USC Clueless Families?

[Dr. Obvious 49]

When I was pregnant with my daughter, my mother asked if Germany had diapers because she could send some if they didn't.

[almaty 19]

southern illinois rules..my honme tyrf..i lose 30 points on my iq when i go down there

Yes, I can see why!! She lives in a hick town called Percy (Sparta, Chester & Carbondale being the only towns of any sort of size nearby).

know percy well. i am from williamson county...herrin..near marion

[paul. 0]

Well, my wife comes from a small town on an Indian Reservation in NE Oklahoma. A lot of the folks there have never left the county, let alone the State (bearing in mind, 20 miles north of us is Kansas...! ).

I absolutely love it there because people haven't ever lived in a city and are therefore very, very friendly and it is just a great place to call home.

I've had all the questions like, "do you celebrate christmas", etc but put it all down to lack of knowledge and tried to educate them that England was indeed a first world country with running water, cars and al that. Then this one time we were having a grill in the front yard and we invited a cowboy on his walk home from a nearby ranch to join us (Yes, our community is THAT small).

We were talking about how I'd nearly been there 85 days and had to go back on the 85th day to avoid problems with the VWP. He asked me where my accent was from. I said "England", he says "how far away is that?", I say "about 4500 miles" and finally, he replies, verbatim, "Damn, that's gotta be the longest darn drive ever!".

Some of our locals have never been in an aeroplane and we don't have any overhead airways with large airliners flying past, so I guess for the uneducated that don't watch TV and never leave the county, flying is a pretty crazy thought...hehehe.

[Soancika+Brian 0]

I told him that we don't have cars and that we ride dinosaurs.

Though to back up, I was surprised to see how many people were still using horses and carts in the far countryside. Sure there were cars, but also horses and carts. There was electricity, but few houses had running water, it all came from a well, one of those old fashioned draw types. Most of the old people we saw were dressed like I had seen in ancient Soviet photos of village people. The trains came to match, smoking Soviet era beasts. It was really weird to contrast that with what I saw of Lithuania from Vilnius and Kaunas. Like stepping back in time 60-100 years. Still, I'd recommend a visit to anyone who is ever out that way. I'd like to go back sometime.

Yes, thats the deep country side. Some country side people still use wells because water tastes way better, and horses. Soviet times just stayed with them. You painted the picture very darkly here.

Not every country is as beautiful as Germany. And i mean it. Would love to go back to Germany myself.

[Teacher Mark 53]

Some of our locals have never been in an aeroplane and we don't have any overhead airways with large airliners flying past, so I guess for the uneducated that don't watch TV and never leave the county, flying is a pretty crazy thought...hehehe.

If it's an aeroplane, why isn't it an aeroliner?

[paul. 0]

Physics...?

[trinket 30]

I have made it a habit of saying -- I am from India rather than I am Indian.

Whenever I say the latter I am being asked which tribe I belong to

I am not sure if its good or bad, but most of the time people can't really tell that I am from India untill I let them know. The other day I was asked by a lady at the grocerry store if I am from Hawaii

Edited February 3, 2009 by trinket

[MrsAmera 41]

My family was not as clueless as was everyone else. Let me tell you no one in Western WI had any idea where Morocco was - many thought it was Monaco and asked how rich he was. But as soon as I said it was in North Africa they said "oooooh AFRICA?? have you been there? Did you see any elephants or giraffes??" Yes because in Africa everything is the same....

[Soancika+Brian 0]

My family was not as clueless as was everyone else. Let me tell you no one in Western WI had any idea where Morocco was - many thought it was Monaco and asked how rich he was. But as soon as I said it was in North Africa they said "oooooh AFRICA?? have you been there? Did you see any elephants or giraffes??" Yes because in Africa everything is the same....

That's funny!!!

[Lyuba 0]

People get surprised when I tell hem that we don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Russia. Hullo, pilgrims came from Europe to America, not the other way around.

My mother-in-law thought I would have no clothes when I first got here. Where did she take this idea that Russian people are so poor that they wear the same clothes every day? Was she surprised when I showed up in my mink coat.

[sereia 0]

What do you expect when the average IQ in the US is 100? Of course they don't know where Bulgaria is or even knew it was a country before you said so! Most people are DUMB. Period.

[andreea 0]

I didn't get any weird questions from my relatives there because they didn't ask much. they just visited for the wedding and found out here how things r. only my mother in-law asked me how i will celebrate thx giving. next will probably be to ask what i am doing for 4th of july...

as some pointed here, is an educational system fault. it might be, because is easier to run uneducated ppl and tell them what is right and wrong, what should be done next, and they won't question it. not to educate ppl in history and geography is somehow political. what would they need it for anyways? better use that time to learn how to produce somth, be useful for the nation, and let the high positioned ppl take decisions, while ignorants agree.

but what is bothering is while average person knows lil about the world, they get very excited when u ask them who should we bomb next. so I'd say or u wish to know more than u r thought, and then u can learn all alone, or settle with the idea u shouldn't have an opinion, because is not documented. a person isnt only the result of educational system, is also about personal wish for knowledge.

now with appologies in advance for the next links, and without trying to say everyone is like this, here r few examples of ppl who have vote rights and in a way or another bring their contribution to all world history, because is all conected.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ghdwINqirU

[sereia 0]

What do you expect when the average IQ in the US is 100? Of course they don't know where Bulgaria is or even knew it was a country before you said so! Most people are DUMB. Period.

Morocco's is 85. Which is, like, 72 points less than the US. So there.

Huh? Was I comparing? I never claimed Morocco to be a country of geniuses. (far from it) But to be baffled that people don't know where countries like Bulgaria, Morocco, Ukraine, and the like when the average person here has a 100 IQ? It is not surprising to me at all.

So there!

[Shad and Dani 3]

If somebody doesn't know where my country is ,all they need to do just ask. I will do my best to explain where to find it,but don't try guessing...Oh Lithuania it's Transilvania right? Soo do you guys still have vapires in your country?...

The funny thing is that Halloween isn't really celebrated in the Balkans. I've been wanting to travel to Romania forever to see Dracula's castle, but Bulgarians could care less about going there. Plus they complain about all the Romanian gypsies

Actually, the Castle Bran (I think that is the name of Dracula's Castle) is really not that big a deal. Less than an hour to go through it, and hours to get there. And vampires in Lithuania? Too funny

Dracula or (Vlad's) real castle is in the Valley of Peles, deep in the mountains. If you want the gift shop you can visit Bran Castle...

[panamania79 2]

One of my family members asked me where France was. I was shocked. I have to say that I could brush up on my knowledge of E. Europe...I just looked at a map of eastern Europe...uh oh. Off to study right now.

I thought everybody knew where France was........vive la france