Juan Cole: God’s Way of Teaching Americans Geography
Juan Cole: God’s Way of Teaching Americans Geography
Prof. Juan Cole notes that in a poll taken a few years ago, three-quarters of Americans couldn’t find Iran on a map and another two-thirds couldn’t find Iraq. This fact didn’t stop a majority of Americans from supporting the invasion of Iraq by a ratio of two-to-one. What does it say about a people when they support bombing a country before even knowing where it is? But anyways, why are those Muslims so violent and warlike?
God’s Way of Teaching Americans Geography
by: Juan Cole
With all the talk of Iran and Israel among the GOP presidential candidates, it is worth remembering that in this poll of a few years ago, three quarters of Americans could find neither Israel nor Iran on a map. Despite the US being at that time the occupying power in Iraq, some two-thirds couldn’t recognize that one, either.
A few more did recognize Iraq than the others, reminding one of Ambrose Bierce’s dictum that “War is God’s way of teaching Americans geography.”
I suggest a new regulation on war. If a majority of your country cannot find the enemy country on the map, they aren’t interested enough to justify making war against it.
As for why Americans cannot find countries on the map, I personally think this unfairly maligned contestant got it right:

What a great article, the ignorance shown by the Muslim world by both statement and actions boggles the average person’s mind. Their adherence to cultural traditions despite Koranic prohibitions, Their willingness to riot over the actions of people who hold no political or worldly influence, the expectation that others will obey cherry picked religious precepts even though they are not Muslim simply floors me.
Most people, until recent times, could have cared less where Iraq, Iran, or many other small countries were located as had little impact on their lives and constituted only about one week of learning during world history. Being able to find a place on a map within a set small timeline means nothing. Give the same people in the survey about 5 minutes to find Iran or Iraq on a map and they will find it because they have an education. Give that Muslim, who murdered the mother who was part of a UN force over the Koran burning, three hours to find the state of Indiana on a map and I am sure she will fail because she is not and millions more like her are not.
24 January 2012 at 8:26 am