A young man received significant attention on social media after sharing how his girlfriend didn’t know basic geography, prompting over 36,400 reactions and 4,800 comments from readers on Reddit.
The original poster (OP) was puzzled when this girlfriend, who had graduated from a private high school and was going into her senior year of college, revealed that she did not know where Florida was on the map.
It was soon uncovered from the conversation that the girlfriend, who was looking at a map whilst traveling at the time, could not point out Australia either.
When OP expressed astonishment at this fact, the girlfriend became defensive and accused him of making her feel “stupid.” He felt bad for making her feel this way, though he thought his reaction may have served as a wake-up call for her to learn some basic geography.
OP was unsure if he was in the wrong for his reaction and asked users on social media if he had been an “a***ole.”
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Is This a Prevalent Problem?
OP’s girlfriend isn’t the only one having problems.
A study was conducted in which 1,000 Europeans and Americans were asked to point out 16 countries on a blank world map. Americans were asked to pinpoint 11 European countries, while Europeans were asked to pinpoint 10 U.S. states. They were also asked to identify various countries, such as China, India, Japan, Brazil, North Korea, Morocco, and Egypt, among others.
American respondents’ knowledge of European countries was evenly spread out. Baby boomers were the best at accurately pinpointing countries with almost 60 percent accuracy.
Gen Xers came in second place with 55.5 percent accuracy, while millennials scored just under 50 percent.
Europeans were better at identifying world countries than Americans, no matter where they traveled on the map.
Other findings were not much better. The National Geographic conducted the 2006 Geographic Literacy Survey, which revealed concerning results about Americans aged 18 to 24. Only 50% of the participants accurately identified the location of New York on an unlabeled map, and just 43% could locate Ohio. Additionally, although 67% could find Louisiana, only 52% were able to correctly identify Mississippi on the map.
Respondents, on average, correctly located only 3.4 out of 7. However, the survey found that 94% of respondents knew the location of the United States. The concerning part was that 3 out of 10 respondents believed the U.S. population was between 1 to 2 billion.
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Reactions From Social Media
Social media users were amused regarding OP’s problem, citing him as “not the a***ole” (NTA).
“If you had rubbed it in and continued to press or make fun, you’d be the a***ole, but that’s a pretty normal reaction,” one person with 4,300 ‘upvotes’ said.
“I’ve met far too many adults who think Alaska and Hawaii are both islands south of California,” another person mentioned.
One user with 32,000 upvotes responded: “My husband did the same to me. So I realized how straight-up dumb it was. I downloaded an app for kids to learn basic geography… Learning and realizing the need to learn things is so important.”
Sometimes If you’re feeling a little bit geographically challenged, don’t be ashamed— get out there and start learning!
This article His Girlfriend Cannot Find Florida on The Map, and He Made Her Feel “Stupid” For Not Knowing was produced and syndicated by TPR Teaching. Source.
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Caitriona Maria is an education writer and founder of TPR Teaching, crafting inspiring pieces that promote the importance of developing new skills. For 7 years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.