Is Not Knowing the Capital of Canada a Problem?

[Mudcat]

In a very recent Yahoo! News story, several Havard students were asked what the capital of Canada was and predictably they only report the young students who didn't know the answer, didn't report those that knew the answer and, perhaps more telling, didn't report the older student that also didn't know the answer.

Also predictable was the commentary that followed which lambasted the intellegience of the responders (one commented "What did you expect from a girl with blue hair?"), the state of education today, teachers unions, and the ACA.

So I wanted to gather the opinions of more level headed here at the JREF, as well as actual educators I know post here. Do you think that it's a problem that people don't know what the capital of Canada, mostly because the person asked doesn't live there?

Personally, I don't think so. I personally couldn't even tell you what the capitals of many of the states are without referring to a map or an atlas, and regard it as useless trivia.

 

[GlennB]

It's often pretty obscure knowledge and usually people just go for the biggest or most famous city they can think of.
Australia? Sydney.
Brazil? Rio (not the biggest, not the capital )

We once had an 'interval round' in our village quiz, having to match the US states with their state capitals from written parallel lists. The only team scoring better than 20 had a member who had lived in the States for decades.

 

[Brian-M]

I think it's only a problem if these students are Canadian.

 

[Mudcat]

I think it's only a problem if these students are Canadian.

I don't know the exact data, but I don't think most students from Havard are from Canada. And many may never have been there, either. I think this is something that allows people who hold a very particular and obscure knowledge to feel superior to those smarty pants Ivy League kids.

 

[Madalch]

I don't know the exact data, but I don't think most students from Havard are from Canada. And many may never have been there, either. I think this is something that allows people who hold a very particular and obscure knowledge to feel superior to those smarty pants Ivy League kids.

Basic facts about a G8 country is a "very particular and obscure knowledge"?

 

[Mudcat]

Basic facts about a G8 country is a "very particular and obscure knowledge"?

Before I read the article cited in the original post said the capital of Canada is Ottawa, before reading that I would have said the capital was Quebec. I also don't know the name of the capitals of England, Africa, Australia, or Brazil. I also don't know the capital of the large majority of the states in the country I live in, for that mater.

So yeah, I consider it a very particular and obscure piece of knowledge.

 

[brodski]

You'd be surprised how few people know the capital city of the UK.

 

[Pulvinar]

So yeah, I consider it a very particular and obscure piece of knowledge.

The country's big, has lots of snow, they say "eh?", and use duct tape, lots of duct tape-- what more is there to know? Oh, and there's a maple leaf involved somehow…

 

[Mudcat]

You'd be surprised how few people know the capital city of the UK.

Lexington, Kentucky... Oh wait, that's the University of Kentucky, not United Kingdoms!

 

[C_Felix]

What's their major?

Physics? Knowing the capital of Canada is essential in that field.

 

[Tiktaalik]

I knew it, but I don't know why. I've never, ever had occasion to know the capitol of Canada in my life. My parents used to drill me on the capitols of the states, but once again, I haven't found a use for that knowledge. In many cases the capitols are now fairly obscure cities and remain capitols only due to tradition.

 

[superfreddy]

Before I read the article cited in the original post said the capital of Canada is Ottawa, before reading that I would have said the capital was Quebec. I also don't know the name of the capitals of England, Africa, Australia, or Brazil. I also don't know the capital of the large majority of the states in the country I live in, for that mater.

So yeah, I consider it a very particular and obscure piece of knowledge.

Didn't know Africa had a capital...

 

[IMST]

Seems to me that the name of the capitol cities of other countries is relatively unimportant information about that country. I'd be more interested in a question about the geography, economy or culture of the country.

 

[Lithrael]

I also don't know the name of the capitals of England, Africa, Australia, or Brazil.

Africa being a continent with lots of countries on, I can see where you'd have a bit of trouble.

Aaaahhh Superfreddy beat me to it.

 

[blutoski]

What's their major?

Physics? Knowing the capital of Canada is essential in that field.

I think that's the only important factor involved: were these students of geography or international trade or something?

Comedian Rick Mercer had a recurring segment on a weekly comedy TV show that he called "Talking to Americans" and the premise was basically how much ******** about Canadians will Americans accept before they think they're being had.

The only time I think there was a real 'yikes' moment was when they got an American woman to congratulate Prime Minister Gordon Lightfoot on finally banning the previously legal practice of euthanizing seniors by abandoning them on icefloes. The woman in question was an employee of the State Department.

Having said that, there is something called common knowledge, and we would also expect educated people to be better read and have more common knowledge from a wider domain.

To be frank: I would expect a good portion of Canadians couldn't answer that question either. Many would say it's Toronto.

 

[IMST]

I think that's the only important factor involved: were these students of geography or international trade or something?

Hell, even if they're students of international trade, I'd expect Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Halifax to be more important to knowing about Canada, given Ottawa is inland and nowhere near any major US city.

 

[theprestige]

Basic facts about a G8 country is a "very particular and obscure knowledge"?

I'd say that the fact that Canada is a G8 country is "very particular and obscure knowledge".

 

[blutoski]

Africa being a continent with lots of countries on, I can see where you'd have a bit of trouble.

Heh. That's a line from Last Supper.

Devil: "What if we went to war with Africa."
Luke: "Um. Africa's a continent."

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

I think that's the only important factor involved: were these students of geography or international trade or something?

Comedian Rick Mercer had a recurring segment on a weekly comedy TV show that he called "Talking to Americans" and the premise was basically how much ******** about Canadians will Americans accept before they think they're being had.

The only time I think there was a real 'yikes' moment was when they got an American woman to congratulate Prime Minister Gordon Lightfoot on finally banning the previously legal practice of euthanizing seniors by abandoning them on icefloes. The woman in question was an employee of the State Department.

Having said that, there is something called common knowledge, and we would also expect educated people to be better read and have more common knowledge from a wider domain.

To be frank: I would expect a good portion of Canadians couldn't answer that question either. Many would say it's Toronto.

Wait! It's not Toronto? and

 

[Mudcat]

What's their major?

Physics? Knowing the capital of Canada is essential in that field.

Does Harvard even have a physics major?