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Are you smarter than a 5th grader or Kellie Pickler?
First of all, I really do like Kellie Pickler. She seems like a lovely person and kind. She certainly sings much better than I do and has made more money than I have--way more. I hate feeling mean, (kind of), but she was mentioned in a recent New York Times article as an example of American fondness for being dumb. Dumb might be too harsh. How about ill-informed? Not intellectual?
On the show "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" Kellie Pickler didn't know the answer to the question, "Where is Budapest?" She's cute as a button, but she hadn't heard of this city before and made the situation worse by saying she thought Europe was a country. (see YouTube video)
Susan Jacoby, the author of the book, "The Age of American Unreason" writes about situations such as Kellie Pickler's geography blunders as a problem in the United States. According to her findings, Jacoby thinks there is a general hostility to knowledge. There is a funny, but very sad anecdote she presents about two men she overhears talking about Pearl Harbor and the Vietnam War. You didn't know there was a connection? There isn't. The two men were a bit confused. One of them hadn't heard of Pearl Harbor. The other said the Vietnam War started after the Vietnamese dropped a bomb in a harbor. That's interesting. Overhearing the conversation inspired Jacoby to write the book. I'm inspired to read it since I'm a befuddled wondering how people could be satisfied living in the world and have no interest in what is past the borders of where they live.
The 5th grader did know where Budapest is. There is hope. Hopefully, he'll remember when he hits high school and after he graduates.
Filed under: Arts and Culture, Learning, Stories, Hungary, Video, Books, News
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Eva Feb 17th 2008 12:54PM
In fairness to Kellie Pickler, I wouldn't expect everyone I know to be able to answer the question "What country is Budapest the capital of?" (which was the question by the by), and I certainly wouldn't have been able to answer that question in Grade Five. It's easy for us travel enthusiasts to forget that for most people, Hungary and Budapest are pretty obscure places.
What got Kellie into trouble, for me, was her thinking that maybe Budapest was the capital of France, and then speculating about whether Europe was a country, and then, when the answer was revealed, making it clear that she had never even heard of a country called "Hungry".
As I wrote in a blog post over at World Hum (http://www.worldhum.com/weblog/item/in_defense_americans_botching_geography_questions_on_television_20071221/) I don't think Kellie Pickler is representative of a particularly American problem - I think all of us could stand to brush up on our geography, but that a lot of foreigners use these videos as an excuse to pick on Americans. What's funny is that a lot of highly educated Americans, like Susan Jacoby, seem eager to do the same.
david farley Feb 17th 2008 1:21PM
To label Ms. Pickler a "non-intellectual" for having never heard of Budapest or Hungary or thinking Europe is a country is being too gentle; after all, if what Susan Jacoby argues is true--that many Americans have an aversion to being educated--then it would be a compliment. But, to respond to Eva's comment, I don't think Jacoby is picking on Americans for their lack of curiosity about the outside world. If Americans cared more about what was happening outside of its borders, then there would be a less apathetic response among Americans to the U.S. government's often over-reaching, flawed foreign policies (i.e. illegally invading countries, organizing coups, and supporting dictatators because it benefits American corporations). An educated citizenry would be better for all of us, and an embarrisingly large percentage of Americans have a sub-standard knowledge of the rest of the world. It's an embarrassment that many Americans are so comfortable with living in ignorance. Susan Jacoby is trying to address the problem. And, since that Times article ran, it seems to be getting a lot of well-deserved attention.
Eva Feb 17th 2008 4:26PM
"An educated citizenry would be better for all of us, and an embarrisingly large percentage of Americans have a sub-standard knowledge of the rest of the world."
David, I completely agree. I just don't think it's an America-specific problem, and treating it as such seems to give the rest of us a license to sit back and gloat when we're really not much better.
Almost none of the British post-graduates I lived with in the UK had any idea that their Queen was also still the Queen of Canada, New Zealand and Australia (plus a whole whack of tiny island nations). Most Canadians I know couldn't name the ten provincial capitals. And I'd bet everything I own that a shocking number of Darfur activists couldn't find the place on a map.
It's great that Susan Jacoby is raising awareness, I just think treating it as another one of America's problems is likely to create a good deal of smug complacency in the rest of the world.
david farley Feb 17th 2008 4:26PM
Right. I completely understand what you mean. But besides believing that the problem is more widespread in the United States, I think it's also more dangerous because the U.S. government has so much more muscle (and, it seems, desire to use it) than countries like Australia or Canada.
Ron Feb 17th 2008 4:25PM
Let me throw another log on the fire...It is our responsibility to eliminate the complacency, smug or otherwise. Jacoby hits it right on the head when she brings it up as an issue that WE should be embarrassed about. We've squandered enough good will offered to us in the past few years...we don't need to show our ignorance to it as well.
david farley Feb 17th 2008 5:12PM
Actually my last comments were meant in response to Eva's--not Ron's. I'm not sure how Eva's got before mine. Strange.
Eva Feb 18th 2008 12:24AM
Yup, #5 was in response to #2, and #4 was in response to #5. Weird.
Fair point about the muscle, and the flexing of it.
Nick Hawkins Feb 18th 2008 8:15AM
I blame the media. You'd think everything else in the world is just great because all we hear about are celebrities and their lives and steroids in baseball instead of world affairs. If they cut out all the trash and went for news, you'd have people learning about affairs of the world.
Sherry May 11th 2008 10:13PM
Has anyone ever heard of publicity? I bet fifth grader has. Don't underestimate Kellie. She isn't just a dumb blonde.
david farley Feb 20th 2008 6:15PM
Sherry--no, I think she's pretty much just a dumb blond, actually.
johnnyb Mar 1st 2008 6:41PM
She's pretty, she's sweet and she can sing. She can thank God (who I'm reasonably certain she believes in unquestioningly) that those attributes are enough to make her a wealthy woman. She's actually turned being a dumb blonde into an art form, although it's not an act. She couldn't find the village missing its idiot with a GPS.
redcoat Nov 27th 2008 3:17PM
PERHAPS BECAUSE WE BRITISH RULED OVER A LARGE CHUNK OF THE WORLD AND WENT TO WAR WITH MOST OF THE REST IN THE LAST 1000 YEARS WE TENDED TO STUDY GEOGRAPHY MORE ?
Anna Jan 11th 2009 7:32AM
I am even dumber than her. At least just had to realize it at online quiz
http://www.paidquiz.site90.com/
but I guess they really tried to trick me so that is not the same thing :D
bob May 22nd 2009 10:27AM
LEAVE KELLIE PICKLER ALON, SHE'S THE HOTTEST FEMALE WOMAN I'VE EVER SEEN AND SHE ROCKS!!!