The Problem With Geography Knowledge

 As a kid in rural Alabama schools....I often felt 'blessed' with each geography/history class having a big US and world map.   Now, if you'd asked me of the 25-odd kids in the group....did kids have trouble with assembling where things were?  Oh yeah...probably a quarter of kids just could not handle maps, or names of countries/states.

I was reminded of this from yesterday....watching the Willis/Wade court episode from Atlanta.  Wade showed some geography knowledge....Ms Willis?  Near zero.

I agree....some folks are making it through fifty years of life, with marginal knowledge of geography.  If you mentioned some trip that your church-friend went on, and asked what states they went through....it's fifty-fifty if they can cite that answer.

Is this a big deal?  No.  It's like lawn mower maintenance knowledge....you don't need 100-percent of people or for that matter even 10-percent of people with such knowledge. But you probably need 2-percent of folks to preserve such knowledge.  

Did it make Willis look stupid?  There's probably ten questions that she fumbled through.  The camera didn't really catch the judge, but I would imagine he was mostly shaking his head.

Seven Observations

 1.  I sat and watched the Atlanta Q-and-A with the judge and Fanni Willis/Nathan Wade 'show' from yesterday.  

Seems to be a lot of money that kept getting handed over....in cash.  Maybe it was all OK with taxation....but you just start to wonder about that.

As for the 'show'?  It just felt like a Jerry Springer show.  

2.  Some Brit I noticed yesterday....used the term 'non-transgender-women' (NTW)....in referring to regular ordinary women.  I guess 'NTW' will start to turn into a normal phrase.

3.  There's about 20 occasions per day.....when I'm looking at social media, the news, various podcasts, or social media.....then I'm thinking...is this a parody?  For about 10 seconds....I'll feel this way, then realize....NO, it's not a parody, but it ought to be one.

4. If you'd asked me to gage people in the 1980s to 'today' (presently) on rage....I have to admit we just didn't seem to have rage existing in the 1980s.  Today?  It seems like every 30 minutes...I notice someone on social media or TV....in rage.

5.  I was sitting yesterday and watching business news.  They got to this odd topic.....job growth over the past two or three months.  Statistical data?  Well....the only plus-up....seems to be migrant-hired folks (cheap labor).  Beyond that, it's just awful flat.  I'm not sure all this positive chatter that the President does....really matters.

6.  Back in January....in Kansas....the bronze statue of Jackie Robinson was stolen.  So the cops found it.  The guy who stole it?  Well....Latino guy who wanted cash.  For all that chatter that came ten days after the statue was found missing.....now?  They can't really discuss finding the statue because it doesn't fit the narrative.

7.  Gen Z folks were polled....half of them say they trust AI more than their boss.