Humorous Educational Problems
AdventureDad | April 3
I thought I would share a few questions and comments I’ve received throughout my 15 years in U.S. It’s hilarious and at the same time frightening stuff. Think of it as an unofficial survey of the U.S. education system. Lets try to give our children a little better education than this.
Keep in mind that my birth country of Sweden is small and it can not be expected that people know much about it. The country stands for nice things but is probably quite insignificant compared to larger places. Swedish things you might have heard of are Bjorn Borg, Volvo, Saab, Ericsson, Electrolux, ABBA, Roxette, Absolut Vodka, Nobel Prize, Swedish Meatballs, and Ikea.
All comments have been made by people who have attended at least two years of university although most had a university degree (yes I asked) and are from the 35 or so states I’ve visited. Enjoy!
“Is Sweden part of Soviet Union?”
Definitely not.
“So, you’re going home to your family during Christmas?”
“Yes, my family still live in Sweden”
“That’s really far away, how long does the trip take?”
“About 20 hours”
“Ohh, that’s long. You’re driving, right?”
I don’t know what to say. Driving from U.S. to Sweden is difficult. Not only is it very far but it’s also lots of water in the way.
“Do you have houses in Sweden or do you live in tents?”
Sweden has one of the highest living standards in the world although many do enjoy camping and sleeping in tents.
“Is Europe a big city?”
Europe is not a city, it’s a continent consisting of many different countries (48 I think). If it was a city it would be VERY LARGE.
“How come you’re not breastfeeding your baby? Breastfeeding is great for the baby, you have no money, and formula is very expensive.”
”It’s about status. Formula is expensive so people believe I have pleny of money when I don’t breastfeed.”
Nice idea. Good luck to you and your baby.
“You brought your car seats with you on the trip?”
“Yes, I like my kids to be safe in the car. In Sweden it’s extremely unusual to see a child in a car without a car seat”
“Hmm, sounds kind of stupid. You must have very bad drivers”
No comment.
“Isn’t it dangerous to walk on the streets of Sweden?”
“Ehh, no. Why?”
“Aren’t there polar bears everywhere?”
Winters can be cold but we have no polar bears
“Are all women in Sweden blond?”
We have many beautiful blond women but the population is mixed like any other country.
“I heard breastfeeding can give you cancer“
People who breastfeed can also get cancer although not because of the breastfeeding
“Isn’t it difficult to travel out of Sweden?”
“Ehh, not at all. Why?”
“Soviet Union is usually very restrictive with letting citizens leave the country.”
What’s with all the comments about Soviet Union??
“Where are you from?”
“Sweden”
“Which state is that in?”
“It’s actually a country, not a city, over in Europe”
“Ok, I see. But which state is it in?”
U.S. is very large but other places and countries do exist.
“I’ve heard all Swedish women have big boobs.”
I wish.
“You’re raising your kids tri-lingually?”
“Yes, we speak three languages at home”
“That’s dangerous. Poor kids. You will overload their brains.”
I think it’s safe to say my kids brains are not about to explode.
“I’ve heard all Swedes have blue eyes”
Not correct but it might have been true for the whole world if U.S. hadn’t been so awesome and stopped Hitler.
“Do you have roads in Sweden?”
Yes we do, Sweden is a high tech country with high living standards (which include good roads).
I’m baffled by all the references to the Soviet Union. How does that confusion come about?
I’m always amused by the stupidity of other individuals. I think one of the problems is that our educational system is VERY U.S. focused. We don’t give the rest of the world much time or energy. As a result, even really smart people often don’t know much about other countries.
I would expect folks know more about Europe than other areas in the world, which just makes these comments even more depressing.
Wow those are funny!
It reminds me of the conversation I had with the kids the other day. Meenie was asking if we could go to Hawaii and I told them maybe someday. Her next question was, can we drive there? I can’t fault her, she’s only four. But even her 6 year old sister knew enough to tell her it was an island and surrounded by water (not that I’m saying Sweden’s an island - just comparing similar thoughts).
The girls are always asking questions about places and love when we pull out a map to show them where it is.
Oh my gaaaaaaaaaaawd!
;-)
Some of these comments are really insulting.
I’m living in Belgium, and I must say I sometimes hear the same kind of stupid questions about my country.
People are … special. That’s all I can say.
Hmm, I guess since I took two years in German and had a teacher that loved to travel, I know that Sweden is not part of the Soviet Union. Not really. I’m really not sure how they got that!
hahaha. polar bears.
Wha?
I’ll spare you all the personal soapbox since I realize the point was not to bash the U.S. per-se, but I’m pretty sure that given the chance, you’d get similar responses from people in other countries.
“I realize the point was not to bash the U.S. per-se, but I’m pretty sure that given the chance, you’d get similar responses from people in other countries.”
I’m sure ethnocentrism is everywhere, but we in the U.S. are pretty much brought up to believe we are the bestest ever.
I could see people getting maybe Sweden and Switzerland or Holland confused… but to think it was Soviet? Yeesh.
Wow!
Its amazing to me that people can be so… stupid.
Every body knows that Sweden is a nice little country in Asia where they filmed the Sound of Music.
So glad I stumbled on to this site. What a great post.
Wow. That’s both sad and funny at the same time…
Growing up Polish-American, I can say that I heard all those questions. It’s true that Americans are an exceptionally uninformed country, but there are many countries (even in [sic] Europe) that are just as ignorant.
Here’s my comment:
In asking these questions, Americans are doing something right and something wrong.
Right: they are showing a certain degree of interest in a different culture and place. They are also being polite, which is definitely not something I can say every culture could do.
Wrong: Assumptions. All the silly questions always assume something, which is often a HUGE generalization or just a lack of knowledge.
I think it would be less offensive if a person asked questions or made comments that didn’t assume anything but just kept an open mind. In order words, we all have to be comfortable with our own ignorance and not try to mask it.
This reminds me of a saying I once heard, “It’s better to keep quiet and have people think you are stupid rather than open your mouth and have people know it.”