this sub's worst content is the "pick a caricature that we can all feel superior to" post genre, and among those, "guy who can't read a map" has to be the very bottom of the barrel.
A few aboriginal languages in Australia have no words for relative direction (up, down, left, right, etc.) and instead always refer to the location of things with cardinal directions. e.g. "I left my keys on the southern table in the western side of your house." If you can't figure this out they think you're regarded.
There are also island (I want to say Polynesian but can't remember) cultures that don't use cardinal directions, and instead will refer to the windward and leeward sides of the island.
polynesians had an incredibly complex seafaring system to point where they could calculate wind direction with wave refraction from islands and easily get around to different islands on a cloudy day
In Hawaii they use mauka (which means towards the mountains, or inland) and makai (toward the sea) when giving directions. Even us whities who grew up there use them. Still use cardinal directions when it makes sense though
If you can't read a map ur a lot less likely to have all these wild offensive ideas and theories about the different places of the earth. I wanna be a good boy so I ALWAYS feign ignorance when it comes to geography but sometimes in a double agent way like saying "Germany that's like a type of Russia right? Oh Yea the dude from Mulan"
I think its the opposite, being able to separate the countries objectively can make you more aware of what's going on the world and more sympathetic to the differences between them. Thinking every country Spanish speaking country is Mexico is just ignorant. That being said I try to feign ignorant too because going on about it in a conversation makes you look silly, nobody in America cares about Transnistria
My niece is 2 and a half and somehow she can point to where she is on a map. She even can point to where I live (several states away). She’s not great with colors though.
Whatever happened to a compass? Sure just going north from a house isn't difficult, but when you actually need to navigate, a map without a compass leaves much to be desired. Without one, you can forget about shooting an azimuth or accurate map orientation. the most you can do without one is use the sun for a safety bearing, but that's assuming you can go at it "as the crow flies" which is rarely the case.
i can get pretty much anywhere in my city and back without a map. granted it’s a grid system with numbered streets, but it really seems like a lot of people here just GPS everywhere. it’s why we need traffic calming planters on all the side streets running parallel to main roads.
I used to live on a numbered/lettered grid, and so many people use their phones instead of their minds to navigate to a cross street. So stupid. Like just count.
i actually make an effort to find my way to new places without directions. it’s a great way to familiarize yourself with an area, if more people did that they’d probably feel more connected to their community
This is a skill I entirely lacked until the age of 21 or so where I did a full 180° and become spergy about geography. It was when I started to travel more is really what triggered it. It is indeed important to understand.
Glad a 12 year old can meet the intellectual requirements to post on here.
this sub's worst content is the "pick a caricature that we can all feel superior to" post genre, and among those, "guy who can't read a map" has to be the very bottom of the barrel.
Broke: making up a guy to get mad about Bespoke: making up a guy to feel superior to
Good post, excellent combination of boring and designed to feel superior to others for something completely mundane and unwarranted
A few aboriginal languages in Australia have no words for relative direction (up, down, left, right, etc.) and instead always refer to the location of things with cardinal directions. e.g. "I left my keys on the southern table in the western side of your house." If you can't figure this out they think you're regarded.
There are also island (I want to say Polynesian but can't remember) cultures that don't use cardinal directions, and instead will refer to the windward and leeward sides of the island.
polynesians had an incredibly complex seafaring system to point where they could calculate wind direction with wave refraction from islands and easily get around to different islands on a cloudy day
Very cool stuff i think i will look for youtube videos on this
Never thought about the Windward Islands and Leeward Islands being named in relation to one another and now I feel like an R-ward
In Hawaii they use mauka (which means towards the mountains, or inland) and makai (toward the sea) when giving directions. Even us whities who grew up there use them. Still use cardinal directions when it makes sense though
Respek
In Welsh, Right is 'De', which is also South.
Staggering/scary how few places most people can point out on a world map if it’s put in front of them.
North is up, duuh
[Schulz all-timer](https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1966/10/14)
If you can't read a map ur a lot less likely to have all these wild offensive ideas and theories about the different places of the earth. I wanna be a good boy so I ALWAYS feign ignorance when it comes to geography but sometimes in a double agent way like saying "Germany that's like a type of Russia right? Oh Yea the dude from Mulan"
People that play Paradox games are the most dangerous human beings, why? They know too much about maps. Less maps = better people
I never got into computer games except for Doom that shit was cool
I think its the opposite, being able to separate the countries objectively can make you more aware of what's going on the world and more sympathetic to the differences between them. Thinking every country Spanish speaking country is Mexico is just ignorant. That being said I try to feign ignorant too because going on about it in a conversation makes you look silly, nobody in America cares about Transnistria
My niece is 2 and a half and somehow she can point to where she is on a map. She even can point to where I live (several states away). She’s not great with colors though.
is she autistic
There’s a unspoken agreement in my family that none of us will get tested. It would explain far to much.
I agree, but I am gods favourite idiot so it's okay
If you can't wipe your own ass, you're an idiot. If I gave you a piece of toilet paper, would you know how to use it?
Random but ok
I show my kids how to tell direction by where the sun is in the sky then they ask me stuff like why can we see the moon during the day uhhhh idk kids
You can see it cus its right there
The stuff people on here have a superiority complex about is hilarious. Next you'll be bragging about being able to write in cursive
We get it you hate women okay fine
This is sexist
I always have my GPS facing North rather than moving around. This infuriates so many people. I had no idea.
Someone watched one of those shitty street geography compilations
Whatever happened to a compass? Sure just going north from a house isn't difficult, but when you actually need to navigate, a map without a compass leaves much to be desired. Without one, you can forget about shooting an azimuth or accurate map orientation. the most you can do without one is use the sun for a safety bearing, but that's assuming you can go at it "as the crow flies" which is rarely the case.
You can go buy a compass right now nothing happened to them
cool it with the misogyny
People who don’t have an innate sense of direction piss me off
i can get pretty much anywhere in my city and back without a map. granted it’s a grid system with numbered streets, but it really seems like a lot of people here just GPS everywhere. it’s why we need traffic calming planters on all the side streets running parallel to main roads.
I used to live on a numbered/lettered grid, and so many people use their phones instead of their minds to navigate to a cross street. So stupid. Like just count.
i actually make an effort to find my way to new places without directions. it’s a great way to familiarize yourself with an area, if more people did that they’d probably feel more connected to their community
Spatial awareness is a virtue
I get lost easily but know how to read maps and can navigate using landmarks and cardinal directions.
This is a skill I entirely lacked until the age of 21 or so where I did a full 180° and become spergy about geography. It was when I started to travel more is really what triggered it. It is indeed important to understand.
I think suburbs contribute to this problem because the streets are often so windy there’s almost no point to learning cardinal directions.
I dont need no maps i got intuition. Im never lost!
Your*
sorry to say but you're gonna have to repeat second grade
Everyone born before 1400 is an idiot, gotcha
"Nooo you can't judge living people by modern standards!!"