USA USA USA USA!!!!

Well lets be fair, the world is flipping huge. Is it really reasonable to ask that everybody be able to identify the distinct social, linguistic, or even geographical differences between two locations with similar sounding names when:

A. They've never been there
B. It neither helps nor hurts their lives to know or not know.
C. Those locations have people likely no better familiar with the particulars of the western hemisphere either.

Look I enjoy history, I enjoy travel, I lived in Europe, I lived in Asia, I lived in the middle east.

But I've been fortunate in many ways. And by the way, the locals in those areas that I have met, are not super knowledgable about the United States either.

I'm all for high standards, but lets pick standards that are relevant to our lives and prosperity, the capital of Chechnya is trivia to me, information useful ONLY if I'm playing trivial pursuit or on Jeopardy. Knowing the most popular language of the Czech Republic helps me not a whit.

Sure, its a good idea to be informed on world history, but its a big world and there is a lot of history, and yes it matters when it comes to politics, but it matters more that our politicians know this information, than it does for average citizens, who have no impact beyond a vote or a grass roots campaign, when it comes to matters political.

Reminds me of the time when Russia invaded Georgia. Our message board's token moron felt the need to explain to everyone that it was the former Soviet Republic Georgia, not the southeastern state in the U.S.

I still remember when Chechnya was part of Chechnyaslovenia.

At least the idiots only went wild on twitter. Really, it is surprising that someone didn't try to throw eggs at the Czech Republic Embassy.

But of course nothing ever happens in Chechnya.

Robert, it's my understanding the announcement was put out in response to bomb threats. So yes, you should be able to identify the country you want to bomb when making a threat.

A few years back, my middle daughter mentioned to a schoolmate that she'd gone to the Philippines the previous summer to visit relatives. "Wow," said the schoolmate, "I've never been to South America before!"

Of course, it's easy to laugh at ignorant people in this country, since they're right here in front of us. But, as Robert pointed out above, it wasn't terribly important for the schoolmate to know where the Philippines is. In any case, I suspect that kind of geographical ignorance isn't really unique to the United States.

Some of the photos you're seeing of the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas (which is NOT in West Texas- it's between Waco and Dallas) are from the Czech Stop. Czechs make Kolaches, not bombs- and if you don't know the difference between the Czech Republic and Chechnya, you shouldn't have graduated from high school.
Do these fools know that Austria and Australia aren't the same country?
Also, repeat what NicholeK said.

(...says the proud Czech-German...)

"if you don't know the difference between the Czech Republic and Chechnya, you shouldn't have graduated from high school."
This is so true. And yes I do think that probably geographic/geopolitical ignorance is a uniquely american trait. I know that where I live someone mistaking Chech for Chechnya would be laughed at, just the same as if they confused Ohio and Ontario.

No, no, no, Runia. In my part of the country we don't call it "Ohio", we pronounce it as "Iowa."

Do these fools know that Austria and Australia aren't the same country?

I've been told by a very smart fellow that Austrians speak Austrian.

And yes I do think that probably geographic/geopolitical ignorance is a uniquely american trait.

Um, no. Most non-Americans who've never travelled here are as ignorant of the USofA as most Americans who've never traveled There are of There.

For instance, and without looking, what is the state capital of Missouri? Alabama? Florida?

Most non-Americans who've never travelled here are as ignorant of the USofA as most Americans who've never traveled There are of There.

When I first talked to my wife (who grew up in the Philippines but was living in Germany at the time), I explained that I grew up in Ohio. "Is that a cowboy state?" she asked.

Find a Chechnyan (who lives there and has never travelled here) who can tell me the difference between and locations of Colorado and California. People like to act as if Americans are the only people unconcerned with information that doesn't affect them. We're not.

if you don't know the difference between the Czech Republic and Chechnya, you shouldn't have graduated from high school.

When I graduated from high school, neither one existed per se.

That said, as a kid, I remember being confused when I read that Stalin was from Georgia. But I mean a kid of 10 or 12, and long before Georgia was anything but an idea in the minds of some people buried deep within the USSR.

Well lets be fair, the world is flipping huge. Is it really reasonable to ask that everybody be able to identify the distinct social, linguistic, or even geographical differences between two locations with similar sounding names

Well, yeah, if you're going to go on a public forum and tweet at an embassy about how they "deserve" to be bombed, I DO expect you to get it right. And if you get it wrong, I'm going to laugh and laugh. This isn't like quietly asking a friend, "So, I actually have no idea what Chechnya IS, can you explain?" We're not talking about blasting people for their ignorance here (I, too, did a Google search on Chechnya) -- we're just blasting those who crow their ignorance from the rooftops.

As for geographical ignorance, I've found it to be most plentiful on the East Coast. Not sure if it's a sense of self importance that comes from those who live major cities, but I'd always get an earful from well-traveled New Yorkers and Washingtonians about how people from small towns in the "flyovers" (like me!) were ignorant and poorly educated. Meanwhile, I could easily tell New Hampshire and Vermont apart, while these same people would talk about how Chicago was on the border of Canada. And how Kentucky was "out west." And I'd mention I had moved to DC from St. Louis, and, then they'd ask me if I was going "back to Mississippi for Christmas." Oh yeah, and Texas and California share a border, according to MY ENTIRE team of grad student New Yorkers on trivia night.

Sofar, my main concern is not that those people don't know where New Mexico and Arizona are, but where they think those states might be.

Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space. -- Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy