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Let's not be too harsh on the kid. I remember when I was auditioning for a Jeopardy-type game show based on the pop entertainment industry. Piece of cake, I thought: movies, books, and music, stuff I knew. The tryouts were in a local bar, and the pressure level was almost nil. There were no cameras, no prizes, and no guarantee that if you won in the bar, you'd end up as a contestant. To cut to the chase, when I got up there to answer a question about pop music, it was about the classic song, Wild Thing. I'd heard it a million times before, but suddenly, standing up there in front of everyone, with a competitor across the podium from me, I blanked out completely and so never made it past round one. (As it turns out, the show itself never made it past the pre-production stage).
So, I'm sympathetic to this young woman. True, she may be a dope after all, but it's unfair to judge her based on her performance in a very stressful situation. That said, 'tis true, Americans of all ages are nitwits regarding geography, world events, etc. Just look at the guy who we chose to run the country not once, but twice. 'Nuff said.
