I figured I would post a fun MyTake. It seems like every location has its stereotype. It's no different here in the United States. There are several stereotypes for each state. In this MyTake, I will list one stereotype and one "fact." I put "fact" in quotations because I will research on the internet the truth behind the stereotype. If you're like me, I'm the biggest statistics skeptic. I think many of them are biased, misleading, have too small of a sample size or just plain false. I am in no way saying the facts I do post are entirely accurate: They are simply what I researched on the internet, from so-called reliable, peer-reviewed sources. With this being said, let's review the defintion of a stereotype.
According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, which is the most reliable one used here in the United States, a Stereotype(n) is "An idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation." Don't confuse a stereotype with a myth. Stereotypes bear some truth to them, while myths do not. With this being said, I'll get this list started
(Note: Washington, District of Columbia will be part of this stereotype list as well.)
Keep in mind, I'm judging these stereotypes on: Observation(If I've been to the state that is), people I've met, things I've read and just the media in general. I'll also note, the only reason this Mytake is two parts is because Girlsaskguys won't allow me to post a longer one.
Alabama
Stereotype: People in Alabama are obsessed with the University of Alabama's football team, the Crimson Tide.
Fact: According to a Bleacherreportbuzz.com article titled "Most Popular Sports Teams From All of the United States", Alabama's favorite sports team in all sports and in the entire country, is indeed the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide, specifically for Football. This was based on random surveys. Of course, this doesn't mean there aren't millions living there who don't even follow sports.
Alaska
Stereotype: Alaska is always cold and snowy.
Fact: According to Alaskatrekker.com, Alaska is indeed the overall coldest state in the United States and the state which gets the most amount of snow. However, the state varies in temperature: Some parts of the state can reach 90 degrees in the Summer, while some parts only reach a high of 50 degrees in the Summer. Believe it or not, it's not always cold in Alaska.
Arizona
Stereotype: Arizona is always hot and is a big desert.
Fact: According to currentresults.com, Alaska is ranked tenth in the country of the overall hottest state(Florida is the hottest state in the country.) As far as deserts, is has the second most desert area(behind Nevada.) So even though Arizona is very hot and much of it has desert, it's not the hottest, nor is it the state with the most deserted land.
Arkansas
Stereotype: Arkansas is full of Bible-thumping Christians.
Fact: According to an article titled "The Most and Least Religious States in the US", on the website Christiantoday.com, Arkansas is ranked eighth in the nation for Christianity(Mississippi is ranked number one.) Really, this stereotype could be said about any state in the southeast but people like to throw this on Arkansas for some reason(maybe because of the Duggar family)?
California
Stereotype: California is full of rich, famous people.
Fact: According to 247wallstreet.com, California is ranked tenth on America's wealthiest states, taking income as the factor here. Of course, this doesn't take into account COST OF LIVING, which is very high in California. As far as famous goes, it's a little hard to ignore Hollywood but that's a tiny percentage this most populated state in the country.
Colorado
Stereotype: Colorado is full of people who smoke marijuana
Fact: According to Cbsnews.com, Colorado is ranked number two in the country for marijuana use(right behind Washington state.) This isn't too much of a surprise, since marijuana is fully legal in both states. This steretype didn't emerage until marijuana was legalized in Colorado back in 2013. Even though both Washington the state and Washington, D.C. have both legalized marijuana as well, they don't seem to carry this stereotype.
Connecticut
Stereotype: Connecticut is the only state which cares about women's College sports.
Fact: This stemmed from the large success of the University of Connecticut's, Huskies, Women's Basketball Team winning several championships. After doing some research on a variety of college websites, it does seem people in Connecticut give more attention to women's basketball than any other state. Of course, this doesn't mean that Connecticut is the only state which watches Women's sports.
Delaware
Stereotype: Delaware is full of Joe Biden fans
Fact: The ONLY reason this stereotype existed is because Joe Biden's home state is Delaware, so this stereotype is only about six years old. According to pollster.com, as of January, 2015, Joe Biden has lower than a 50% approval rating in all 50 states. Surprisingly, Delaware doesn't differ much from any other state.
Florida
Stereotype: Florida is full of vacations and partiers!
Fact: According to travel.usnews.com, the top vacation spot for 2014 was actually Las Vegas, Nevada. Of course, there are obviously still a lot of vacation destinations in Florida, so this stereotype still bears a lot of truth. It seems like everyone wants to go to Florida in the Summer.
Georgia
Stereotype: It's not a real southern state because of Atlanta
Fact: After surfing the web of several sites, Georgia actually enjoys many things southerners love: Guns, fishing, Nascar, Christianity, and hot weather. Sure, it seems Atlanta is more of a "northern" city but it's still very much a southern state.
Hawaii
Stereotype: Hawaii is a peaceful paradise!
Fact: According to lawstreetmedia.com, Hawaii is ranked 36th in the country of violent crimes. We can agree it's peaceful, as it is one of the safer states. Of course, the word "violent" is ambiguous as well. I would still call it a paradise though.
Idaho
Stereotype: Idaho is only known for potatoes!
Fact: According to the Nationalpotatocouncil.org, Idaho does indeed grow more potatoes than any other state in the United States. Of course, this doesn't mean this is all Idaho is known for.
Illinois
Stereotype: Illinois is a dangerous state, which "ghetto trash."
Fact: I think this stereotype emerged because of Illinois' larges city: Chicago. According to an article titles "The 10 Most Dangerous Cities in America", Chicago isn't even in the top ten for most dangerous cities. It is the most dangerous city in Illinois but the state as a whole isn't too bad. One city doesn't represent an entire state.
Indiana
Stereotype: Indiana is full of Ku Klux Klan members.
Fact: According to several maps on upworthy.com, Indiana has 26 KKK groups but given its population, that is actually a high number. However, the Ku Klux Klan actually began in Tennessee, not Indiana like so many people think. I think this stereotype sweeps the midwest more than anything.
Iowa
Stereotype: Iowa is only known for growing corn!
Fact: According to Cornandsoybeandigest.com, Iowa does grow the most corn out of every state in the country. However, given the Iowa Cornhuskers, a very popular college team, I'm sure they're a little more known for that as well.
Kansas
Stereotype: Kansas is full of tornados!
Fact: According to the Tornado index on usa.com, Kansas is sixth in the country in number of tornoados. While this is obviously a high ranking, it's not the highest.
Kentucky
Stereotype: Kentucky is loaded with all forms of tobacco use!
Fact: According to Health.com, Kentucky is ranked seventh in tobacco use in the country(West Virginia actually takes the cake on this one.) Although the percentage of smokers in this country is much much much higher than what the studies are showing(due to not reporting or feeling "shamed" to smoke.)
Louisiana
Stereotype: Louisiana has so many black people!
Fact: The southeast states in general have a higher percentage of blacks than any other part of the country. According to the 2010 United States Census, Louisiana has the second highest percentage of African-Americans in the nation, right behind Mississippi. Even though neihboring states such as Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, etc ALL have many blacks living there, people like to single out this particular state with having so many blacks.
Maine
Stereotype: Maine is only known for Stephen King
Fact: Ok, fine, an overwhelming majority of Stephen King's literature pieces takes place in Maine-And he still lives in Maine. However, the beautiful scenery and ocean should make this state more well known for its other features.
Maryland
Stereotype: Maryland is basically Washington, D.C.
Fact: Obviously, Maryland is a state, unlike D.C. and much larger, much safer, much more diverse. But since Maryland is so close to D.C., people like to lump them in the same category.
Massachusetts
Stereotype: Everyone in Massachusetts talks in a Boston accent!
Fact: I learned in an interdisciplinary studies class that Boston, the city itself, has several dialects and accents. Not to mention many people in the state barely affiliate themselves with Boston, let alone speak their accent.
Michigan
Stereotype: Michigan is a poor state and offers no jobs.
Fact: According to Bls.gov.com, Michigan is one of the higher states for unemployment(33 out of 50 states, with 50 being the highest.) However, most of this is due to the bankruptcy in Detroit. Much of the other part of the state does just fine!
Minnesota
Stereotype: Minnesota is basically Canada!
Fact: While there is a distinct accent in the state, as well as a bordering state of Canada, Minnesotans will tell you their state is so much different in Canada, as far as interests, culture, religion and music. Yet, people like to call it the Canada of America!
Mississippi
Stereotype: Mississippi is "uneducated"
Fact: The southern states in general tend to be less educated than states in the north, so this isn't solely a Mississippi issue. According to Washingtonpost.com, Mississippi is one of the lower high school graduation rate states but not near as low as states such as Oregon(not in the south at all) or Washington, D.C. It could use improvement but not as bad as many other states, yet, it holds the stereotype.
Missouri
Stereotype: Missouri is "boring"
Fact: I had to consult Tripadvisor.com under the "attractions" section to muster up some entertainment for the "show-me" state: Sight-Sound theatres plaster the state, it's home to the huge National World War I Museum, the St. Louis Zoo(which is free), Table Rock Lake(which is almost like an ocean), or you can go to a St. Louis Cardinals game in St. Louis at Busch Stadium(a team I despise.)
...And this is all for this part! Click here for part two!
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