"Thirty percent of Americans can't name the year that 9/11 happened."

[kpete]

"Thirty percent of Americans can't name the year that 9/11 happened." In a new WaPo survey published yesterday, fully 30% of Americans couldn't name the year 9/11 occurred, and 5% couldn't even name the month or the date, "which means there are 5% of Americans who can't tell you the day or month that an attack most commonly referred to as "September Eleventh" took place."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060809/od_afp/usattackspolloffbeat_060809145351
http://articleofaith.blogspot.com/2006/08/from-todays-wtf-department.html

[CottonBear]

1. I'm not at all surprised. n/t

[Taoschick]

15. I'm not either

But I'll bet they can describe the plot/characters of their favorite television series in great detail.

Or the latest Nascar scores.

[Skinner]

2. I wonder how many wouldn't be able to name the month and day.

ON EDIT: I see that they actually asked this.

"there are 5% of Americans who can't tell you the day or month that an attack most commonly referred to as "September Eleventh" took place."

Unbelievable. I wonder if they know what day the Fourth of July happens?

[Orrex]

19. Duh. It happens on Independence Day.

The day that Republicans en masse make a show of supporting the troops.

Ask a tough one, why don't you?

[lectrobyte]

21. And the scary thought is, probably 99% of that 5% has a driver's

license.

[valerief]

3. It was a phone survey. Who the heck answers those things?

They all sound like telemarketers.

[Pierre.Suave]

4. Oh god...

I did not know they were that dumb...

I wish they had also asked party affiliation, that would have been interesting.

[kenny blankenship]

5. Oh that's EASY to remember !

It was THE YEAR ONE of the New Era, and the first year of the reign of Our Lord Emperor Dubya.
What the poll actually reveals is that 70% of Americans are still trapped in the old pre-Millennium thinking, and still living by the old calendar. But that will soon change.

When the Great Catechism for No Child Left Behind gets finalized in committee and implemented, a new generation of Americans will grow up knowing exactly what happened in the YEAR ONE, with 99.999% scoring correctly on the question In which year did the Great Attack On America By Evil take place?

[peekaloo]

6. Surely that's not the backwash that were polled.

I would think that date would be tattooed somewhere on their hide by now.

[savemefromdumbya]

7. hey 911 is the emergency number!

LOL!

[pitohui]

8. i'll retain my skepticism

i'm afraid i don't believe this report, what did they do, survey a special ed class?

[Orrex]

14. I once asked a woman, in full command of her faculties

to name the capital of Harrisburg, which was about 40 miles away from us at the time.

Her answer? "Come on, you know I don't know that stuff."

The deliberate stupidity of the average American is difficult to overstate.

[MrCoffee]

20. I don't know that one either

The capital of Harrisburg?

[Orrex]

29. One would think that a Pennsylvania resident would see the trick, though

She didn't.

[pitohui]

25. well you were effing w. your friend and she effed you back

i don't know if i'd call it stupid, i'd call it if you insult your friend w. a rude question then she is free to answer you in turn

what did you expect her to say was the capital of harrisburg?

treat people w. contempt and you'll get it back in spades

[Orrex]

28. Not my friend, and she wasn't effing with me. Trust me.

She didn't know whether New York City was north, south, east, or west of us, either. That's what prompted my question, in fact; I overheard her broadcasting her ignorance in another conversation.

on edit: She also didn't know the phone number to call when you need 911.

[ContraBass Black]

9. This should be horrifying, but I find it funny.

:D

[Crankie Avalon]

10. Coincidentally, about 30% of Americans approve of the job Bush is doing...

...just saying. O8)

[HereSince1628]

11. IMHO this is the fault of the 911 , who forgets Pearl Harbor's date?

Almost no American with a television. Everyone has FDR's voice burnt into our memory. "...December, sempt, 1941, (dramatic pause) a date that will remain in infamy!

[Orrex]

17. But if you played a clip of FDR saying that

how many today would be able to identify the speaker?

[eleny]

12. No wonder 50% still think Iraq had something to do with it

[NoPasaran]

33. I'll never forgive those bastards for bombing Pearl Harbor!

[AX10]

13. 2001

Are so many people that stupid and ignorant? Don't answer that. :eyes:

[kiki]

16. You know how...

...when you say a word over and over enough times, it starts to sound meaningless?

[lectrobyte]

18. I'm beginning to understand the problem. There's been a lot of

talk about "unimaginable" today, and until I read your post, the situation it reports on would have been unimaginable to me. I guess all those "911 we will never forget" t-shirts and bumpertickers have been discarded.

[HereSince1628]

30. Hell no, we got that 9-11 down kold we jes' taint recallen the yar

And that thar's a mule son, not a jack-ass. The jack-asses is in Warshinton.

[Clark2008]

22. What IS it with this 30 percent?

I mean - it's always 30 percent (and sometimes more) who are the stupidest MFs to ever breath.

Backwash, indeed!

[kenny blankenship]

31. No no, the 30% got it right! They are confused by the question b/c

the question is simply absurd.
The 9-11 attack is happening NOW, just as it was happening in 2001. It was happening in 2000 when that co-terrorist-conspirator Bill Clinton was chiseling away at our nation's defenses, and it has been happening every year.

The 9-11 attack is always with us. 9-11 has no beginning and no end; it is perpetual. America is always in peril because Satan is always poised to strike.

[sandnsea]

23. 5% - high, drunk, cynical, comedians

I'd imagine there would be a certain number of mentally disabled, old folks and just plain momentary memory lapses as well. I can see the 5% - but the 30% is really incredible considering we're in 2 wars supposedly due to it.

[calico1]

24. But I'll bet they can remember

when the first "Survivor" was aired or the first "American Idol."

[newspeak]

26. well, there you go

thirty per cent of Americans have a brain like a sieve---no wonder there are those who hate learning history-even when the event is in their time period, they can't remember it!!!!! And, five percent couldn't name the month or day???? Okay, now I'm worried--I said I had faith in the majority of the American people to wake up, but I'm beginning to wonder with this many morans!!!! My hubby, who works in communications, said quit calling 9/11--911-he said people are actually confused making 911 calls because they can't find the eleven on the phone--no joke!!!!!:rofl:

[Gidney N Cloyd]

27. Sometimes it's the Q's with the most obvious answers that throw you off.

You figure it's got to be a trick.

[Xenotime]

32. Were they all pugs?