Sponge Bob Square Pants is NOT the President of France!

Let me say at the outset that I am going to describe a problem that I DO NOT know the solution to. Additionally, I am as guilty as the next person of participating in the problem.

I recently say one of those "Man on the street" things that Jay Leno does. You know the ones I mean? Where he goes out on the street and asks random people, average Americans lets say, questions that they SHOULD know the answers to? Got the concept? Good.

The one I saw went like this:

Jay: "Who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?"

Random American: "I don't know."
Jay: "Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?"
Same Random American: "Sponge Bob Square Pants!"

OUCH! Funny as heck but painful.

We're Americans! Wait no sense insulting our brothers and sisters to the north and south (they're Americans too). We're U.S. citizens, we don't have to know stuff.

Quick who is the President of France? If you answered "Who cares?" you are essentially correct but that is not the answer. If you answered "Pierre' something", you're close enough to probably get partial credit on your exam (please show your work). If you said "Nicolas Sarkozy" you would be absolutely right and I would say, "Where are you from and are you considering becoming an American citizen?"


It's true, as Americans we don't know much about the world outside of our continent. We don't have to. They all know us. But what we do know alot about is the United States. Really? We don't even know about things that we say are important to us. Let's take Christianity for example. heh heh

Question: "Name the 12 Apostles"
Answer: "Ah lets see. There's Matthew, Mark, Luke" B-E-E-P
Stop right there you've got two wrong already Neither Mark or Luke are correct.
Answer cont: "Okay. Matthew, John, Judas, ah .. er ..Doubting something ....."
That would be Thomas
Answer cont: "Yes, quite right, Thomas and er... lets see ... Doc, Bashful"
WAIT A COTTON PICKIN' MINUTE!!!

You say that is not fair. We are not a nation of RELIGION, we are a nation of LAWS!

Fair enough, name the Supreme Court Justices.
Answer: "Ah Clarence Thomas"
Well done put a check mark next to "sex scandal"
Answer: "Ah Ginsburg"
Yes go on....
Answer: "Diana Ross?"
No
Answer: " Kennedy, Doc, Bashful ......."

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "Didn't he use that joke during the Apostle portion of our quiz?" and you would be right but I thought it was so amusing I used it again.

My point is that, although we excel at Pop Culture references, hardly any of the important stuff is common knowledge. Who are the members of NATO? What countries are represented on the United Nations Security Counsel? Who has veto power? How does a Bill become law? (well you probably know that last one thanks to the Children's Television Workshop production of Electric Company (hint - it starts out as a William))

I'm worried. I consider myself a fairly intelligent guy. A guy, I might add, that thinks of himself as pretty well informed. I had to look up most of the correct answers I provided in the previous paragraphs. Why is that?

I guess what I'm asking is this; Why don't we care? It's pretty clear that, overall, as a people we really don't care much. We are so ego-centric and so comfortable in our superiority that we can't grasp the importance of the political, social, religious, and economic realities of the greater world around us.

How can we expect Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the citizens of those countries to understand and embrace our point of view when we can't even find them on a map let alone describe their system of government?

I don't know how to fix this. I don't know how we foster an interest in the world around us or even an interest in the United States. Believe me it is a self interest. What happens in the world around us effects us every day. The economies of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East have an impact on our lives here in the U.S. The social atmosphere around the world spills over onto this continent. The poverty, the starvation, the water supply of 3rd world nations matters, not just because of humanitarian reasons, but because of what should be our own self interest. A well fed, productive, content society does not rise up against it's neighbors. Plus it helps us to understand how the rest of the world perceives us.

The Taliban didn't spring up over night. The Soviet Union, after World War II didn't wake up and say "let's destroy democracy". I don't see how we can hope to change the way the world sees us if we can't even see us. Do you get what I mean? Hmmmmm I don't know.

So ........ what do you think? Is it hopeless? Do we need a foundation? A new administration? Is it a quick fix or are we doomed? I mean, the Roman Empire looked pretty good right up to the moment that it fell. Ditto the British Empire. Are we just gearing up to hand the reins over to the next empire? Which country will it be?

Answer: If you said China, move to the head of the class. (You can stay after and clean the erasers).