In this 2001 scene from “The West Wing,” an television show that explored the lives of staffers in the West Wing of the White House, staff are approached by a group (Cartographers for Social Equality) who seek to change the standard way geography is taught in U.S. schools. They posit that the historical map of the world currently used reinforces European imperialist attitudes, creating an ethnic bias against the Third World, by distorting the relative size of continents and nations.

discussion

Can you identify specific examples presented by the Cartographers for Social Equality in the scene that illustrate how maps are created and potentially distorted?

How do they argue distorted maps contribute to ethnic biases against the Third World, and what consequences do they suggest may arise from these biases?

How are sites on maps typically presented as objective, taken-for-granted realities as opposed to something that’s been constructed and is often reflective of political and cultural ideologies? 

Can you think about other ways local or national maps, sites and borders reflect power?