The problem with many Americans, even PhDs, is not their ignorance itself but how they respond to it. When faced with what they do not know, they immediately explain it as the result of some uniquely American disadvantage. They say schools do not teach them anything meaningful about the world, they are bombarded with propaganda from birth, curiosity is punished instead of encouraged, they are overworked and underpaid, or traveling abroad is out of reach so they cannot learn about other cultures as if people elsewhere are constantly traveling internationally.
In truth, their ignorance is a product of privilege, the fact that they can go through life without ever needing to understand the world beyond their borders. Few others anywhere have this luxury. Even citizens of other wealthy countries experience it less, because in terms of cultural influence the United States dominates the global narrative like no other first world nation.
It becomes frustrating when Americans immediately blame their education system whenever someone points out basic geographic mistakes, like not knowing which continent Niger is on, while acting as if consulting a map or Wikipedia is impossible. Nobody expects you to identify every country on a blank map, memorize all capitals,bname multiple cities, or confusing Egypt with Eastern Europe is basic awareness. If your geography knowledge is weak, you do not need to broadcast excuses. You can easily look up countries on Wikipedia, use online maps, or play simple online games. Saying it was not taught in school comes across as laziness rather than oppression.
@fionasnapples everyone self diagnosing themselves in the comments 💀people need to stop relating every little thing to disorders, no you dont have an anxiety disorder you guys just experienced an extremely common dream