When E M Risse frets about Americans’ geographic illiteracy, he’s worried about their inability to comprehend some fairly complex relationships at the intersection of economics, society and physical space. If Americans are stumped over brain teasers such as, “What country is Budapest the capital of” — or worse, “Is Europe a country” — it may be a while before they grasp the fundamentals of human settlement patterns.
This clip from “Are You As Smart As a Fifth Grader” is a case in point. Kelly Pickler, of American Idol fame, can belt out a country song, and she deserves credit for overcoming a difficult childhood. She’s also as cute as a button — if I were 20 years old, I’d probably have a crush on her. But she’s the living embodiment here of the blonde bimbo, and testimony to geographic illiteracy.
Pickler’s ignorance of the most elementary geography is an indictment of her schooling in New London, N.C., not far from Charlotte. How can Americans hope to compete in a global economy if they’ve never heard of Hungary, or if they guess that Budapest might be a city in France… or would that be Europe? Let us hope Virginia schools do better.
