Why do most people think Europeans are smarter/better-educated than most Americans?

Hmmmm....let's see... ;)

because Americans butcher the English language

as someone who lives in the states, i can only speak for myself...but i feel quite often times that i am surrounded by idiots.

so they just might be onto something....

I think that overall, Europeans are better-educated than Americans. Kids in school advance much faster. I grew up in the states, and when a friend my age from Austria visited me and talked school, she was about two years ahead of me in terms of material! She had learned what I was learning years ago. Also, Europeans learn languages at a younger age which is proven to make you smarter and even help you learn other subjects, with the added benefit of speaking that other language.

1) "Gwyneth Paltrow was quoted by the Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias on Saturday as saying:

"I love the English lifestyle, it's not as capitalistic as America. People don't talk about work and money, they talk about interesting things at dinner. I like living here because I don't fit into the bad side of American psychology. The British are much more intelligent and civilized than the Americans."
Now she's [...] telling People magazine:

"First of all I feel so lucky to be American. When you look at the rest of the world, we're so lucky, and that's something my dad always instilled in me. I feel so proud to be American. I felt so upset to be completely misconstrued and I never, ever would have said that. I definitely did not say that I think the British are more intelligent and civilized than Americans. I am a New York girl, that's how I always think of myself and see myself. I live in England half the time because I'm married to an English guy. It's not like I've left America. This is what I said. I said that Europe is a much older culture and there's a difference. I always say in America, people live to work and in Europe, people work to live. There are positives in both. Obviously I need to go back to seventh-grade Spanish!""
Source:
http://thesuperficial.com/2006/12/gwyneth_paltrow_cant_get_her_f.html


2) "There are a few other facts which characterize our society, such as the popularity of reality tv, britney spears music, ect. that has led to a conclulsion on my part that the perception that europeans, canadians and austalians are smarter than americans is accurate. what do you think?"

"Well, I have read that only 1/10th as many American's read books for pleasure as do Europeans these days . . . a pretty clear indicator of a TV lobotomized culture if there ever was one!"

"You can look at every standardized test that is used on both sides of the pond and see that the the very brightest from both shores are fairly equal. Neither Europe nor America has a monopoly on the top scoring.

But the *average*? It is unfortunately lower on this (the American) side of the pond."

"Generally I would agree that people in various other countries, including much of Europe, have a much healthier sense of skepticism than we do here. If you read the Australian and Scottish press you get a far different picture of Bush than you get here.

Our schooling does very little to foster critical or independent thinking. A number of books have been written that suggest our educational system is designed more to create obedient workers than critical, engaged citizens."

"For the record, I have met some dim bulbs in Europe, but overall I would suggest that they are more worldly and well rounded than the average person in the U.S."

"It seems the Germans do have a very cynical view of President Bush (often calling him "your cowboy president") and the policies of his administration over the last three years. Any sympathy they felt for our country after Sept. 11 has been zapped once the war in Iraq began — my cousins thought it was a war based purely on U.S.'s thirst for oil and an odd notion of revenge for not getting Saddam during the first Gulf War.

Despite their skeptism of the Bush administration, many of my cousins seemed ... racist. They still distrust Germany's Jewish population, make homophobic comments and more than once I heard jokes about sending all the blacks back to Africa.

What perplexes me is how much of our culture the Germans consume. "Lord of the Rings" was all over the theaters, Eminem was the top selling musical act and Michael Moore's "Stupid White Men" was one of the most popular books in the country that summer.

My attitude toward the whole debate revolves around the definition of intelligent. Perhaps having their parents or grandparents live through the political and social grip of Nazism for so many years, the German people grew cynical of politics and rhetoric, but sadly were not smart enough to see past the differences of other people and realize that we are all humans with same needs."

"the whole Europeans being smarter thing reminds of of the old "Ecological Indian" myth, basically that all Indians were environmental warriors who understood sustainable living, when in reality they were just products of trying to survive in their environment. Yes, Europeans do seem more worldly than Americans, but remember geography and history play some role here---In what it would take you to drive around the Northeastern U.S. you could drive around Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, and France--there is more cultural diversity in a smaller area there than here (although a walk through New York City sometimes can prove that statement false)---this is not to mention all the other cultural influences, they are not just geographically close to different cultures, but in many cases that very geography is the reason for their cultural diversity----remember the Ottomans were one seige away from adding Vienna to their empire, and remember Spain was once part of the Muslim world-------they also had the benefits of trade from places like India, China, and Africa (Colonialism played a big part here, but regardless, once cultures come into contact they tend to integrate over time)-------The U.S. on the other hand is geographically and culturally isolated compared to Europe---and we are a much younger country culturally, still searching for an identity some would say--------alas, all these words and all I wanted to say was that Europe may be different and culturally "richer" in some ways, but in no way are they "smarter"--remember it wasn't 64 years ago a madman from Austria tried to erase the Jews from the face of the planet and create a world of blond haired blue eyed super beings, or that despite all that we know about cigarettes Europeans continues to smike like chimneys (the men also still wear Speedos, but we won't hold that against them)"
Source and further information:
http://www.ibrattleboro.com/article.php/20040306135800443

3) Maybe it is better that we first see the good sides of the foreign people, it gives us some interest to learn more about them and know them better.
But education has many components and in the end, there are probably so many people in proportion with good or bad education on either side of the Atlantic Ocean.
European can be more critical about some particular aspects of US politics, because they are not exposed to the propaganda of the US media, but they have also their own...

I don't imagine they are. The grass just SEEMS to be greener on the other side of the fence.

Who knows. Europeans have always thought Americans were their boorish cousins. And they may be correct, except everytime they get in trouble, they call their boorish cousins.
Fuck 'em

I can think of a lot of reasons, some based on educational differences accounted for by the differences in our history and geographical location.

But I would suppose that the single, biggest reason Europeans might think this in general would be the image that many people in the United States project on how we comport ourselves on various subjects.

I can't help but think this nearly every time I see a political question posted on this site, for example.

Because they are... American schools don't need to do a good job because there are so many immigrants filling the most interesting jobs... at least in high tech there's no shortage of H1 workers (myself included), who are also cheaper. Someone's gotta work at MacDonalds! I have many cousins that live in Europe, there is no doubt in my mind that European schools are better, my cousins have way more "common sense" than the American's I've met, and much better business sense, than people of comparable jobs stateside.

Because, while Europeans have culture, Americans have a dangerously large private sector. :P

May I have the Names of some people who really think so?And if possible a link to reach them?

Us Americans are spoiled bastards for the most part. No culture, slow school system, bratty children.

Europe was involved in two world wars.So I think that being educated isn't the solution.I am spanish.

It is evident that europeans are better than Americans, not because I intentionally consider it since I'm a French. In the fifth grade, we learned puns, satires, algebra, and statistics. Considering it an average French school. When I came to America as an exchange student, I felt a rather large decrease of pressure, threfore I've given proof europeans are better than Americans. Je vous verra plus tard (See you later in French)

Europeans are better. Obviously

cause they are...

Having lived and taught in Europe as well as the usa,
I know that our US education is far inferior to European countries' education.
I could give dozens of examples.
In Europe young people in general learn to discuss, question, argue. In the USA young people learn to shut up in schools and they are not educated to " discuss or question".
A 16 year old in Europe can have quite sophisticated conversations about all kinds of topics. Not so in the USA.
In most European countries young people by age 20 have learned/studied 3 languages 3-9 years.

I'm not sure most people think this. This is what elitists, secularist and urbane leftist snobs think - unfortunately they control the media, the arts, and academia, so it's what everyone else has to listen to.

Thanks to the American Public School System, however, the mass of Americans are tragically more ignorant of History and Western Culture (literature, arts, rhetoric & dialectic, and the Humanities in general) than are their European counterparts. (I should add, the primary schools fair pretty well up through G3, but the secondary schools are a bad joke. Though I'm led to understand by many Brits, Dutch, and Norwegians that - thanks to the spread of PC multiculturalist crap - their schools have now also become PC gulags where Western Civilization is either ignored or villified.)

And for obvious reasons of geography and exposure, Americans are notoriously ignorant of foreign languages -- even the well educated. (No, not ALL -- these are generalizations. Deal with it.)

But part of the problem is mere classism: the Europeans who come to America to visit (as opposed to settle there) tend to be from the professional and upper classes, and so are quite educated. Those Americans who travel to Europe don't tend typically sit down to dinner with members of the Proletariat, nor rub elbows with them at culture-vulture sites. So, when you travel to Europe, try talking to people from the actually lower and lower middle classes who make up 95% of the population. While they may surprise you on their seeming expert knowledge of some quisines and some wines or beers or the gardening or the like, you'll find most to be no smarter (and possibly substantially less so) than the typical American.

Being a European who has lived in more than one
country,and taught in two I do not agree.
The French were but are not now,to generalise
of course.The English are taught little of history
if at all,and the majority do not read .The most
popular T.V. programmes are mind blowingly
disgusting and stupid.The private public
schools have a better education ,but is limited to
what the establishment decide can be safely
transmitted .Ireland and Scotland have given
much to France and to 'English' higher culture
which is then absorbed as 'English'.Ireland has
always been a naturally spiritual/literary
culture and Scotland a scientific /entreprenial one.
It is advisable to know the difference,since both of these cultures valued 'education' highly,while being
poorer materially.England imposes her view of
history [and limited to her achievements]on Scotland ,and the English know nothing of history[unless you include the W.W.'s]
The internet developed in U.S. and is the best
and most liberating tool known to humanity.
I admit to past prejudice against Americans because
of silly arrogant English academics when I was younger.
However it is they who I find so limited now and
dry and so P.C.
The best of the U.S. is something to be proud of.
I find them [you ] passionate ,informed and funny
without being sarcastic.
I prefer you to the French , and the English anyday.
I generalise of course.

[France
limits info. too]

I think, as a rule, Europeans are better-educated. But the European(or at least the French) system is so different that the American system that it is hard to compare. The kids in France are really pushed to study and learn and it is incredibly competitive at the end of high school. Kids here have alot of homework and they don't have the emphasis on sports that US kids do. Also, culture is more available and is encouraged more in France than in the US. I'm American and was educated in the US but my daughter has been going to primary school in France for the last 6 years, so I see a big difference between her education and my own. Although there is also a big difference in educational requirements between different states in the US. However, I do have a big complaint about French education and that is that the kids are required to learn by rote and it's not necessary that they understand what they are learning. They do start learning languages earlier (but still too late in my opinion) and I won't go into my opinion of how they learn a language-specifically English. But there are still alot of French people who do not read books and who watch junk TV (old American sit-coms or the reality TV programs that are very popular here. So, bottom line is I think that there are well-educated and badly-educated people in both Europe and the US.

I think its because the americans that most people see outside america are the loud obnoxious tourists, that yell in museums and complain about the local people, food and culture. Just thinking about those people makes me boil with rage