Don't you think that even Americans should know where the European Commission is headquartered?
I'm not saying Americans shouldn't learn all about their own country, far from it. All I'm saying is that a little more knowledge about the world outside the USA could go a long way.
Yeah, if Americans are not required to know that Brussels is the capital of the EU I could settle with knowing that New York and Los Angeles are the capitals of the biggest members of this sort of American Union stuff!
And yes, I hear it coming, even then I would be ignorant about the capital of the Bear Flag Republic, which of course is Sacramento!
Well, that depends how important you find the European Commission, which, much like Washington DC, sounds flat next to New York City and LA. However, you might find bureaucracies to be fascinating, warranting interest but I find them as uninteresting as other significant bodies, such as the OPEC cartel.
But who said we don't know anything about the world outside of the USA? I am just pointing out an Italian (like my husband) knows more about Italy and the EU than I do. Likewise, I know more about America than he does. This doesn't mean that neither of us knew an ounce about either America or Europe before we met each other.
I mean he's been taught the whole history of Dante (Italian author of the Inferno) for christ's sake. Why would I have ever needed to know about Dante?
For many people in the new EU contries, the European Commission is of ephemeral interest, and some of them may not even know it is headquartered in Brussels, which, however, would definitely count as ignorance nowadays. By the way, I sometimes feel the EU bureaucracy is similar to what Gulliver might have seen in Laputa (that flying castle of scientists), immersed in a zealous quest for perfect regulations and standardisation. :-) I think the US is more unified than Europe even with its diverse state legislations, due to a common spirit of being American, which is utterly lacking in Europe at the moment.
<< Tiffany wrote:
In my American High School, you can bet a lot of history was focused on the history of America. World History consisted of learning about Sumeria, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome etc. The point was that it really covered nothing. But my American History class was indepth. I learned about the beginnings of America, the Native Americans (various tribes), the Pilgrams, Thanksgiving, The Boston Tea Party, Slavery - and I'm just naming a few topics here! I did also take European History, but it was an elective. >>
I don't agree with you. In my high school we had 2 years of global history, and just 1 year of American. Then, of course we had 1 year of US Government/Economics. So what students learn really varies from state to state since education requirements are up to the states to decide, not Washington.
I meant a common spirit of being "European", in absence of an unifying idea that could make the EU into more than a sum of its parts.
Oh, and one more thing. Here in NYC, people have no idea about the rest of the country. Most people don't know which state is where, or what the capital of Montana, for example, is. So, talk about a unified country? :-)
Before ever trying to bash Americans for lack of knowledge of the rest of the world, I wonder what an average European teenager knows about US history and culture apart from whom this or that star is dating at the moment. I mean, with all that Americanisation, does "the rest of the world" (the majority, I mean) really know about the history of this unique country, and how it came into existence? I doubt that.
At least 50 % of Norwegians are ignorant of the Boston Tea Party, I think.
"For many people in the new EU contries, the European Commission is of ephemeral interest, and some of them may not even know it is headquartered in Brussels, which, however, would definitely count as ignorance nowadays."
Yes, these new countries, most of which are below the economic EU Index average, have the most to gain.
<<Here in NYC, people have no idea about the rest of the country. Most people don't know which state is where, or what the capital of Montana, for example, is. So, talk about a unified country? :-)>>
Here in Eastern Europe, many people have seen and know more of Paris, Berlin or Rome, or even NYC (from movies) than, say, Prague, Warsaw, Krakow, Bratislava or Budapest (depending on which country they are from). I don't say it is not good to know all of the former cities, but still... I hope you get my meaning. :-)
I'm not saying that you need to know about Dante. I'm saying that just knowing something, at least some general information about countries outside North America would be better than none.
Europe is a collection of countries not just one, so your arguement about an Italian knowing all about Europe and you knowing all about the US doesn't work. What do Americans know about Canada? Not much, and we are right next to you.
I'm also not saying that Americans know nothing about other countries, I'm just saying that they don't seem to know much. It is great to know every ounce of history there is to know about your country, I wish we took more Canadian history in High School, but I'm also glad that we are required to take modern world history as well.
This is not meant as an attack on Americans, I would just say it is a criticism of an area that seems to be lacking in your school system. I can't see how any harm would come of learning something about other countries and trying to gain a measure of understanding of them. There are other areas of the world that exert just as much importance on the world as the USA and knowing about them would be good, that's all I'm saying.
It's not France. A lot of French people only speak French.