ONTD Original: Late Night Shows and Geography
For years now late night shows have often featured segments about geography. Now the approach is sometimes different but the point always seems to be the same: some people often lack the knowledge or just don’t know where other countries are located on a map. Let’s explore a few examples while Adele guides us.
Click to viewThis compilation shows just how often host John Oliver repeatedly points out how clueless his studio audience is when it comes to finding their way around a globe.
In 2017, Jimmy Kimmel asked pedestrians on Hollywood Boulevard where North Korea was located on a map.
Jay Leno’s popular “Jaywalking” segments were clearly intended for laughs and often found people on the street with very little knowledge of geography.
Question to a high school student: “What is the largest country in South America?”
Answer: “Africa.”
Ok, let’s switch gears here for a second now. How about those who do know geography and know it damn well? Let’s meet Arden Hayes, who was 5-years-old then, and demonstrated his knowledge in world geography back in 2013 on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Adorable and bright.
Just last year, Jimmy Kimmel asked people on Hollywood Boulevard to name a country - any country - on a map. Of course it didn’t go well.
And finally, last year in August, Stephen Colbert mocked Donald Trump after it was reported that Trump had mispronounced the names of Nepal and Bhutan. Colbert noted how it was “important that the most powerful man in the world knows what countries are in that world.”
Poll Geography
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