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Most of us have been there: you post something online that you’re 100% sure is the absolute truth, flexing those big cognitive muscles of yours… only to realize that you made a mistake. You blush. You start sweating. You realize that you’ve made an utter fool of yourself. On the internet of all places! And now, your blunder will forever live in the Internet Hall of Infamy, also known as the r/facepalm subreddit.

The online community is full to the brim with people making epic mistakes. But few of them are as painful to see as when someone boasts about their [cough] ‘deep’ knowledge of geography [cough]. For anyone even with a rudimentary knowledge of geography, the posts you’re about to see might make you lose a bit of hope in humanity. Put on your safari hats, scroll down, upvote the worst geo fails you’ve seen, and don’t forget to share your unfiltered opinions in the comments, dear Pandas! Just remember not to feed the F-grade students…

Once you’ve completed the trek through this list and if you feel like you’d love to go on another humorous adventure, then you’ll probably love Bored Panda’s previous article about facepalm-worthy geography fails. Check it out right over here.

#1

You Can Only Pity Such People

You Can Only Pity Such People

aaravaryaman Report

#2

When You Dont Know What You’re Talking About

When You Dont Know What You’re Talking About

Weak_Significance_97 Report

#3

Blindly Playing Yourself

Blindly Playing Yourself

okiedokie64 Report

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Jeremy Bayer
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Detroit has a lot of abandoned homes. I took my Spanish friend to tigers baseball game and as we drove through Detroit he asked me why it looked like Europe after WWIi

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Look, Pandas, we all had our favorite and least favorite subjects back in school. For instance, yours truly always enjoyed history, literature, and biology. Math, on the other hand, was a pure nightmare. For me, personally, geography fell squarely in the middle of the pack.

The subject itself was incredibly interesting. After all, who doesn’t enjoy learning about volcanoes and global cultures, and drawing maps in class? However, a lot of this enjoyment rose and fell depending on the teacher. Some were very strict and gave you awful grades for failing to memorize all of the important geographical locations around the world. Others, however, made the subject fun, relatable, and, well, not a chore.

#4

Virtue Signalling

Virtue Signalling

Aki008035 Report

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Mar Nadal
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This whole cultural appropriation thing is a very recent woke stupidity. If you study even a little bit of history, you will see that cultural appropriation is what has made humanity what it is. There is nothing more fruitful than cultural contact. Protesting about this is at the same level as flat earthers.

Natalie Bohrteller
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thank you so much for finally mentioning it! I was afraid everybody would just follow all of this nonsense blindfolded...

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TotallyNOTaFox
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"White Knights" at their finest - being more offended than the people that are actually affected by something

Robert B
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, I wanna place a bet on the pc person being white. 10 to 1. On top of that I wanna see this goddess costume. It’s difficult to figure out whose right with out seeing the reason for the argument in the first place.

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Raven Sheridan
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's a sad day, when Chinese people get cancelled for wearing traditional Chinese clothing. 😔

Whitehart
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is a difference between appropriation and appreciation. It all depends on the respect that is shown to the culture. I'm all for respectful displays to educate or enhance people's enjoyment of other cultures. But using cultural trappings to denigrate the cultures they depict, like all forms of disrespect, should be stopped.

Mistiekim
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is cultural appropriation and then there is gate keeping. Sometimes someone might wear their hair or wear a shirt common to another culture and they aren’t even aware of it. They just liked it and meant no disrespect, yet are admonished by a member of that culture saying it’s “theirs”. You can usually tell when someone is flat out being disrespectful or trying to be hurtful. That is the time to be using the term cultural appropriation.

Auntriarch
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you aren't taking the p**s and you aren't pretending it was your invention and making money out of it, I wouldn't worry

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idrow1
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can't stand SJW's. They have a constant need to be offended by something.

Bibmibap
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cultural sharing and appreciation is important, but I think what you might be missing when you denigrate cultural appropriation is some of the motivation behind the frustration of minority groups when they, historically, have been treated as lesser for their culture, and then they see the dominant culture not just borrow or 'appreciate' something, but take whatever they want from that culture and profit enormously from it. White rappers and pop artists, for instance. Influencers and fashion designers. The not mocking thing is important, of course, and making sure you're not s******g all over something sacred, but so is the structure of our world that rewards people extremely unequally for similar attributes.

JE Cummings
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cultural appropriation is like cancel culture: It only exists in the minds of people wanting to interfere in other people's lives.

Robert B
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why is doing anything other than what white people do appropriating? We white folk are boring, we need all the help we can get! I get it, sometimes it can be cringy, sometimes it’s downright theft, but adopting some habit or manner of dress because you like it and it makes you happy isn’t appropriation, is being human. If one wants to be “ enlightened “ perhaps one should learn about social animals first, then political correctness.

Luna Crow
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've often had this thought. Especially in the US, if we're restricted to only "white people" things, then what do we really have? This country is a mixing pot of many cultures, and I think as long as they're being appreciated respectfully, it's not appropriation

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Petro Roos
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Urgh, people that get offended ON BEHALF OF other people... Why???

Pollymere
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Isn't it about time we all stopped wearing tartan plaid then?

Ralph Watkins
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Most of the woke people are not of the background they claim will be offended. I love the one woke person I chatted with online. She was telling me on how horrible African-Americans were treated across America. All of them. On how they all lived in slums, were beaten by cops, etc. I asked her where she was from. A very small town in North Dakota where their only minority was a single Native American dude. She had never seen a black person or met one. She admitted that she learned everything about what she was woke about online. It was a good chat. I told her run from her small town & go & actually meet real people of all kinds of backgrounds.

Bartley Doggett
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So are you going to be a strident in your criticism of cultural appropriation when Chinese people decide to eat with forks or when African Asian or South American people decide to get an airplane because white Americans invented them? Do you hear how stupid your cultural appropriation argument sounds yet?

D. Pitbull
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Reminds me of a past Bored Panda post where some people tried to 'ridicule' me for stating that a pictured Chinese Lion Dance costume wasn't a Lion but was, in fact a Dragon... people who weren't Chinese in any way (did not live there were not raised by, etc.)... I advised that unless there was a massive conspiracy by my entire family, the Lion Dance Society, the entirety of Chinatown... pretty sure that the it's a Lion.

Altair
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And yet I see so many "smudging bundles" on etsy and there's no outcry about the appropriation and misuse of the Native American heritage. :(

UnknownKid
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ive heard of racism but unintentional racism is new one for me

Sir Panda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Feels like this person would accuse me of being racist for making asian eyes lol. 23&me says 99% Chinese.

Amity Blight
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i've been wanting to cosplay a character from genshin impact with a qipao, but i'm white as anything. should I do it?

Penny Fan
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How do you "cancel" a person anyway? Are you threatening to kill them?

Rutger Lokhorst
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cultural appropriation is such BS!! If it is indeed used to make caricature of a group or meant to be demeaning, that is wrong. Otherwise using a style from somewhere around the globe shows appreciation or celebration!!! Also, if you are offended by my views or what I wear or do, that is yóur problem, definitely not mine.... You don't have the right to "not be offended", so go sit in a corner and cry!

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#5

They Don't Teach Flags In High School Geography?

They Don't Teach Flags In High School Geography?

beerbellybegone Report

#6

More Liberian Flag Confusion

More Liberian Flag Confusion

flopsychops Report

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zububonsai
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hm, I somehow expected the dumbest /most non-educated blogs in the top 5, but here the posts deteriorate even the more I scroll down... 🫣🙄 (PS: I posted this comment when this post was around #18... 😬)

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It’s not surprising that some people are completely awful at geography. After all, the world is full of folks who fail at math, science, history, and all the other subjects that some of us know and love. You’ll never find a subject where everyone’s a pro.

#8

Ah, Yeah. I Swear It's Always Us Americans Who Don't Realize There's A Country Called Georgia

Ah, Yeah. I Swear It's Always Us Americans Who Don't Realize There's A Country Called Georgia

lazarushelsinki Report

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Mason Kronol
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's hard to have sympathy for people bad with geography and maps when they post dumb comments on the internet that has Google earth, maps and all kinds of reference material. I used to have to walk to the library to find out information. Now even Wiki has disambiguation pages to help sort out all the Georgias.

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However, this doesn’t excuse someone from being ignorant about basic things. You know, common sense stuff like how time zones work, what language is spoken in the United Kingdom, what the map of your country looks like, and knowing that there are currencies besides the dollar used around the globe. We all make mistakes. But it’s a bit embarrassing when you don’t have a working knowledge of the basics of geography.

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#10

Imagine Being This Uneducated

Imagine Being This Uneducated

astronaut12 Report

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Mason Kronol
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would like to see them redo the General Lee with that flag. Also The Hazard County Bobsled Team would make an interesting sequel.

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#11

America Is The Whole Globe

America Is The Whole Globe

kayserfaust Report

#12

Canada Is A Country In Eastern Europe! Read A Book, Bro

Canada Is A Country In Eastern Europe! Read A Book, Bro

jombrowski Report

Nobody’s saying that you should be at the level of a PhD candidate (and even they make silly mistakes!), but you have to at least be aware of your place in society and the world at large. It’s perfectly possible to spend your entire life not knowing what’s beyond the borders of your tiny little town, but it’s debatable how much fulfillment you’d find living this way.

#13

I Posted A Picture On Another Subreddit About A River In The Country Georgia And This Person Had A Lot To Say

I Posted A Picture On Another Subreddit About A River In The Country Georgia And This Person Had A Lot To Say

whitebathingsuit Report

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David Martin
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And then they don't even use the American flag emoji as they declare how American they are -_-

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Almost all of the r/facepalm geography fails are related either to ignorance or arrogance. Sometimes, both! People either don’t know basic facts. Or they think they know something, only to be proven very, very wrong.

In cases of extreme embarrassment, your instinct is probably to shy away and defend yourself. However, that’s really not the best approach because it may lead to deep-seated feelings of shame further down the line.

#18

A Girl At Work Drew What She Thinks The Map Of The USA Looks Like. She's Almost 30 With 2 Kids. The Nc Public School System Has Really Failed Her

A Girl At Work Drew What She Thinks The Map Of The USA Looks Like. She's Almost 30 With 2 Kids. The Nc Public School System Has Really Failed Her

Katewalsh83 Report

No, the mature way to react is to lean into your embarrassment. Embrace those uncomfortable feelings. Show everyone that you do feel embarrassed. Acknowledge that you’ve made a mistake. That might actually work out in your favor and improve your reputation—through humility, you become more likable.

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#19

Someone's Geography Needs Some Upgrading

Someone's Geography Needs Some Upgrading

Innocent_Killer Report

#21

Getting Offended Over The Name Of A Country

Getting Offended Over The Name Of A Country

BalkanTrekie Report

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Tabby_Sohee
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Bored Panda I’m gonna need to have a serious talk with whoever decided to censor the country N***r. The COUNTRY WITH THE CAPITAL OF NIAMEY, to be clear, since it’s not letting me say it

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Previously, during an interview with Bored Panda, geography and cartography expert and land surveyor Patrick McGranaghan shared his thoughts about the state of the subject. He pointed out that some students see geography in a pretty negative light. Meanwhile, geography isn’t a priority in some schools.

"I think that a lot of geography ignorance comes from the lack of geographic instruction in schools. Schools have an increasingly long list of subjects that must be taught and geography is losing its share," he shared with us.

#22

I Guess He’s Half Right

I Guess He’s Half Right

Lexi_The_G Report

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Gustav Gallifrey
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nick Adams was born in Australia. In 2010, Adams served as the PR consultant for The Halloween Institute, a march to make Halloween a public holiday in Australia. It was later revealed those who 'protested' were paid actors. Nick Adams is a top-shelf, class-A, bona-fide, full-blown idiot, and Australia does not want him back, thank you.

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See Also on Bored Panda
#23

I Thought The USA Was The One Bad At Geography, I Swear To God, (UK Politics Subreddit)

I Thought The USA Was The One Bad At Geography, I Swear To God, (UK Politics Subreddit)

an_reddit_man Report

"Geography has this reputation of rote memorization of things like countries and capital cities. This is not exciting to most students," the land surveyor and geography enthusiast told Bored Panda earlier. "The way to encourage geographic learning is to make it exciting.”

#25

Geography Is Hard

Geography Is Hard

SquishyNiko Report

#26

Asian/Chinese Currency

Asian/Chinese Currency

cornplantation Report

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Gini Sarver
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i strongly recommend that you & your wife stay home, where, we all hope, that you’re safe & able to function on your own dude

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#27

Amsterdam = Country

Amsterdam = Country

Surer123 Report

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Jay Son
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I mean, more than once I've had a convo go like "where are you originally from?" -"the Netherlands" "huh? -"Holland" "umm" -"Amsterdam?" "Oh yeah! Coffeeshops!" 😑

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"This may be by including geography lessons in learning about different cultures around the world. Geography is a component of current events and there needs to be an emphasis on how these events are occurring in a geographic context. Geography should not be taught in isolation, it should be tied to some context such as history, the physical Earth, culture, or travel.”

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#29

Definitely The Shape And Flag Of Colorado

Definitely The Shape And Flag Of Colorado

A-reddit_Alt Report

#30

Countries On Map Of Africa Labelled Incorrectly On Gcse Geography Paper

Countries On Map Of Africa Labelled Incorrectly On Gcse Geography Paper

tyw7 Report