What is your state's/country's embarrassing stereotype?

[The Pumpkin Witch]

I was reading a thread just now by a Texan who's tired of Texans being stereotyped. In the comments I ran across this:

People need something to compare themselves too even if it is a fabrication. In the thread you mention, everyone was quick to say "Har har, Texas people are so backwards and dumb"; and began the circle-jerk patting each other on the back about how "enlightened and progressive" they all are.

It made me wonder: Do we all grow up with some kind of mental image that there is a perfect, Disney-like land somewhere? Is it just the thrill of petty malice that leads people to gang-pounce on the latest 'easy target' du jour?


***Every state/country elects utter idiots (usually because the majority of the population never vote, permitting small but determined groups to attain real power).

***Every state/country has some connection to committing some historical crime or atrocity.

***Every state/country has some actor/actress/musician/singer most people wish had never been born.

One thing everybody can agree on: No one likes assholes and we've all got one.

So we all suck. Let's see if we can get a representative from every US state and every non-US country to remind us all that if there is one thing we've all got in common it's that we will always have people who judge and condemn us simply for not being "one of them".


Starting with me: I'm from Texas. People say we're gun nuts because you can carry a firearm anywhere as long as you get a license. I've got a gun. My parents, brother and sister have guns. My neighbors have guns. Everybody's got a gun.
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[HEADING=1]Got a problem with that, pardner?[/HEADING]​

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Summary to date:

USA: 34 States So Far: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, D.C., Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

Canada: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan.

Ireland

The Netherlands

Israel

United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales

Hungary

Germany

France

Uruguay

Sweden

Portugal

Slovakia

Mexico

New Zealand

Australia

Belgium

Japan

Denmark

Lithuania

Romania

Bulgaria

South Africa

Trinidad & Tobago

Greek

Russia

Tasmania

Thailand

Columbia

Belgium

DAMN! WE'RE ALL OVER THE PLACE!

 

[Basement Cat]

Welcome to the Escapist! I'm originally from Texas, too.

[small]So please don't shoot me.[/small]

I live in Alabama these days. The general stereotype about Alabama--when people aren't thinking of Forrest Gump--is that we're all inbred racists who lose half our teeth by the time we're twenty five, and that we spend most of our time sitting on the front porch drinking beer from Dixie cups and watching the flies fuck.

Go 'Bama!!! Wa-hoooo!!!

 

[Nuke_em_05]

Wow, my comment started a thread, I'm flattered.

Welcome to the Escapist, by the way.

OT: I'm from Washington State. I don't know if we're too stereotyped, when I'm abroad and say I'm from Washington people tend to assume the District of Columbia, and some don't seem to know that Washington is a State, or consider it of any relevance if they do.

However, those who do know assume that I'm from Seattle, and that Seattle is the capital, and that Seattle is pretty much the only city.

And Seattle is known for... hipsters? Maybe? Olympia is known for being ultra-liberal, home to the Evergreen State college.

Though, my actual home town, Spokane, might be notorious for the "Otto Zehm" fiasco and other "corrupt police" stories. We also had a mayor and a few firefighters who solicited sex from young men from City computers...

 

[ErwinGodfrey]

Alberta is often considered the Texas of Canada, and that designation often brings with it the negative stereotypes associated with that US state.

 

[Heronblade]

North Carolina:

We get a lot of the redneck hick image. The fact that we're the single largest producer of tobacco products in the USA doesn't help either.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Not so much as other place. We've got the violent drunken mindless bigot thing going on to an extent, but few places do not. Stripped to it's essentials, a bogan is just an Australian version of a chav, perhaps with more money.

 

[The Pumpkin Witch]

Not so much as other place. We've got the violent drunken mindless bigot thing going on to an extent, but few places do not. Stripped to it's essentials, a bogan is just an Australian version of a chav, perhaps with more money.

"We" who? Where are you from? Australia? Your profile doesn't say.

 

[Psykoma]

Quebec: Free loading french separatists.

Not going to lie, for a lot of us, the above is true.

But I prefer to speak english if I have a choice, I'm firmly for Canada, and I'm working while going through an accounting designation program.

 

[sextus the crazy]

New York:

That we're all from NYC. It's frankly really annoying.

 

[aba1]

Alberta is often considered the Texas of Canada, and that designation often brings with it the negative stereotypes associated with that US state.

I dunno about that dude I have never heard anything negative about Alberta. Generally when it comes up it is actually about how you guys apparently don't pay as much taxes as everyone else because of all the oil reserves which would be good for you guys.

OT: I am from Ontario and I honestly don't know much about our reputation to be honest. I know that Toronto is considered the most well known city in Canada so I guess you could say some would consider us the core of the country but I don't even know if that would be even all that true.

 

[Colour Scientist]

I'm from Ireland.

I think everyone knows the stereotype by now.

 

[ErwinGodfrey]

Alberta is often considered the Texas of Canada, and that designation often brings with it the negative stereotypes associated with that US state.

I dunno about that dude I have never heard anything negative about Alberta. Generally when it comes up it is actually about how you guys apparently don't pay as much taxes as everyone else because of all the oil reserves which would be good for you guys.

OT: I am from Ontario and I honestly don't know much about our reputation to be honest. I know that Toronto is considered the most well known city in Canada so I guess you could say some would consider us the core of the country but I don't even know if that would be even all that true.

I've met people from parts of the States who thought that was accurate, I've also heard some people describe Edmonton as a dull, crime infested, shit hole ("Deadmonton"). Whilst I've heard some people describe Calgary as a big den of ultra-conservative whack jobs.

Don't know about the rest of Ontario, but I think I have heard some people say that Toronto is filled with elitist tossers.

 

[yuval152]

We are super successful, that's all I got.

 

[Euryalus]

I'm not sure Ohio really has stereotype. Michiganders hate it but they're Michiganders, no one cares what they think
(cue U of M Ohio State war)

Seriously, though I don't actually know. We're an indecisive swing state? I've got nothing.

 

[JimB]

People in my state believe women who get raped can't get pregnant, and if they do get pregnant it probably wasn't rape.

Thank you so much for that, Todd Akin.

 

[Fappy]

New York:

That we're all from NYC. It's frankly really annoying.

I totally feel you on this one. What's New York State?!?!

Georgia: We're all racists that drive pickup trucks with Confederate flags attached to them.

 

[ZehMadScientist]

The Netherlands, Amsterdam.

Window-shopping pothead images in three...

 

[itsthesheppy]

New Hampshire. We're not important enough to have one.

 

[Lazy]

Is there a stereo-type for British Columbians?

 

[The Pumpkin Witch]

Is there a stereo-type for British Columbians?

I remember an old 60 Minutes episode that said you were big and open about marijuana. Pot Heads, maybe?