People don't glean much information from TV, oddly enough.
Back when I was working on Shadow Syndromes with John Ratey, he told me about a friend of his who was severely dyslexic.
This was a very smart guy, college-educated, professional etc.
He didn't know anything apart from what he had to know for his job.
Importantly: he didn't know trivia.
This was the time of the John Bobbitt assault, and this guy had no idea who John Bobbitt was.
After John told me that I read some surveys on where people got their news.
It turned out that the biggest consumers of TV news were also the biggest newspaper readers (as I recall).
Not reading is a HUGE handicap.
Somehow, people soak up most of their information via reading.
Hirsch has some wonderful data in his book finding that people with high reading comprehension know more about "real-world" things like: What is a carburator?
(What IS a carburator, come to think of it???)
Anyway, point is: people who read know more about everything, including everyday factoids.
Yeah but this IS a set up also. I mean, if I wanted to point out how smart Americans are, I'd just film enough until I had enough footage of people who not only had basic knowledge but profound insights also.
The average American isn't this uneducated, right? Honestly, I'd expect almost all teens and adults to be able to answer most of those questions easily and quickly.
This stuff is over done. From Jay Leno's man on the street interviews and Rick Mercers "Talking to Americans", the ignorance of everyday people is regularly on display. What about "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?"
People are ignorant and love to display it routinely. The problem I have with people is there reluctance to just say I don't know. Its like the world of partial credit is everywhere and they expect to get some points for some wild guess. If you don't know just say it. You can't know everything!
Do people in New Zealand not make these mistakes (Utah is a country-type mistakes, I mean)?
Probably they do. When I was at uni a survey was done on campus where a majority of the students surveyed got the question "Which direction does the sun come up?" wrong.
The problem I have with people is there reluctance to just say I don't know. Its like the world of partial credit is everywhere and they expect to get some points for some wild guess.
I don't think that tells us anything, though. (Well....not necessarily.)
The "social demand" of the situation probably means that once you've agreed to be interviewed on camera you'll feel compelled to come up with some kind of answer.
I always feel like the whole clip is an insult to ME, the viewer. Why?
Because they want the viewers to be entertained and feel good about their own intellect by seeing people even more ignorant than they are. And they have to come up with REALLY dumb stuff in order to get lower than the level at which they percieve their viewers to be.
This is one of the few instances in which I do not take personal offence -- even knowing, as I do, that I, too, would have failed the "country that begins with a U" question.
It would be hillarious if it wasn't so frustrating and true...
ReplyDeleteThe puzzling thing is that a lot of this is referred to in TV shows, movies, etc.
ReplyDeleteI just love those people who identified Australia as Iraq though.
The invasion sequence is a RIOT.
ReplyDeleteGosh, this is the single funniest -- and, in its way, most profound -- "essay on America" I've ever seen.
Two things:
1. yes, ordinary Americans are willing to invade just about anywhere on Earth if it seems like a good idea
2. however, they're not keen on invading anywhere in the world because they're not actually living in the world
This is a big country
A REALLY big country.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, Utah is the size of a some countries
I say these things with affection
ReplyDeleteTracy --
ReplyDeleteThe TV question is fascinating.
People don't glean much information from TV, oddly enough.
Back when I was working on Shadow Syndromes with John Ratey, he told me about a friend of his who was severely dyslexic.
This was a very smart guy, college-educated, professional etc.
He didn't know anything apart from what he had to know for his job.
Importantly: he didn't know trivia.
This was the time of the John Bobbitt assault, and this guy had no idea who John Bobbitt was.
After John told me that I read some surveys on where people got their news.
It turned out that the biggest consumers of TV news were also the biggest newspaper readers (as I recall).
Not reading is a HUGE handicap.
Somehow, people soak up most of their information via reading.
Hirsch has some wonderful data in his book finding that people with high reading comprehension know more about "real-world" things like: What is a carburator?
(What IS a carburator, come to think of it???)
Anyway, point is: people who read know more about everything, including everyday factoids.
Yeah but this IS a set up also. I mean, if I wanted to point out how smart Americans are, I'd just film enough until I had enough footage of people who not only had basic knowledge but profound insights also.
ReplyDeleteThe average American isn't this uneducated, right? Honestly, I'd expect almost all teens and adults to be able to answer most of those questions easily and quickly.
That's kid of what I suspect. They tape a few hours of people on the street and edit it down to just the few real idiots.
ReplyDeleteOf course, it still boggles the mind that anyone could think Al Qaeda is run by Yasir Arafat out of Israel.
That's a guy that knows some words but has absolutely no clue as to what they mean.
For instance, Utah is the size of a some countries
ReplyDeleteGiven that Niue has, from the CIA world Factbook, about 1400 inhabitants and covers 260 sq km, there are suburbs in NZ the size of some countries.
On TV and general knowledge - good point.
That's a guy that knows some words but has absolutely no clue as to what they mean.
ReplyDeleteRight, which is me on subjects too numerous to be named. (Remind me NEVER to respond to a CNN reporter on the subject of the Balkans.)
I don't think TV can ever give you the schema you need to make sense of any of those words and factoids.
It would be interesting to know if people whose sole source of info is TV have more fragmented, jumbled knowledge than readers.
I'm sure they do.
Do people in New Zealand not make these mistakes (Utah is a country-type mistakes, I mean)?
ReplyDeleteThe big one for Americans is always
ReplyDeleteIdaho
Ohio
Iowa
I had a friend with a t-shirt that said something like, "Idaho City, Ohio, Illinois" ---- something like that
ReplyDeleteYou know these folks know who got booted off the island in season 1 of Survivor....
ReplyDeletenicksmama
I wonder if they do???
ReplyDeleteI loved the one guy knowing the phrase "collateral damage," but not the meaning.
This stuff is over done. From Jay Leno's man on the street interviews and Rick Mercers "Talking to Americans", the ignorance of everyday people is regularly on display. What about "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?"
ReplyDeletePeople are ignorant and love to display it routinely. The problem I have with people is there reluctance to just say I don't know. Its like the world of partial credit is everywhere and they expect to get some points for some wild guess. If you don't know just say it. You can't know everything!
Sean
Do people in New Zealand not make these mistakes (Utah is a country-type mistakes, I mean)?
ReplyDeleteProbably they do. When I was at uni a survey was done on campus where a majority of the students surveyed got the question "Which direction does the sun come up?" wrong.
The problem I have with people is there reluctance to just say I don't know. Its like the world of partial credit is everywhere and they expect to get some points for some wild guess.
ReplyDeleteI love it!
They're all doing guess and check!
I don't think that tells us anything, though. (Well....not necessarily.)
ReplyDeleteThe "social demand" of the situation probably means that once you've agreed to be interviewed on camera you'll feel compelled to come up with some kind of answer.
I even more suspicious.
ReplyDeleteI always feel like the whole clip is an insult to ME, the viewer. Why?
Because they want the viewers to be entertained and feel good about their own intellect by seeing people even more ignorant than they are. And they have to come up with REALLY dumb stuff in order to get lower than the level at which they percieve their viewers to be.
This is one of the few instances in which I do not take personal offence -- even knowing, as I do, that I, too, would have failed the "country that begins with a U" question.
ReplyDeleteActually, I wouldn't have failed.
According to Ed, Uganda is still a country.
Of course, if asked, I would have said, "Is Uganda still a country?"
ReplyDelete