Most uninformed people

[NovaKart]

I was helping out this guy with his English studies, he's a 17 year old Turkish guy, and there were all these questions like - Was Christopher Columbus an explorer, was Mozart a composer. He had never heard of either one of them. I know it's not just a pronunciation issue either because even when I described who they were he didn't know. I'm in Eastern Turkey now in a real provincial city so this isn't typical all over Turkey, most people in Western Turkey know more about the world. In this English book there's also references to the Beatles and I was surprised that no one here knew who they were either. This same guy was confused when I asked him about George Bush and then said " Oh Bush" when I said he was the American president.

I guess it does sound a bit like I'm expecting people in Turkey to know about Western culture but it surprises me because I've found most Turks to be familiar with at least the very well known people in Western culture but here in this part of Turkey, they aren't as much.

As far as people back in America, I do sometimes come across people who when they hear I was working in Turkey, they think it's like Saudi Arabia and you can't drink alcohol and women have to veil. Once I saw a women who was being interviewed about this small community's reaction to a Buddhist monastery being built there and she said she had never heard of Buddhism and thought it was some kind of cult.

It still just amazes me to hear this stuff. I could see if you were some villager I guess but not someone living in the modern world.

 

[Artifis]

You've built up a situation for us but I'm still not sure what the point of discussion really is. Is it regarding a lack of education? Or how widespread ignorance is, and what we should be doing to combat it? Or is it just a thread which is shaking its head at how little people really do know?

If it's the last one, if I had that in mind I'd be shaking my head a lot...

 

[Tahuti]

I've never been to Turkey myself but aren't these provincial communities a bit "shielded off". I doubt most of them even have TV's or Computers. Please correct me if I'm wrong; but if it is true, I'd say: "no wonder".

AFAIK Turkey has two sides: One very modern westernized side, and one very traditional side. This a very clear example of the latter It seems.

 

[Thoughtful Thug]

I get that a lot from people I associate with on a regular basis here. You can say I live in a provincial town.

Most people are satisfied of their "world" being so small. Since they are too busy struggling within it.

They would probably know more about things like which neighbor is having an affair on his wife, who has the biggest tractor, and other things.

 

[Lillefix]

I suspect there are a couple of people around here too who believe Buddhism is some obscure sect.

 

[Thoughtful Thug]

I suspect there are a couple of people around here too who believe Buddhism is some obscure sect.

I think I can beat you by saying that there are people over here that would not even understand what an "obscure sect" means.

 

[Godwynn]

I suspect there are a couple of people around here too who believe Buddhism is some obscure sect.

At least I don't judge all of Islam based on the radical violence of their Buddhist sect.

 

[Artifis]

I think I can beat you by saying that there are people over here that would not even understand what an "obscure sect" means.

"Obscure sect"? Wuzzat?

 

[Arakhor]

Watching the BBC quiz show Pointless will expose that there is thundering ignorance in any group of people. They always give 100 people 100 seconds to come up with answers to various questions. Classics have included three people not knowing how David Beckham was, not saying Germany when asked to name a German-speaking country in Europe and completely forgetting to say "GB" when asked to name a country-identification plate when driving abroad.

 

[Artifis]

I'm sure this is pretty well-known by now, but what the heck:


Link to video.

 

[Lillefix]

At least I don't judge all of Islam based on the radical violence of their Buddhist sect.

In the Legend of Dune books, Buddislam is actually notoriously pacifistic.

 

[Leoreth]

Now to be fair, how much does the average European/American know about important persons from Turkish/Middle Eastern culture and politics? I can't name any head of government of Turkey before Erdogan, for example.

 

[Lillefix]

Now to be fair, how much does the average European/American know about important persons from Turkish/Middle Eastern culture and politics? I can't name any head of government of Turkey before Erdogan, for example.

Not even Atatürk(or perhaps he was only head of state)?

 

[Artifis]

Now to be fair, how much does the average European/American know about important persons from Turkish/Middle Eastern culture and politics? I can't name any head of government of Turkey before Erdogan, for example.

In response, how many Turkish/Middle Eastern people have had such an influence over modern pop culture/politics as The Beatles, George Bush and the like?

And Buddhism is a pretty silent and non-confrontational belief, which would explain why it doesn't get that much media attention compared to the other main belief systems.

 

[NovaKart]

The discussion was just what examples of shocking ignorance have you noticed before and possibly what do you think the reasons for that are.

Even in Eastern Turkey most people have TVs and access to computers if not their own computer.

 

[Quackers]

Watching the BBC quiz show Pointless will expose that there is thundering ignorance in any group of people. They always give 100 people 100 seconds to come up with answers to various questions. Classics have included three people not knowing how David Beckham was, not saying Germany when asked to name a German-speaking country in Europe and completely forgetting to say "GB" when asked to name a country-identification plate when driving abroad.

Meh, the aim of the audience is to find out the most obscure answers to these questions so I'll let'em off with not getting the common ones.

 

[Thoughtful Thug]

I'm sure this is pretty well-known by now, but what the heck:


Link to video.

You know what even scary? Most of them probably went to a community college.





This is probably a repeat thread...

 

[Quackers]

Now to be fair, how much does the average European/American know about important persons from Turkish/Middle Eastern culture and politics? I can't name any head of government of Turkey before Erdogan, for example.

Not even Atatürk(or perhaps he was only head of state)?

Indeed, there are probably 1 billion Indians who would gawp at me for not knowing one of there famous Bollywood actors

 

[Formaldehyde]

The discussion was just what examples of shocking ignorance have you noticed before and possibly what do you think the reasons for that are.

Even in Eastern Turkey most people have TVs and access to computers if not their own computer.

As others have pointed out, you don't have to travel to Eastern Turkey to find examples. Just going to a local mall anyplace in the US would reveal plenty of evidence.

And I think there is just one primary reason for it: lack of a proper education. It seems like a herculean task just to get most people to the level of basic literacy these days, much less getting them to the point where they are knowledgeable enough to be able to properly vote in a representative democracy.

 

[classical_hero]

I'm sure this is pretty well-known by now, but what the heck:


Link to video.

Everyone knows the Chaser only left in the really stupid answers and not the smart one. They did it for the laughs.