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Thread: Read more History...but also learn more Geography

  1. #1

    Default Read more History...but also learn more Geography



    "I lost on Jeopardy" - Weird Al


    Last night on the long-running US game show Jeopardy, all three players got the final question wrong, resulting in the lowest winning score possible, something that hadn't happened for quite some time, if ever: $1.

    The prompt was "It's the only country that borders both the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea", and their three wrong guesses were:
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

    Iraq -- well, it touches the Persian Gulf at least
    Azerbaijan -- touches the Caspian at least
    Tibet --


    Whereas the actual answer is Bactria, at least when I'm playing.

    But it definitely reminded me that playing on this map has definitely helped solidify my geographic understanding of west and west-central Asia, an unexpected side bonus.


    (the real answer for the curious):
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Iran
    Last edited by myarta; October 18, 2017 at 10:48 AM.

  2. #2

    Default Re: Read more History...but also learn more Geography

    You would have thought that the navy guy would have got it right, at least.

    Though to be fair, the American public school system usually skimps on world geography and world history(among other things...) AFAIK, heavily preferring American history and geography from what I gather(so when I watch it with friends and family, we're often puzzled or left clueless by some of the very American-centric questions asked on the show). That doesn't explain the Indian girl though, who clearly stated she was from there.

    At least that's what Canadian public television has indicated time and again in the past, when "average" Americans are interviewed and asked multiple simple questions about their closest(culturally speaking) neighbor, Canada(mostly on comedy shows). As well as my experiences dealing with many Americans through many different online communities--hoo boy, the average American does not seem to have a good grasp of world geography(that is not to say that I haven't met very intelligent burgers online; I've lost debates to plenty of them). A favorite line in some forums is something like "Burger education, everyone" for such situations, for those who aren't aware.

    No offense to my Burger friends, of course--lovely bunch you all are, really. We really do take for granted the long lasting peace and close relationship between Canada and Murrica.
    Last edited by Genghis Skahn; October 18, 2017 at 08:59 AM.

  3. #3

    Default Re: Read more History...but also learn more Geography

    TIL you call us Burgers. In the favorite food sense, I imagine, not the Germanic city denizen version. To be fair, the US Navy doesn't have to navigate the Caspian Sea so it's no great loss. But I definitely am hazier than I'd like on Balkhash/Baikal/Issyk Kul/the major river systems out that way, and the borders of the interior stans like Uzbek and Tajik.

  4. #4

    Default Re: Read more History...but also learn more Geography

    TIL you call us Burgers.
    It's not just us; here's a useful retort against Canadians(who have grown quite infamous for :wub:ing on the internet over the years, only surpassed by the Aussies in this regard): "A ing leaf"

  5. #5

    Default Re: Read more History...but also learn more Geography

    It's sad, but I am totally not surprised that no one got that. I mean, to me that's obvious (I'm also an Ami; I've been living in Germany for a while, and that's what they call U.S. Americans here [also, why is it so okay to refer to people from the U.S. as "Americans"? That's two whole continents there folks! But that's another discussion]). Iraq has no northern coastal territory, and Iran is the only other state on the north side of the Persian Gulf. So that solves that one. It's actually pretty ridiculous that every contestant would get that wrong, given how long we've been rattling sabers in that corner of the world, and how many people from the U.S. seem to irrationally fear Iran. I mean, if you are so concerned about it, at least take the time to know where the hell it is, and what's its geography is! Silly Americans.

    But then again, Genghis Skahn is Canadian, so I have nothing to be ashamed of .
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  6. #6
    Biarchus
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    Default Re: Read more History...but also learn more Geography

    Hey now, not all Canadians are like that...

  7. #7

    Default Re: Read more History...but also learn more Geography

    It's not just American thing. I live in Europe and when I was in secondary school (18yo) my schoolmate was unable to point at Italy on the map. The teacher told her it looks like a high heel boot, but it didn't help so he showed her with a finger. I guess she never saw boots like that in shops. She wasn't the worst student in my class by far, but I do remember this because my deskmate on geography class was into geography and he was making jokes about it for a long time.

    I wasn't very focused student myself, we smoked weed every Friday before school, sometimes we were also drunk and I still ended with 1 or 2 on my final exams (1 is very good, 5 is worst). We had only exercises in Friday from what we have learned that week, but still, I would expect some impact. You can gain some knowledge from there if you want, but I think expectations are quite low.

    I think American's have their school system focused on their own geography and history as European is focused on our geography and history. We were taught for hours and hours about ancient Greece and Roman empire and then like two sentences about what was going on in China and India during those 500 years. I know quite a lot about every European state, but I wouldn't be able to localize every American state on a map. We simply didn't have time to learn about it at school, we were too busy learning all rivers in Europe. My nation has 5 mil. pop. and yet we spent halftime on literature learning about our own authors, while rest of the world had to do with the same amount of time.
    Last edited by YourMadDoc; October 18, 2017 at 01:06 PM.

  8. #8

    Default Re: Read more History...but also learn more Geography

    I knew this almost instantly.

    Though in fairness most of the Jeopardy questions involve things I couldn't begin to tell you about. I know nothing about mid-20th century American filmmaking for a start.
    FREE THE NIPPLE!!!

  9. #9

    Default Re: Read more History...but also learn more Geography

    Quote Originally Posted by Genghis Skahn View Post
    Though to be fair, the American public school system usually skimps on world geography and world history(among other things...) AFAIK, heavily preferring American history and geography from what I gather(so when I watch it with friends and family, we're often puzzled or left clueless by some of the very American-centric questions asked on the show). That doesn't explain the Indian girl though, who clearly stated she was from there.
    Every country emphasizes its own history heavily. In Europe we learn a bit about the history of other European countries, but people graduate not knowing about the American Civil War or about Chinese and Japanese history. YourMadDoc's post about people not knowing where Italy is, is a bit much and it was probably an isolated incident. I would have been able to point out Italy at the age of 7.

  10. #10

    Default Re: Read more History...but also learn more Geography

    Quote Originally Posted by BHL 20 View Post
    Every country emphasizes its own history heavily. In Europe we learn a bit about the history of other European countries, but people graduate not knowing about the American Civil War or about Chinese and Japanese history. YourMadDoc's post about people not knowing where Italy is, is a bit much and it was probably an isolated incident. I would have been able to point out Italy at the age of 7.
    Jep, she was the only person I know who didnt knew where Italy is. But some other students had their own moments too in different areas. She wasnt dumb, she graduated from psychology at university, she just dont give a about geography.

  11. #11

    Default Re: Read more History...but also learn more Geography

    Will never forget the day when I was a callow 17 year old visiting New York on a school trip. We went into a subway and one of the guards asked us where we were from because we didn't sound American. We said 'Southern England' the look on his face was something to behold. 'South England? Where's that?'

    Saying that, the UK education system hasn't been doing too well lately. Remember hearing this gem from one of my peers in a class I took later that year: 'Napoleon? Wasn't he that bloke on top of Trafalgar square?' Teacher couldn't believe this was from someone who had graduated high school last year.

  12. #12
    Roma_Victrix's Avatar Call me Ishmael
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    Default Re: Read more History...but also learn more Geography

    Quote Originally Posted by YourMadDoc View Post
    She wasnt dumb, she graduated from psychology at university, she just dont give a about geography.
    I beg to differ. She still sounds incredibly dumb, but perhaps she's also an idiot savant, with incredible knowledge and talent in one area alone: psychology. Italy was the center of the Roman Empire and today it is one of the leading members of the EU, a global tourist hot-spot if anything. It's one thing to fail at pointing out the location of Rome within Italy, but for a European to not be able to point out where the entire country is...well...that's a failure of the highest magnitude, in my opinion. She deserves to sit in a corner with a dunce hat.

    As for the OP, I'm an American and I know where Iran is, as well as the bodies of water it borders (let alone the neighboring countries). Perhaps that's a consequence of me being a historian (it would be strange to know about the Achaemenid, Seleucid, Parthian, Sassanid, Samanid, Ghaznavid, Seljuk, Kwarezmian, Ilkhanate, Timurid, and Safavid empires without knowing the most basic information about Iranian geography). My immediate family members would be able to tell you where Iran is on a map as well, except for maybe my brother, who's a car mechanic/technician. He knows a lot about automotive technology and even general info about the solar system and universe (thanks to TV documentaries that he rabidly watches), and I know as a fact he knows basic political geography of North America and Europe, but if it's Africa or Asia then he would probably fail pretty hard. However, he'd be able to point out Russia, China, Japan, and India at least. I'm almost positive he knows where Pakistan is, due to many of his coworkers and friends being Pakistani/Americans of Pakistani descent.

    That said, I wouldn't fault him for not knowing where, say, Lebanon is located, since he at least knows North American geography, and hence he does not deserve the dunce cap.

    He'd probably also be able to point out the Korean peninsula as well, due to general knowledge about the Korean War and the current nuclear crisis involving the Kim regime. I guarantee you, though, that many Americans only know about its location due to these things and recent history. Personally I find Korean history to be fascinating, including the Japanese invasions before the 19th-20th centuries stretching back to the 6th century AD, including Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea from 1592-1598.

  13. #13
    bigdaddy1204's Avatar Campidoctor
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    Default Re: Read more History...but also learn more Geography

    That's nothing. Try this:

    Quote Originally Posted by Adar View Post
    I am quite impressed by the fact that you managed to make such a rant but still manage to phrase it in such a way that it is neither relevant to the thread nor to the topic you are trying to introduce to the thread.

  14. #14

    Default Re: Read more History...but also learn more Geography

    I bet there is at least one area where she is excellent.

  15. #15
    bigdaddy1204's Avatar Campidoctor
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    Default Re: Read more History...but also learn more Geography

    Quote Originally Posted by YourMadDoc View Post
    I bet there is at least one area where she is excellent.


    I think I know what you're thinking...
    Quote Originally Posted by Adar View Post
    I am quite impressed by the fact that you managed to make such a rant but still manage to phrase it in such a way that it is neither relevant to the thread nor to the topic you are trying to introduce to the thread.

  16. #16

    Default Re: Read more History...but also learn more Geography

    Quote Originally Posted by bigdaddy1204 View Post


    I think I know what you're thinking...
    Just to avoid confusion - I meant "rocket" science.

  17. #17
    Roma_Victrix's Avatar Call me Ishmael
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    Default Re: Read more History...but also learn more Geography

    Quote Originally Posted by YourMadDoc View Post
    Just to avoid confusion - I meant "rocket" science.
    Nice.

    Yeah, that had to have been the worst I've ever seen. I mean, seriously, she thought Europe was a country? I'm not sure which is dumber: people who think that, or think that Africa is one country. So far I've never heard of anyone insisting that Asia is one country. Lol.

  18. #18
    Ngugi's Avatar TATW & Albion Local Mod
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    Default Re: Read more History...but also learn more Geography

    Quote Originally Posted by Roma_Victrix View Post
    So far I've never heard of anyone insisting that Asia is one country.
    So far...

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  19. #19

    Default Re: Read more History...but also learn more Geography

    She did get one thing right:

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  20. #20

    Default Re: Read more History...but also learn more Geography

    Quote Originally Posted by YourMadDoc View Post
    I bet there is at least one area where she is excellent.
    If you are thinking pairs dancing, you'd be right. Winner of the 2013 Dancing with the Stars season. Also one Gold and one Platinum certified Country music single.

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