The United States is 49th in the world in literacy (the New York Times, Dec. 12, 2004).
The United States ranked 28th out of 40 countries in mathematical literacy (NYT, Dec. 12, 2004).
Twenty percent of Americans think the sun orbits the earth. Seventeen percent believe the earth revolves around the sun once a day (The Week, Jan. 7, 2005).
Funny thing is you and I have never won a lottery. Just because you haven't been polled doesn't mean it's biased.
Name:
Anonymous2006-04-08 5:20
>>41
the absense of evidence is not the evidence of absense
May not mean that it's biased, but it doesn't mean it isn't either
Name:
Anonymous2006-04-08 5:32
Funny thing is, where are the statistics for the same shit about europeans. I bet if you asked all those welsh the same questions they'd be like giving you all the wrong answers. Don't get me started with eastern europe.
>>43 >>44
Face up to the fact that America is dumb.
>The United States is 49th in the world in literacy (the New York Times, Dec. 12, 2004).
>The United States ranked 28th out of 40 countries in mathematical literacy (NYT, Dec. 12, 2004).
That's what happens when everyone gets asked the same questions. America comes near the bottom when it comes to developed countries.
Name:
Anonymous2006-04-08 6:12
>>45
That's because all of the stupid foreigners immigrate into the USA. The intelligent ones with educations stay in their own country and get somewhat important jobs. The stupid ones come here and work on farms and in factories.
168 universities / 298 million people = .6
5 universities / 5 million people = 1
Name:
Anonymous2006-04-08 15:48
Look, what does it matter if 10% of the population don't know how to read? In any sufficiently developed country, that is not the fault of the education system. I'm pretty sure that in the US, like most non-third-world countries, if you wanted to learn how to read, there is no shortage of resources enabling you to do so. The fact that there is a salient illiterate subpopulation suggests that there are jobs that the illiterate can sustain themselves with, most likely manual labor.
I think the bigger problem is the fact that there are all these overeducated college graduates that end up working in data-entry or sales counter positions.
Name:
Anonymous2006-04-08 15:52
>>51
Yes, but the fact is that the main purpose of the 168 universities is not to educate the entire population.
Name:
Anonymous2006-04-08 15:53
Literacy rankings is also stupid. How many Mexicans are there in Finland? ;)
Name:
Anonymous2006-04-08 16:32
>>52
If the goverment does not force its population to learn how to read, there is a big problem.
China has a bigger population. How come their universities are not on top?
Name:
Anonymous2006-04-08 16:57 (sage)
>>53
Not of those 168, but of educational institutions in general. So it's only fair to divide by the population when comparing between different nations.
>>56
Because China sucks even more at educating its population? What are you getting at?
Name:
Anonymous2006-04-08 17:26
The statistic before that already stated that the percentage of kids in college is higher. Whether that education is superior or not depends the school and most likely money.
I can make two obvious points here to clarify these stats.
First point:
In certain other countries (names ommitted to avoid flame wars) if you fail a certain amount of classes they ship you off to a "lower school" or roughly translated "janitor for life". In other words, these people are not polled. In the United States, such things are not done as everyone is given as best a chance as possible to be what they want. The rest is left for individual effort, but this means that the bad eggs are mixed in with the good eggs for such studies where in the other countries the bad eggs are hidden in the closet and not counted.
Second point:
I remember a study once that proved that 50% of bats have rabies. It was later discovered that the study consisted of only 2 bats. I think the point here is obvious.
Name:
Anonymous2006-04-09 3:33
>>60
>I remember a study once that proved that 50% of bats have rabies. It was later discovered that the study consisted of only 2 bats. I think the point here is obvious.
The universities are great because they are mostly full of foreign students. To really check the level of literacy it only make sense to test the primary and secondary.
Just because a small percentage of Americans make it to university doesn't change the fact that the majority are completely retarded like the statistics show.
Name:
Anonymous2006-04-09 14:00
Also just looking at universities is silly as only clever people get there. If you want to look at the general level of education then you must look at primary and secondary, in which Americans fail hard.
87 percent cannot find Iraq
83 percent cannot find Afghanistan
76 percent cannot find Saudi Arabia
70 percent cannot find New Jersey
49 percent cannot find New York
11 percent cannot find the United States
Holy fuck, how retarded do you have to be not to find your own country the size of a gaping vagina on a map. Americans fail.
Looking at universities is irrelevant, because university by construction only contain the cleverest of people. The statistics are about the general level of literacy. And there, the americans fail hard.
Name:
Anonymous2006-04-09 14:06
Math we suck at but 97% for literacy is not failing hare. Stop being overly dramatic.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6462790/from/RL.2/
"American universities are highly dependent on foreign students for teaching and research help, particularly in the sciences and in engineering, a field in which foreigners comprise 50 percent of graduate enrollment."
Name:
Anonymous2006-04-09 14:13
^bleh, ignore that, it's talking about graduates, but the point about irrelevancy of universities when looking at the general literacy still stands.
Name:
Anonymous2006-04-09 14:23
Are you the same as >>63? If so, it is up to you to prove that there are more foreign students. Don't just say it's irrelevant because you can't find the stats to back you up.
Name:
Anonymous2006-04-09 14:28
>>75
I never said universities were irrelevant, but that looking at universities to check the general literacy rate was irrelevant since universities are by construction full of clever people.