U S of A

So according to a poll (insert drum roll) 1 out of every 5 Americans is unable to locate the United States on a map. As ludicrous and unbelievable as that statistic may be - and I hope it is - even if the statistic was lets say... 1 out of every 205 Americans is unable to find America on a map, it is still equally embarrassing.

This is what one of the fine young women who has the honor of representing the fine state of South Carolina believes is a possible solution for the geographic catastrophe:



First off. Although it is very very very tempting, so tempting it warrants the three very's that precede it, to use this video as a segue for blond jokes, I will refrain for now.

Secondly this is absolutely brilliant. Not only is she a great social anthropologist and capable of noticing the utterly shocking fact that there is a serious shortage of cartographic images in America, but she is also a wonderful philanthropist who wants to extend her love to both Iraq and South Africa (twice). Not to mention, she also managed to work the phrase "build up our future for the children," into her answer. Brilliance I tell you. She is a both a wonderful representation of the state of South Carolina and of the United States education system.

You know what the scariest thing about this is... as of the time of this post, 9.5 million people have watched this video and 1 in 5... you do the math.

After reviewing all of this, and thinking about the problem at hand I have to ask: Where oh where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? Is it a coincidence that ever since Carmen and her entourage, "A Capella" have left the air, that one in five Americans cannot find America on a map let alone a spinning globe? I think not. I am utterly confident that she will be able to fill the void of geographic knowledge that a fifth of America supposedly has. She also has a catchy theme song. There is however, an underlying problem. If Carmen Sandiego is hiding in America, how are the geographically challenged ever going to find her? The world may never know; but they can sure laugh at us while we figure it out.



Once we master this game we can move on to such bigger and better things such as...
"Where in the Universe (gasp!) is Carmen Sandiego"

So... A dumb blond was bragging about her knowledge of the state capitals of the United States. She proudly announced, " go ahead, ask me any of the capitals, I know them all!"

So I ask, "So what's the capital of Wyoming?"

The Blond replies, "Oh, that's easy, 'W'."

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

PS: For those who want a rather obsessive and simple geographic lesson in humility I recommend trying Geo Sense. It's a site that will show just how little you know about Central and South America, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asian countries that are not China, South Korea, Japan, or India. It's a site that will also conjure up such thoughts as "Madagascar? I know it's an animated movie, and it sounds African."

That is all

-ydollar