Is Not Knowing the Capital of Canada a Problem?

[Craig B]

Terry Pratchett

The way I'd say it is: to the average citizen general information about other States is meaningless. People know more things that relate to stuff that is important to them, or is relatively close by.

To stick with the Capital of Canada thing, I'm sure that at some point, probably probably in the 10-12 year old school age range, every child could regurgitate major country Capitals and US states/capitals ...

I don't really mean that sort of learning; what I mean is that educated people might be expected to know, simply as part of their repertoire of general knowledge, the name of the capital of a neighbouring country, or what the proper name of the United Kingdom is. In Europe most educated Germans know the name of the capital of France and vice versa, I think.

 

[catsmate]

Is it also obscure knowledge that Quebec is not a city, but a province, that England is part of the United Kingdom, and that Africa is a continent and not a country?

ETA Oops! Quebec, a province as well as a city, I meant to write. My apologies to the residents of that city.

Well I'd expect any moderately educated person to know these facts.

I'm reminded of the film I Still Know What You Did Last Summer where the (fake) radio competition has the question "What is the capital of Brazil" and the "correct" answer is Rio. I when I saw it I wondered if this was a plot point, i.e. the contest was faked, or if the filmmakers were simply that sloppy.

 

[catsmate]

Terry Pratchett...
<snip>

.............is the most shoplifted author in the United Kingdom.

 

[Meed]

Which leads to the bigger question: Why is it that citizens of the US apparently think that knowledge of the wider world is "meaningless"?

We do? Why do you think Jalok speaks for every US citizen?

I'd say that knowledge of the capitals of other countries is relatively meaningless. As in, of very little value. And I say that as someone who knows almost all the world capitals, which the exception of the really small ones (Andorra, Martinique, Nauru, and so on). Not all knowledge about the wider world is meaningless, though, of course.

 

[MikeG]

We do? Why do you think Jalok speaks for every US citizen?.....

Apologies. I should have worded that differently. I should have asked "If your assertion is correct, then.....?"

 

[Meed]

This typically happens in a nation that deliberately wants to separate the national capital from the influence of that country's economic power. But it can also happen in states. How many know the capital of Montana? Or that it is Austin in Texas? Has anyone not from New York ever even heard of Albany? The capital of Georgia is named Athens? (it isn't, but you just looked that up didn't you?)

Carson City and Annapolis are also good examples.

And I'm guessing most people would guess Melbourne or Sydney if asked the capital of Australia.

 

[Craig B]

Carson City and Annapolis are also good examples.

And I'm guessing most people would guess Melbourne or Sydney if asked the capital of Australia.

My point is that residents of the US are frequently presented with information about their neighbour Canada. Most educated Europeans, I would think, know the names of the capitals of important neighbours. The Norwegians and the Swedes; the citizens of the Baltic States, the Germans and the French, the Belgians and the Dutch and so on.

 

[Travis]

Niamey

And I think I can name most of Africa's 50-odd capitals, as I've been to many of them.

I've never been able to figure out how the capital of Chad is supposed to be pronounced. It looks awesome though.

Which leads to the bigger question: Why is it that citizens of the US apparently think that knowledge of the wider world is "meaningless"? What are the implications of this insularity for the USA's place in the international community?

Do you think that citizens of The Netherlands or Japan or Turkey or Russia, say, are equally as insular?

I think the issue is that knowing the capital is usually only important for politics. The major cities are important to know because that is where the money and people are. If the capital happens to be one then people will know it.

Carson City and Annapolis are also good examples.

And I'm guessing most people would guess Melbourne or Sydney if asked the capital of Australia.

There is also Salem, Oregon and Springfield, Illinois.



Oh and this Yank does know where Victoria Island is. It's a hell of lot bigger than the one people think is called that down in British Columbia.

 

[Meed]

My point is that residents of the US are frequently presented with information about their neighbour Canada.

Actually it's kind of remarkable how little we hear about Canada here. In the build up to the Iraq war, for example I remember a lot of talk of France, the UK and Germany, but I remember pretty much no talk about Canada. Granted Canada has a smaller military, but still, it's not an insignificant one. Or maybe it's just because I don't follow the news that much.

Most educated Europeans, I would think, know the names of the capitals of important neighbours. The Norwegians and the Swedes; the citizens of the Baltic States, the Germans and the French, the Belgians and the Dutch and so on.

Most educated Americans would know who Kim Kardashian is, I think. Doesn't mean not knowing who she was would be a bad thing.

 

[MikeG]

I've never been able to figure out how the capital of Chad is supposed to be pronounced. It looks awesome though.......

Ndjamena...... nnnn-jarm-ay-nar

I been to the border, but not into Chad. The Russians were still active there when I was in the area, and Chad itself (not the people) were remarkably hostile to foreigners, reputedly (from westerners who had just visited).

 

[Professor Yaffle]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/robinedds/this-is-what-happens-when-you-ask-people-to-draw-a-map-of-th

 

[Craig B]

... Most educated Americans would know who Kim Kardashian is, I think. Doesn't mean not knowing who she was would be a bad thing.

I see. So the two kinds of knowledge seem the same to most Americans. Fair enough.

 

[sowhat]

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.

Kind of like most of the threads that gets posted here.

 

[sowhat]

It has always been impossible for any one human to know everything about everything.
With the exponential growth of available knowledge, it seems to me that it is far more important now to know how to find information than it is to memorize it all.

It is helpful to know your way home if your GPS craps out though.

 

[Mudcat]

Friendly suggestion......

......just stop. Stop right now. You're only making things worse and worse.

How am I making it worse? I was wrong and others here are helping me understand how I was wrong.

 

[Mudcat]

Most educated Americans would know who Kim Kardashian is, I think. Doesn't mean not knowing who she was would be a bad thing.

I can proudly say I don't know who Kim Kardashian is and the first time I heard about her family I wondered why CNN was talking about a race from Star Trek (the Cardassians) on national television.

 

[NoahFence]

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.

Capital of Africa?

 

[Meed]

I see. So the two kinds of knowledge seem the same to most Americans. Fair enough.

Except that I'm one American, not most Americans, as far as I know. And I didn't say that they were "the same". I was using an example in order to make a logical point.

 

[FFed]

I see it as a problem. If they are not teaching basic North American geography, what else are they not teaching?

 

[joesixpack]

I see. So the two kinds of knowledge seem the same to most Americans. Fair enough.

For most Americans, Kim Kardashian and Ottawa have the same importance in their lives. Basically, they're both trivial knowledge.