Knowledge Of Geography.

[baboon]

Has anyone else noticed that people here have at best a very shaky knowledge of the world around them and what is more,could not care less?A well educated Thai I know could not even tell me which countries border Thailand,and this is a person with a degree!When I commented on this she told me she couldnt see how it mattered.Before I am accused of starting a Thai bashing post,I will point out the fact I am not the sharpest tool in the box myself!

[ROFL]

Has anyone else noticed that people here have at best a very shaky knowledge of the world around them and what is more,could not care less?A well educated Thai I know could not even tell me which countries border Thailand,and this is a person with a degree!When I commented on this she told me she couldnt see how it mattered.Before I am accused of starting a Thai bashing post,I will point out the fact I am not the sharpest tool in the box myself!

see backwards thread...merge?

[Diablo Bob]

I don't think that this is necessarily a Thai thing........

I can remember being back in the USA when Clinton extended recognition to Vietnam, this was somewhere around 1994-96.

I was at TGIF's next door to UCLA, and was just listening to the students talk about this news. The group in question in talking couldn't place Vietnam on a map. They had no conception of the issues or the players in the war etc.

Now this was a war that was ongoing during their lifetimes..........

This is one of the more prestigious universities in the US, these students should have known more.....

[Thaising]

NOt surprised!

[English Noodles]

When i first saw this thread i thought it was going to be about Americans.

P.S. Why all the negitive threads on this site about Thailand and the Thai people?

[baboon]

I was honestly just making an observation.I have a million and one good things to say about Thailand.

[PeaceBlondie]

Even perhaps in a country full of neurotic citizens who worry themselves to a frazzle about the arcane goings-on in some minor place at the opposite end of the earth, geography doesn't often have a significant impact on people's personal or daily lives. In other words, it really doesn't matter, and mai bpen rai is a reasonable attitude.

Citizens of the USA practically tie with their neighbors, the Mexicans, on world knowledge tests administered by the National Geographic Society. But they know far more about North America than most Europeans or Asians do, if that matters.

Lots of geography is trivial, or incorrect. Eurasia is one continent. There are not seven seas. Central America is only the kite's tail of North America. North and South Carolina are about as similar as North and South Dakota are.

The Cornish can tell you fine points about Land's End, and my daughters can navigate their nearby neighborhood of Southmost, Texas, which is as close to the equator as the suburbs of Miami, Florida. Many place names are repeated, such as Miami, Ohio (both with universities) and Paris, Texas (name of a movie title).

Who cares which Wretchedburi is close to Isaanity? Is Lampang that different from Lamphun? And why should we call it anything but Burma, considering its leadership?

[Diablo Bob]

When i first saw this thread i thought it was going to be about Americans.

P.S. Why all the negitive threads on this site about Thailand and the Thai people?

I don't know why/what is going on .......... you have a couple of characters involved on another thread that have gotten to a point where they can't/won't back down. You always have a few but I think the other thread is around 18 pages of garbage and climbing.

[baboon]

I was rather hoping this post would invite discussion rather than invective.

[simon43]

When I was a child in the UK, my father gave me a shortwave radio to listen to. Very soon, I was listening to exotic music from farflung places such as Bujumbura and Ulan Bator. I soon learn the capital city of virtually every country in the world, and learn their general location on the map, particularly in regards of how many hours ahead or behind the UK they were. To listen to these faraway stations and eavesdrop on their local politics, music and culture was fascinating.

I was never much good at geography, but I simply cannot understand why most people do not have an interest in learning about other countries, religions, languages, cultures, food and music.

So, in reply to the OP, I agree with you and I think it shameful that Thai people seem little interested or knowledgable re other countries.

That said, I can apply the same comments to most nationalities...

Simon

PS - 1000 thanks to my father who instilled in me this lifelong interest

[slackula]

Geographical ignorance is certainly not limited to Thailand:

http://www.prube.com/story.php?id=328

**Some language NSFW in that link**

Edited June 6, 2006 by slackula

[ROFL]

P.S. Why all the negitive threads on this site about Thailand and the Thai people?

Could be the DEVIL?

It is 6-6-06

[Ulysses G.]

Even perhaps in a country full of neurotic citizens who worry themselves to a frazzle about the arcane goings-on in some minor place at the opposite end of the earth, geography doesn't often have a significant impact on people's personal or daily lives. In other words, it really doesn't matter, and mai bpen rai is a reasonable attitude.

Here, here!

[TBWG]

Even perhaps in a country full of neurotic citizens who worry themselves to a frazzle about the arcane goings-on in some minor place at the opposite end of the earth, geography doesn't often have a significant impact on people's personal or daily lives. In other words, it really doesn't matter, and mai bpen rai is a reasonable attitude.

Hi

Although I agree worrying about events on the other side of the World will not solve them, I do think it is in everyones interest to know why events in far flung places are affecting our daily lives.

Increased fuel prices, unpredictable weather patterns, late rainy season, bird flu should all be of concern to Thai people and geographical knowledge helps us to understand why.

Now the posters on this web are fortunate in that most have done an awful lot of travelling and if my own experience is anything to go by I have learnt a lot more by travelling than I ever did at school. It may not be possible for the average Thai to trot the Globe, but geography is a good start for an enquiring mind.

TBWG

[Donz]

This Guy I know at my part time job as a masters degree and he didnt know where Penrith is in sydney and he lives in sydney.

So e must have a very shakey at best knowledge of australia

[thaibebop]

When i first saw this thread i thought it was going to be about Americans.

P.S. Why all the negitive threads on this site about Thailand and the Thai people?

I love it. Why all the negitive threads about Thais we should be bashing Yanks on a Thai related website. Why all the negitive threads posts period.

[meom]

When i first saw this thread i thought it was going to be about Americans.

P.S. Why all the negitive threads on this site about Thailand and the Thai people?

There's of course the story about the girl working at the London Tourist Board. She gets a phone-call from Texas. What could she recommend for a two-day stopover in England?

Well, there's a lot to see... Does the caller have any personal preferences?

"Well, I figured on the first morning I might rent a car and drive around the island..."

[redrus]

When i first saw this thread i thought it was going to be about Americans.

P.S. Why all the negitive threads on this site about Thailand and the Thai people?

I don't know why/what is going on .......... you have a couple of characters involved on another thread that have gotten to a point where they can't/won't back down. You always have a few but I think the other thread is around 18 pages of garbage and climbing.

Never posted a negative thread about LOS in my life, IIRR.

I do like havin a laugh though, weather some call it garbage is up to them.....

redrus

[BKK90210]

Don’t worry…People are people everywhere

Here are some examples

Some American still think Thailand is “Taiwan”

Some farangs still think Thailand is just Bkk, Pattaya, Phuket, or Koh Samui

Most Asians still think that….if you’re a farang (w/ white skin), you must be rich!

People in western countries still think that the new immigrants are poor and uneducated

Or many thai girls still think to have a life in US or UK will be wonderful for them…(according to the pics from movies and magazines)

On and on….

[TRIPxCORE]

I don't think that this is necessarily a Thai thing........

I can remember being back in the USA when Clinton extended recognition to Vietnam, this was somewhere around 1994-96.

I was at TGIF's next door to UCLA, and was just listening to the students talk about this news. The group in question in talking couldn't place Vietnam on a map. They had no conception of the issues or the players in the war etc.

Now this was a war that was ongoing during their lifetimes..........

This is one of the more prestigious universities in the US, these students should have known more.....

Ummm, I think what you say, Diablo Bob, is not quite right. These college kids did not have the Vietnam War happen during their lifetime. If they were alive at that point, they were babies. Hardly an age where they would be able to follow current events.

That is not an excuse for them not to know it. It's hard for me to believe that someone couldn't find a country on a map too. It's just your reasoning is flawed.

When i first saw this thread i thought it was going to be about Americans.

I love it. Why all the negitive threads about Thais? We should be bashing Yanks on a Thai related website!

Ya, right on TBB! Those frickin Americans!!!!!!!!

[Diablo Bob]

Ummm, I think what you say, Diablo Bob, is not quite right. These college kids did not have the Vietnam War happen during their lifetime. If they were alive at that point, they were babies. Hardly an age where they would be able to follow current events.

That is not an excuse for them not to know it. It's hard for me to believe that someone couldn't find a country on a map too. It's just your reasoning is flawed.

TRIPxCORE since when has your early childhood/baby years not been part of your lifetime? You missed the point totally, this was an event that happened while they were alive, this was an event that pretty much was rerun through Hollywood for the next two decades with Rambo and Chuck Norris movies. This was an event that had at least 58,000 lost lives, this wasn't an obscure event, this event was partially responsible for significant social and political upheavals in the US...... On this I am quite right!

Now when one student turns to another and asks "Where is Vietnam?" and the answer is "Somewhere around India!" and not one other student corrects this mistake, I would say nobody at that table could find it on a map without titles..........

[johnh101]

Has anyone else noticed that people here have at best a very shaky knowledge of the world around them and what is more,could not care less?A well educated Thai I know could not even tell me which countries border Thailand,and this is a person with a degree!When I commented on this she told me she couldnt see how it mattered.Before I am accused of starting a Thai bashing post,I will point out the fact I am not the sharpest tool in the box myself!

When I lived in the US I was astounded at the ignorance of normal people to the world around them.

Is Scotland near the Middle East ?

Can you drive from Scotland to Thailand ?

Is Dubai Bigger than the US ?

Etc, etc.

Once I got so frustrated I drew a map of the world to show everyone where everywhere was. One of the guys perped up "Hey I have seen that picture before......they had one on the wall in 3rd grade"

[taxexile]

When I was a child in the UK, my father gave me a shortwave radio to listen to. Very soon, I was listening to exotic music from farflung places such as Bujumbura and Ulan Bator. I soon learn the capital city of virtually every country in the world, and learn their general location on the map, particularly in regards of how many hours ahead or behind the UK they were. To listen to these faraway stations and eavesdrop on their local politics, music and culture was fascinating.

I was never much good at geography, but I simply cannot understand why most people do not have an interest in learning about other countries, religions, languages, cultures, food and music.

So, in reply to the OP, I agree with you and I think it shameful that Thai people seem little interested or knowledgable re other countries.

That said, I can apply the same comments to most nationalities...

Simon

PS - 1000 thanks to my father who instilled in me this lifelong interest

well posted , the acquisition of one piece of knowledge will (or should , in somebody with a working brain) lead to the acquisition of the next piece of knowledge and to the development of an inquiring mind. the gaining of general knowledge early in life is all part of the process that distills our interests and shapes our futures.

for some people its music or languages , for some it is history , for some its the working of machines or the human body , for me it was the contours on an ordnance survey map of almscliffe crags , a rocky outcrop in a field between leeds and harrogate that i just had to go and see for myself.

i was lucky enough to have had an inspirational geography teacher during my early days at school , who would spend hours explaining the finer points of ordnance survey maps to us , this led to my interest in local topography and history , to my exploring my local areas either by walking or by cycling , this led to the purchase of large atlases and an interest in travel which has taken me all over the world.

it was my obsession with odd sounding place names in far off countries that got me away from the dull rut of a 9 to 5 existence and ended up with me living here in thailand.

last month , a university educated thai man asked me if london was a country .

this same man later in our conversation explained in great detail the workings of an electricity generating plant , all in perfect english.

[chuchok]

My wife tells me that i don't know where my home is.......

[Scott]

Diablo Bob--The fact that those students from UCLA couldn't figure out where Vietnam is, isn't surprising. I was at TGIF's one night and I couldn't figure out where my home was!

[Sing_Sling]

This Guy I know at my part time job as a masters degree and he didnt know where Penrith is in sydney and he lives in sydney.

So e must have a very shakey at best knowledge of australia

I'd say that not knowing Penrith is a matter of choice . . .

[phibunmike]

I was rather hoping this post would invite discussion rather than invective.

I realised that my TW's knowledge of world geography was very limited, which is not surprising as her schooling was curtailed due to lack of funds. However she is very intelligent, so it is frustrating that her opportunities to learn were limited.

My response to this was to buy a wall-chart world map, in both Thai and English, and put it on the wall in a hallway. Whenever we walk past I ask something like "Where's China" and she has to point. It seems to work well....

[Misplaced]

While attending Uni in Michigan I was asked many times where I'm from(ofcourse I said Thailand), than they always asked "so can you speak Taiwanese?" .

Now, when people asked me where I'm from, my simple reply is I'm from Mexico. I always get a blank stare, a smile and a "Oh ok" -or- "Naaaahhh, really? you don't look Mexican"

[Ulysses G.]

I had a great geography teacher too, kind of got a basic idea of where most countries are - without memorizing the whole map - and travel has made it all real and much clearer.

Nobody but a Poindexter would memorize the map with no reason.

[Indo-Siam]

Geographic ignorance is the norm, workldwide, not the exception. Together, India and China have more than one third of the world's population - how many of these billions of people are likely to be able to sort out the nations of the world on a globe - or a world map?

The best sarcasm is probably wrapped up at: http://www.joke-archives.com/ponder/australia.html

Interesting comment earlier about shortwave radio - that's also how I got interested in world geography - after I dug out and fixed an old tube-style Zenith Trans-Oceanic shortwave radio that dated back to the 50's. At 15 years old, I was listening to all of the far-off places, finding them on a map, and dreaming of visiting. 35 years later, I've managed to visit a lot of those places - literally living out what used to just be dreams.

Cheers

Indo-Siam