The Ignorant American Stereotype

Originally in the May 4, 2012 issue of the Marlin Chronicle

   When I was at National Model United Nations recently with our Model UN team, I had a great conversation with a Parisian student about the upcoming French Presidential elections. Out of nowhere she says that she is so happy that at least one American cares about what is happening in France. That statement struck me because if we are honest with ourselves, Americans are very ignorant of what is happening in other countries and how those occurrences are affecting us at home. How many of you do not even know who the current President is in France? Or who the current Prime Minister is in England? Likely very few of you could answer those questions without googling it on your iphone or Mac.

   There is a stereotype all over the world that the citizens of the United States do not care about anyone outside of their own country and, sometimes, I have to agree. Very few people in the United States even know what the capitals of other countries are, let alone their current events.  Over time I have tried to figure out what the reasoning is behind this phenomenon and there are several that have come to my attention.

   First and foremost is how our education system is structured. Students in the United States spend the better part of eight years without learning even a little bit about other countries in their history classes. No one takes World History until they are in High School and even then it is normally only two years, after that if college is not the next step that person leaves with basically no understanding of the countries outside their own and what effects they might have on the United States everyday. While in other countries the histories and structures of other countries are incredibly important to their education. Their own history emphasizes the interconnection of nations. What can we expect but people who only look so far as Capital Hill, if that, in their view of the world.

   Another problem is the focus of the media and news in the United States. How many times are we going to hear about some celebrity getting married or divorced or going to jail, but not hear about a civil war in Sierra Leone or revolutions springing up throughout the Middle East? What do you think is really more important to our everyday lives? It seems that media in the United States has degenerated to such a point you can barely even find out what is going on in the government in Washington, D.C. or your own state let alone anything that may be happening in the United Nations or other countries. A lot of political science and international studies students have just resorted to using other countries’ news stations. I know that I personally have Al Jazeera bookmarked and subscribe to BBC World News because I can’t get full coverage here in the US. What does that say about our priorities?

   To be fair, there are several people that do worry about what is going on in other countries. Some more informed than others, but they still are trying. An easy way to get informed right here on campus is to just venture into the Office of Intercultural Programming and talking to Lena Johnson or even just go up and ask a professor. More often than not you will find more information than you could ever expect and that stereotype could slowly be turned on its head.