign aid, according to a 2010 World Public Opinion poll (the figure is more like 1 percent).
* 33 per cent of Americans believed Saddam Hussein was personally involved in 9/11 as late as 2007, according to a CBS News/New York Times poll (it's worth noting that the number was down from 53 per cent in 2003, and that more recent polls suggest the percentage has continued to decline since 2007).
* 88 per cent of young Americans couldn't find Afghanistan on a map, 75 per cent couldn't locate Iran or Israel, and 63 per cent couldn't identify Iraq, according to a 2006 Roper Public Affairs/National Geographic Society poll.
Uri Friedman is an associate editor at Foreign Policy.


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...ns-believe-about-foreign-affairs-8217998.html
 
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"Eight crazy things _________'s believe about __________."

Fill in the blanks; which people really top the list for that sentence?
 
I was told a long time ago, by a man I consider to be wise, that at least 60% of all people are stupid; and 90% of the rest are apathetic.

The older I get the more I believe this to be true.

A prime example of this in the US is a recent stunt by a late night talk show. They polled people on the streets about the out come of the recent debate - before the debate occurred. The US “man/woman on the street” was eager to point out who won and why (again before the event had happened).

The same show (I believe) did the same thing, this time asking questions about who won the debate between Michele Obama and Ann Romney, again people readily had comments on something that never occurred.

Unfortunately these fools can and will vote.

I also believe that Politicians and Religious and Social leaders know this to be true and have, thoughout history, taken advantage of the fact.
 
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People are way too interested in American Idol, Survivor, ect, along with poor govt schools. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeJbOU4nmHQ"]linky[/ame]
 
People are way too interested in American Idol, Survivor, ect, along with poor govt schools. linky
...or in posts by you... :)

Rattler (with all due respect resenting almost everything you post as uninformed, mislead or simply stupid)
 
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People are way too interested in American Idol, Survivor, ect, along with poor govt schools. linky

BECAUSE IT KEEPS THE MASSES PACIFIED.

People in this country complain all day about government yet live too comfortably to even become motivated to do anything about it.

Also we are to apathetic too search for the real names of the culprits responsible for the finacial rape of our system of government and look for the short answer instead.

( Just blame the president, it's quicker and makes people feel better, researching banking and how the FED "works" is too hard.)


Complacency leads to passive abuse, of our system of law making, too the abuse of federal agencies and assets by private entities.

But as long as we all remain ingnorant and too apathetic to care as much, then the people will get what the people want.



That's why I don't even try anymore.



I wish there was a dislike button on the forums, just so anyone who reads this who are gritting their teeth because I just busted your bubble you live inside of can dislike the hell out this post.
 
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popcorn.gif
 
Also we are to apathetic too search for the real names of the culprits responsible for the finacial rape of our system of government and look for the short answer instead.

( Just blame the president, it's quicker and makes people feel better, researching banking and how the FED "works" is too hard.)

Real names? Hank Paulson? Kathleen Corbet? Phil Gramm? Alan Greenspan? I'm sure it wouldn't be difficult to compose a more complete and accurate list, but then what would one do with it?

Yeah, I blame the president, he is ultimately responsible. If that happened under your command, wouldn't you hold yourself accountable and expect your public to?

(BTW: Wouldn't "dislike" your post if the option was available.)
 
Real names? Hank Paulson? Kathleen Corbet? Phil Gramm? Alan Greenspan? I'm sure it wouldn't be difficult to compose a more complete and accurate list, but then what would one do with it?

Yeah, I blame the president, he is ultimately responsible. If that happened under your command, wouldn't you hold yourself accountable and expect your public to?

(BTW: Wouldn't "dislike" your post if the option was available.)

That's one issue, however we suffer from a large series of "minor" systemic issues that compound to form the situation we maybe facing as a country in the coming decades.

The lack of a solid Presidency is one of them.

However it is not the only one, nor would having a miracle President who is perfect in every aspect going to undo 50 years of mismanagment, even with two terms in office.

Also maintaing a blameless public and shifting the denile and accountability elsewhere only prolongs many national issues.

Our country was designed to experiment with the idea of a public having acountability over themselves more so than of a group in government holding total control over them.

Evidence of that slipping away is surfacing around us everyday.
 
Like all countries you have a choice between a bunch of crooks and a bunch of thieves but I never know what label to hang on what party
 
Americans have some astonishing misconceptions about international affairs.

* 9 per cent of Americans frequently worry about becoming victims of terrorism, according to a 2011 AP-GfK poll (Reason magazine has calculated that the chances of being killed by a terrorist are roughly one in 20 million, and that "in the last five years you were four times more likely to be struck by lightning than killed by a terrorist")
Well I worry about terrorism all the time, but I am not worried about foreign terrorists, I'm much more worried about the terrorists we have in our own country. (Hello mass shooting numbers).



* Nearly 25 per cent of Americans don't know that the United States declared its independence from Great Britain, according to a 2011 Marist poll.
Is this a joke because I seriously just passed out from laughing - how sad!



* 88 per cent of young Americans couldn't find Afghanistan on a map, 75 per cent couldn't locate Iran or Israel, and 63 per cent couldn't identify Iraq, according to a 2006 Roper Public Affairs/National Geographic Society poll.
Doesn't surprise me at all. Our education system sucks.
 
Americans have some astonishing misconceptions about international affairs.
As the Washington Post's Dylan Matthews explained last month, the baffling fact that 15 per cent of Ohio Republicans believe Mitt Romney deserves more credit than Barack Obama for killing Osama bin Laden may have as much to do with polling psychology and sampling error as with self-delusion or ignorance. But here are some other statistics that may surprise you:
* 41 per cent of Americans believe China is the world's leading economic power, according to a 2012 Pew poll (the correct answer is the United States, which 40 percent of respondents in the Pew poll selected).
* 73 per cent of Americans could not identify communism as America's main concern during the Cold War, according to Newsweek, which administered an official citizenship test in 2011.
* 9 per cent of Americans frequently worry about becoming victims of terrorism, according to a 2011 AP-GfK poll (Reason magazine has calculated that the chances of being killed by a terrorist are roughly one in 20 million, and that "in the last five years you were four times more likely to be struck by lightning than killed by a terrorist").
* Nearly 25 per cent of Americans don't know that the United States declared its independence from Great Britain, according to a 2011 Marist poll.
* 71 per cent of Americans believe Iran already has nuclear weapons, according to a 2010 CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll (Israel, the United States, and the International Atomic Energy Agency would beg to differ).
* The average American thinks that the United States spends 27 per cent of the federal budget on foreign aid, according to a 2010 World Public Opinion poll (the figure is more like 1 percent).
* 33 per cent of Americans believed Saddam Hussein was personally involved in 9/11 as late as 2007, according to a CBS News/New York Times poll (it's worth noting that the number was down from 53 per cent in 2003, and that more recent polls suggest the percentage has continued to decline since 2007).
* 88 per cent of young Americans couldn't find Afghanistan on a map, 75 per cent couldn't locate Iran or Israel, and 63 per cent couldn't identify Iraq, according to a 2006 Roper Public Affairs/National Geographic Society poll.
Uri Friedman is an associate editor at Foreign Policy.


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...ns-believe-about-foreign-affairs-8217998.html

In 1999 less than 60% of Americans read a book - somehow I don't think this stat has improved..
 
In 1999 less than 60% of Americans read a book - somehow I don't think this stat has improved..

And I don't think that Americans are without a lot of good company.

I used to tread voraciously when I was at sea. What I wouldn't have done for a Kindle, my bags were weighed down with books. I think I've read no more than 3 or 4 books since I left 6 years ago.
 
Here is another one.

"American's believe that things that say MADE IN AMERICA come from America".

I found an axe at work today that said that on it only to look it up and find out the steel in the blade originated in China.
 
The car with the most American made parts is a .... Toyota. The Japs know how to do it, most of their factories in the US have no union either, and it works.
 
The car with the most American made parts is a .... Toyota. The Japs know how to do it, most of their factories in the US have no union either, and it works.


Okay? I have visited one of their plants in Kentucky. Good stuff, but that still doesn't erase the image of downtown past Bay Street where all the abandoned warehouses and nail factory lie as a haven for homeless and meth dealers.
 
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