The Funny Things Thread.

[TrashMan]

 

[Nepenthe]

[Rosbjerg]

Americans were asked to place European countries on a map: Here's what they wrote.

[HoonDing]

They did a pretty decent job.

[Agiel]

Favourite one was the one in which it simply says "War" in the Balkans.

 

Fifth one down was very promising... until it said "Belarus" where the Czech Republic was.

[HoonDing]

The average European nowadays wouldn't do any better.

[kirottu]

In general terms I think they did better than I would with naming the states at right places in US.

[Rosbjerg]

But that's like asking us to name the districts of Germany or something - irrelevant.

 

Now I'm certain your average European would do better with Europe.. but try letting them name South American, African or Asian countries

[Oner]

We had a test like that once towad the end of elementary, or the beginning of middle school. We studied before, and I did pretty well, but yeah.
Like every bit of knowledge, it only sticks as long as it's used, and personally I've no interest in Yugoslavia. And I'm not going to begrudge anyone for not knowing where Hungary is.
Plus our neighbourhood is made up of a dozen "small" countries, harder to remember.

[HoonDing]

I'd only have problems with all those islands in the Caribbean and Pacific.

 

Nauru is a sovereign state, for instance.

 

[ManifestedISO]

Can't quote the extendo-length photo, but anything with Rottweilers and girls in bikinis, we need more of, thank you.

 

 

[Hurlshort]

I like how half of them wrote Borat across Eastern Europe.  Honestly they did pretty good, it was clearly an educated group.  

 

Maps were a lot easier when we could just write USSR across the East.

 

 

But that's like asking us to name the districts of Germany or something - irrelevant.

 

Now I'm certain your average European would do better with Europe.. but try letting them name South American, African or Asian countries

 

How do you figure?  Each state in the US is very different, with separate constitutions.  Size wise they also are more comparative to countries than districts.  I would expect most Europeans could label California, Alaska, Texas, and maybe a few of the Eastern seaboard states.

[Rosbjerg]

I can label most of your eastern, southern and western states, but no idea about the middle and northern ones.. but for you they are different yes, for us you guys are very very similar..

 

Travel a 100 miles here and everyone speaks, eats, dresses and behaves radically different. For you there's a noticable difference over a 1000 miles.

[Raithe]

Well, with a bit of effort I could probably name them. Probably get the North/South divide right. But I wouldn't be certain of getting them in exactly the right geographical locations..

But it's one of those pieces of general knowledge that you rarely have to actually exercise. And it's not as if at any point in your schooling we get sat down and taught American states. Geography lessons will point out "This is the US, this is Canada, this is Mexico" etc.. but there's little point in breaking it down further for most people on this side of the pond... We get exposed to various cities in exported US tv shows, but how often do they make particular note of which States they happen to be in?

I guess with the European countries it makes more sense to recognise them due to all of the global politics and news aspects of it all. Then again, I grew up with the news over Yugoslavia breaking up, and the Glasnost period and the USSR breaking apart. So it was more relevant to being "on my awareness" as it were.

[Azdeus]

How do you figure?  Each state in the US is very different, with separate constitutions.  Size wise they also are more comparative to countries than districts.  I would expect most Europeans could label California, Alaska, Texas, and maybe a few of the Eastern seaboard states.

 

You all speak the same language, have essentially the same cultural background and history. If I travel 150km west I end up in a country without human speech OR undertsandable counting method.

 

Detailed explanation; http://satwcomic.com/just-a-number

Edited November 28, 2013 by Azdeus

[Rosbjerg]

Hey, I know it's hard being the underdog and inferiour in every way, but that's no excuse for insulting our glorious language or numbersystem..

 

Now give me 5 3halfdusins pushups!

[Meshugger]

"Spain's Butt" :D

[Azdeus]

Hey, I know it's hard being the underdog and inferiour in every way, but that's no excuse for insulting our glorious language or numbersystem..

 

Now give me 5 3halfdusins pushups!

 

Hehehe, I remember the first time I was in Fredrikshavn, I was pretty young and had never met or spoken to a dane before, but my uncle reassured me that it was easy to understand them. Walked around the town and got hungry for a hotdog and saw a stand with a cute girl manning it, went up and ordered myself two hotdogs wich she prepared, no problem understanding her questions or anything.

She handed me the dogs and told me it'd cost 54 kroner. In Danish ofcourse.

I stared at her in shock, pure shock, so pure shock that she could'nt stop laughing and gave me the dogs for free. \o/

[Rosbjerg]

It'd be like saying that'd be 4 and half3twentig please, in English.. That should scare anyone. Basically we count like this 4 and 2,5x20. For saying 54.

 

 

Also

[ShadySands]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRibRj770J8

 

 

EDIT: As for comparing US states to Euro countries I think it works on most levels. Obviously the cultural differences aren't as pronounced (though some local accents can be completely indecipherable) but I think for size, population, and economy it's a fairly apt comparison

Edited November 28, 2013 by ShadySands

[Azdeus]

It'd be like saying that'd be 4 and half3twentig please, in English.. That should scare anyone. Basically we count like this 4 and 2,5x20. For saying 54.

 

 

Also

 

 

I've tried now for a little while to get it into my head, but it does'nt make any sence; Well, 4 does, but... Halvtreds sounds more like... 15.

I should've paid better attention when my grandfather tried to teach me orsamål and given the danes a run for their money. >

[HoonDing]

[Malcador]

But that's like asking us to name the districts of Germany or something - irrelevant.

 

Now I'm certain your average European would do better with Europe.. but try letting them name South American, African or Asian countries

 

Hardly.  EU's land area is 10,180,000 sq km, Continental US is 9,826,675 sq km.  52 EU countries and 48 US states, we're talking about equally sized puzzles and the pieces average out the same so it'd be similar in terms of pointing them out

 

All wiki'd stats, so take as you will.

Edited November 28, 2013 by Malcador

[Gorth]

 

How do you figure?  Each state in the US is very different, with separate constitutions.  Size wise they also are more comparative to countries than districts.  I would expect most Europeans could label California, Alaska, Texas, and maybe a few of the Eastern seaboard states.

 

You all speak the same language, have essentially the same cultural background and history. If I travel 150km west I end up in a country without human speech OR undertsandable counting method.

 

Detailed explanation; http://satwcomic.com/just-a-number

 

Oooh... satw (Scandinavia and the World). Gorth's favourite web comic.

 

Here Denmark is trying to teach America the differences between the Scandinavian languages:

 

Language Lesson

 

Related languages, yet slightly different. I've met dialects in Denmark that was more different to Danish than say Swedish.

[Azdeus]

They're awesome, just a shame they don't release more of them.

 

Orsamål is a really old dialect, that I could understand some of when I was a kid and actually spent time up there during the summers. There is a video on youtube from a Swedish TV-show about "dalmål" dialects where they have a few samples.

 

Some horrible singing, but very witty lyrics;

 

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/8514-Fun-Pay-Wall