History Main / GlobalIgnorance

** During his Presidential campaign, John McCain referred to "the situation on the Iraq-Pakistan border". [[WallBanger Iraq and Pakistan are over 1500 miles apart.]]

* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANTDkfkoBaI Kellie Pickler]] on ''Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?'' She doesn't know [[UsefulNotes/{{Hungary}} what country]] is Budapest the capital of: fine. But thinking that Europe is a country, and not being sure if France is one...

* GeorgeBush once mistakenly identified Pakistan as an Arabian Nation. [[IdiotBall While in Pakistan]]. Combined with Bush's liberal and constant misuse of English grammar, this has been quoted so many times on the internet and Asian media that it turned into a certified MemeticMutation; for a while the phrase "Bushism" was a popular nickname for saying [[{{Narm}} something stupid in a serious quote]], and actually got its own page in the other wiki, [[http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_W._Bush#2006 here]].
** He also once called Africa a country as well.

* During his Presidential campaign, Barack Obama made a stated that during his campaign he had visted 57 states, and still had two more to visit, since he wasn't going to stop in Alaska or Hawaii. (That's a total of 61 states.) In all fairness, this mistake was probably because all the campaigning was tiring him out a bit.
* During his Presidential campaign, John McCain referred to "the situation on the Iraq-Pakistan border". [[WallBanger Iraq and Pakistan are over 1500 miles apart.]]

** A guest star in an Afrikaans (South African) music-related TV show once commented that she and her group would soon be going on a tour "overseas" ... in Egypt. Which seas are you planning to cross, lady?
*** Given the dangers of overland travel, most likely the Cape of Good Hope, the Indian Ocean, and the Red Sea (possibly with a bit of the Med). Most of South Africa's contact with the rest of the continent that doesn't immediately border it or is inland comes from sailing there or somewhere close to there.
*** Nonsense. We have planes that fly directly to Cairo.

--->'''Andy''': Andy: "Hey it's me, Justin. Take my coat, but please be careful I got it from the King of Africa when we were walking on the Berlin Wall together." Really, Justin, what instruments do you play? ''[pause]'' Actually he's a pretty sick keyboardist.

* In the pilot episode of ''MrShow With Bob and David'', David Cross tries, and fails pathetically, in an attempt to name all the US states in 15 seconds. Thereafter, Bob Odenkirk explains that David missed the first day of school, believes there are only five states, and thinks one of them is called "Chim-Cham".

[[folder:Real Life]]
* TruthInTelevision, sadly. BritneySpears has said Canada was "like a completely different country" (and referred to it as being overseas) and Paris Hilton has said she doesn't want to go to Japan because "they eat so much fish in Africa".
** A guest star in an Afrikaans (South African) music-related TV show once commented that she and her group would soon be going on a tour "overseas" ... in Egypt. Which seas are you planning to cross, lady?
*** Given the dangers of overland travel, most likely the Cape of Good Hope, the Indian Ocean, and the Red Sea (possibly with a bit of the Med). Most of South Africa's contact with the rest of the continent that doesn't immediately border it or is inland comes from sailing there or somewhere close to there.
*** Nonsense. We have planes that fly directly to Cairo.
* GeorgeBush once mistakenly identified Pakistan as an Arabian Nation. [[IdiotBall While in Pakistan]]. Combined with Bush's liberal and constant misuse of English grammar, this has been quoted so many times on the internet and Asian media that it turned into a certified MemeticMutation; for a while the phrase "Bushism" was a popular nickname for saying [[{{Narm}} something stupid in a serious quote]], and actually got its own page in the other wiki, [[http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_W._Bush#2006 here]].
** He also once called Africa a country as well.
* Though at least some may have been {{troll}}s (one can only hope), in August 2008 various Internet posters expressed concern that Russia had invaded the American state of Georgia, apparently quite unaware of the other UsefulNotes/{{Georgia}}. (''[[TheOnion Our Dumb World]]'' parodies the stereotyped ignorance of Americans about other countries by referring to the state as "not the former Soviet republic that everyone knows about".)
* Postal offices have a consistent problem with customers (and employees) not understanding New Mexico is a legitimate location. The state itself has a bigger problem, considering how many people believe they do not exist.
* Al Capone has been quoted as saying he didn't even know "what street Canada is on." Of course, he may have intended this as a TakeThat for some grudge, rather than simply being ignorant.
* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANTDkfkoBaI Kellie Pickler]] on ''Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?'' She doesn't know [[UsefulNotes/{{Hungary}} what country]] is Budapest the capital of: fine. But thinking that Europe is a country, and not being sure if France is one...
* During his Presidential campaign, Barack Obama made a stated that during his campaign he had visted 57 states, and still had two more to visit, since he wasn't going to stop in Alaska or Hawaii. (That's a total of 61 states.) In all fairness, this mistake was probably because all the campaigning was tiring him out a bit.
[[/folder]]

** Both Homer and Mr. Burns (in different episodes) are astounded at the discovery of a ''New'' Mexico.
*** Mr. Burns has an excuse: he's old. He often refers to countries by their outdated names; he probably grew up without New Mexico on the U.S. map, by some clues left about his age. In one episode, he asked a clerk at the Post Office to mail a letter to the Prussian consulate in Siam via the 4:30 Auto-Gyro. Both states ceased to exist under those names by the 1940s (and Prussian consulates had ceased to exist by the 1860s).
*** Burns' age has been used in a joke that it's his ''four digit PIN''. In one episode, the password to Burns's secret room is his place of birth [[spoiler:Pangaea]].

* TruthInTelevision, sadly. Britney Spears has said Canada was "like a completely different country" (and referred to it as being overseas) and Paris Hilton has said she doesn't want to go to Japan because "they eat so much fish in Africa".

* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEP7uti0PDw Kellie Pickler]] on "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" She doesn't know [[UsefulNotes/{{Hungary}} what country]] is Budapest the capital of: fine. But thinking that Europe is a country, and not being sure if France is one...

* During his Presidential campaign, Barack Obama made a statement suggesting that the USA has 57 states.
** Of course, this may well have been humor referring to in how many different places he'd been campaigning.

*** Mr. Burns has an excuse: he's old. He often refers to countries by their outdated names; he probably grew up without New Mexico on the U.S. map, by some clues left about his age. In one episode, he asked a clerk at the Post Office to mail a letter to the Prussian consulate in Siam via the 4:30 Auto-Gyro. Both nations ceased to exist under those names by the 1940s.

** Which shows neither Joey nor Chandler are very smart. Pennsylvania Dutch are actually German. The word "deutch" degraded into "dutch" because it's easier to say.

Sadly, sometimes TruthInTelevision, as some people you'd think would know better... don't.

*** Nonsense. We have planes.

* Homer as a high school student in 1974 in "The Way We Was": "English? Who needs it? I'm never going to England! C'mon, let's go smoke!"

* [[TheSimpsons Homer Simpson]] as a high school student in 1974 in "The Way We Was": "English? Who needs it? I'm never going to England! C'mon, let's go smoke!"

* Dave from ''KnightsOfTheDinnerTable'' is convinced that Canada is a Communist country and behind the Iron Curtain. He also thinks the language of Israel is Orcish.