Stupid Is As Stupid Does

Americans, ages 18 to 24, don't know shit about geography.

My family takes its geography seriously. My grandfather, who has been to something like 120 countries, used to quiz us on world capitals when we were younger. There are few things that get my dad riled up more than people not knowing geography. If you want to get into a two-hour discussion with my dad, either bring up gun control or the fact that Americans know nothing about the world they live in.

A few of my favorite stats from the study:

- Seventy-five percent were unable to locate Israel on a map of the Middle East.

- Six in 10 could not find Iraq on a map of the Middle East.

- Half or fewer of young men and women 18-24 can identify the states of New York or Ohio on a map [50 percent and 43 percent, respectively]

And, the worst one of all, considering, oh, I don't know, HURRICANE KATRINA:

- Thirty-three percent of respondents couldn't pinpoint Louisiana on a map.

Again, we're talking AMERICANS. 1/3rd of AMERICANS age 18-24 CAN'T FIND LOUISIANA!

Here's a hint: Take a right at myspace.com, hang a left at facebook.com, and once you're staring Texas in the face, look to your right. That's Louisiana.

Yikes.