American knowledge of Jordan

With today’s technology, news is everywhere, and Americans certainly like to make use of it. But, despite how much knowledge we think we have about current issues, we really don’t realize how much news we are actually missing out on. Being an American citizen, I personally find it somewhat difficult to find coverage of foreign news in American media. Because of this lack of coverage, most Americans probably find themselves uneducated or even clueless about events outside of the United States.

To support this, I asked a variety of people a few questions about the country of Jordan. The following questions were asked:

1)   What continent is Jordan located in?

2)   What is the capital of Jordan?

3)   Can you name any historical event that has happened in or involved Jordan?

4)   What do you think of when you hear the word “Jordan?”

Five out of seven of the people I interviewed correctly answered the first question with Asia. The two that answered incorrectly thought Jordan was located in Africa. When I asked one person why she thought this, she said, “it just sounded right.” I considered this to be a good start to the interviews, but perhaps the majority knew the correct answer thanks to that required geography class in high school. Or maybe it has something to do with Jordan being located next to Iraq and Israel, two countries that have been frequently talked about in American news.

Do Americans really know where Jordan is located? Or are we familiar with its location because it sits just west of Iraq, the country that frequently headlines American news?
Photo source: http://www.zonu.com/fullsize-en/2009-09-17-602/Western-Asia-Political-Map-2000.html 

Only one of my interviewees knew the correct answer to the second question. This was impressive, in my opinion, considering I don’t think I can even name all of the state capitals in my own country. I did receive the creative, and somewhat sarcastic, answer of “Jordania” from one person I talked to. Other than that, the common response was “I don’t know.”

The responses I received for the third and fourth questions were quite interesting as I saw a similarity in what different people said in regards to both questions.  I noticed a number of people answering the last two questions with religious references. Although four people said they couldn’t name any events involving Jordan, one mentioned the baptizing of Jesus, which she said occurred in the river of Jordan. Yet, another listed the Crusades, World War 1 and the Israeli Palestinian conflicts known as Black September.

The fourth question also included a few biblical and religious connections. One person replied with, “When I think of Jordan, I think of kings, the Holy Land, and centuries of bloodshed.” This person, though, openly confessed to being a historian, which may be why he had the answers to every question I asked. Another said she thought of the Bible when she heard the word Jordan. Could this pattern of religious references be because of the religious traditions that Americans practice? I asked the people with these religious responses if they practice religion or have a religious background, and they all told me yes.

One of my other interviewees, surprisingly, admitted to not even thinking about the country of Jordan when I asked him the fourth question. He, instead, thought about basketball superstar Michael Jordan. Although I did sense the sarcasm, I think that he had a good point. If I asked the fourth question out of context of this interview, I think a lot of Americans wouldn’t think about the country of Jordan.

From this brief survey of seven people, I was able to make a few connections and predictions. Even though I was able to get answers out of some people, I felt that they were almost unsure of themselves when talking to me. Three of the interviewees seemed to respond in a questioning tone, and one even said, “I think” after one of her responses. Also, the answers that were given to me seemed to come from knowledge that had nothing to do with media, but rather had to do with religious experience. There is certainly room for improvement when it comes to Americans’ knowledge of foreign news.

Jordan's religious sites seem to play a role in the amount of knowledge that Americans have towards the country. For example, Jesus was said to have been baptized in Jordan.
Photo Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23620510/ns/travel-destination_travel/    

Interview participants:

1)   Kevin Heinemann- Cal Poly sophomore, biological science major

2)   Sue Bakalar- my mom, 47

3)   Dani Bakalar- my sister, 18

4)   Karen Steen- Cal Poly sophomore, environmental engineering major

5)   Brian John- law student, 27

6)   Shire Beach- Stanford sophomore

7)   Andrew Engdahl- Cal Poly junior, business major

Family in Jordan

Every county has varying concepts of what “family” is.  Factors such as politics and religion have an influence on a particular country’s definition of the word. The country of Jordan is no exception to this influence.

Jordan’s political system is defined as a “constitutional monarchy” in which the King signs and carries out all laws as well as exercises authority over the armed forces. It is a hereditary system where a son takes rule after the passing of his father. The King is assisted by the Council of Ministers (his main partner being the Prime Minister), and legislative power is given to a bicameral parliament. There is also a separate judicial branch that is divided into three categories: civil, religious and special.  There are 12 areas of which Jordan is divided, each with its own governor appointed by the King. Within this government system, according to the US Department of State, local governments are under a quota to reserve 20% of the political seats for women. Though the Jordanian government has been working its way to a democracy since 1989 through several reforms guided by the late King Hussein, this is the first instance in which I realized that women, it seems, don’t naturally have complete equality in Jordan. In my opinion, if women had an equal chance of being elected to governmental positions, Jordan wouldn’t need to have a set quota to reserve seats for women. Also, all rulers thus far in Jordan (as in several countries including the United States) have been men, enforcing the idea that men are the main source of control. This may or may not be a connection to how the concept of family is perceived in Jordan.  

King Abdullah II is currently the King of Jordan. He took over after the passing of his father, King Hussein. Jordan operates under a system of government known as a constitutional monarchy determined by heredity.  

To go a bit more in depth on this idea of the man being in control, the site Every Culture points out some of the gender roles that are commonly seen in Jordan. The sites says, “sons are prized, and this status continues throughout adulthood.” From what I have read it seems as though most components of a woman’s life are directed by their close male relatives. The bride’s father arranges most marriages, and it is common for the bride and groom to barely know each other before the marriage ceremony. After a couple is officially married, the husband takes the control in the relationship. Divorce is apparently legal, but rates remain low due to the fact that the husband will automatically receive custody of the children.

It appears that women are often neglected in the Jordanian culture. An article that ran in the Jordan Times reported a circumstance in which a mother left her family in order to escape domestic violence. By leaving, the woman lost connection to her daughters and ended up living in a shelter. Other articles posted in the media have recognized the problems of violence that occur in Jordanian relationships. Could this be due to the ideas represented in a monarchy? 

Jordanian women often have important aspects of their lives, such as marriage, controlled by the men they're closest to.