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Have you ever watched the Jaywalking segment on the Tonight Show With Jay Leno? Jay takes camera and mike out into the streets of Los Angeles and asks people questions, usually about current world affairs.

The answers, while good for a laugh, can be very shocking. I remember one time when Jay interviewed college students during their graduation trip to an amusement park. These were the cream of American education, bachelors' of arts achievers going out into the world after four years of intense studies.

I don't know if Jay and his editors, for the sake of comedy, didn't show the young people who answered the questions correctly. However, the dozen who were seen speaking on camera during the Leno program were totally ignorant about world issues.

Sample Q&As:

Q: Where is Iraq located?
A: Somewhere in Asia.

Q: Who is the Prime Minister of England?
A: Prince Charles.

Q: What is the holy book of the Muslim religion?
A: The Old Testament.

Q: Who was the President just before George W. Bush?
A: Hillary Clinton.

Although the answers got a lot of laughs when the tape was shown on the Leno program, the young people were not joking. They were totally ignorant of basic world issues. Conversely, in one interview, Jay asked the name of Britney Spears' husband. The answer was, "He ain't her husband no more. She dumped Kevin Fetterline last year."

Learn more about this author, Ted Sherman.
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