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ColdAilment, please let me know if I'm off base....and not getting what your trying to say....
Basically I don't think it's fair for a person to blame others for the image those people may have of the person's state.
Your location seems to be the 'deep south' so let's say Ala or Miss, perhaps. Maybe not I don't know. It seems you have a problem or seem to take a personal affront to people's first impression of your state bot being the most complimentary.
But those thoughts are only the first things that come to mind. I'm sure those people know there's more to the state than that.
As the OP who started this thread, I'll use my own thoughts as examples.
Alabama - country, poor, racism, OK, Birmingham is supposed to have some big medical center
Georgia - nothing really, southern
Louisiana - rural, bayous, New Orleans
Mississippi - rural south, poor, racism
(Also, it's not only southern states that have some negative images -- you can't find a state that's been the butt of more jokes than New Jersey)
CLEARLY there is more to those states than that.
But to be fair, MS AL, and LA rank near the bottom on lots of studies for economy, standard of living, wages, high paying jobs, health care, etc. So could SOME of the negative impressions be a fair assessment in some ways.
IF a state - any state - has a negative image. Then that state should do what it can to 'educate' people about that. That's what many of the ad campaigns -- mostly aimed at tourism -- have done over the past decades. The tourism campaigns aim to promote the state - but only in one manor -- as in 'come visit and see the sites.' BUT, those ads don't really do much 'informing' about to much else. West Virginia, California, New Jersey, Virginia, Michigan (the Pure Michigan campaign voiced by Tim Allen) are all examples. After the last big oil spill three Gulf Coast states (AL, MS, LA) got together to say their beaches were open. But again, all that did was promote the beaches. Not a word about the state being a great place to LIVE -- with great jobs and and great economy, and educated work force.....nothing to really dispel any bad perceptions people may have. For example, Birmingham is considered one of THE tech and medical center areas of the South.
I find it interesting that states want to promote tourism and people coming to VISIT, but not to LIVE. I understand that employers in North Dakota are going begging for workers. It seems that States want to promote tourism, but leave it up to employers and the private sector to advertise for RESIDENTS....who could actually stay in the state and pay taxes long term, not just come spend money and leave.
When you pose a question and open a thread like this you are inviting all the stereotypes and short responses that are most unfitting for some of these states. I suppose I shouldn't take offense, it's difficult if not impossible to sum up any state in just a few short words, and unfortunately due to history and pop culture's education amongst most Americans in history, most of these states do not have a bright past.
All I am stating is that I wish people had more good things to say about all states. The negative ideas that are people's first thoughts is not something this country or its citizens should be proud of. The fact that most states do not generate a positive thought at first is dismaying. Every state should be known for something positive, something it has exported, something it attracts people for. You are correct about the deep south states and how they lag behind in most statistical studies, but they are still apart of the United States, a first world country and even the southern states are light years ahead of other countries in this world.
Louisiana probably has one of the most unique cities in the country, no other place like New Orleans, love it or hate it. Mississippi is stepped in Civil War history but has made serious turnaround in the 21st century putting a new face on race relations with the election of multiple black mayors in the capital city and two current black congressmen, it should go without saying that the state still has a long ways to go, but it's seriously underestimated. Alabama boasts Birmingham, which has the very best medical center for pro athletes thanks to Dr. James Andrews, a man that's able to work medical miracles for athletes that would otherwise be one and done. Georgia, which boasts the shining gem of the south with Atlanta, the very busiest airport in the world, the host of the 1996 world Olympics which has really put Atlanta on the set of the world stage, and a country stepped in Civil War and even colonial history with the likes of Savannah. Georgia has made great strides, adopting a new state flag in 2003 to try to distance itself from its old confederate esque flag from old. Florida is an example of what most of the southern states are going towards, filled by transplants all around the country. Orlando receives more international tourists than any other city, it also has more hotel rooms than any other city in the country. I could go on, but I think you get where I'm coming from.
All I am stating is that I wish people had more good things to say about all states. The negative ideas that are people's first thoughts is not something this country or its citizens should be proud of. The fact that most states do not generate a positive thought at first is dismaying. Every state should be known for something positive, something it has exported, something it attracts people for. You are correct about the deep south states and how they lag behind in most statistical studies, but they are still apart of the United States, a first world country and even the southern states are light years ahead of other countries in this world.
Actually, what you stated was:
Quote:
Originally Posted by ColdAilment
The only thing this thread shows is how ignorant Americans are of their own states...the first thing that comes to mind for every state except for the big ones is all negative. This country, even the south, is still America, the states that come to mind and you down because you aren't very educated in their history are still full of some pretty creative and hard working Americans. Your answer should go to show that most of you need to be more enlightened in what's going on in the rest of the country.
That seems pretty negative for someone who's not wanting people to be negative.
To be fair, you said posters were IGNORANT -- because of what happened to be the first thing that comes to mind about your state/region. BUT all those things ARE VALID. There ARE REASONS -- people think one thing about Ala or Miss -- and something else about Montana, Alaska, or Hawaii.
ColdAilment, all the positive things you said about deep south states are true. But if those things aren't the FIRST THINGS THAT COME TO MIND when people think of those states, that's not those people's fault. THOSE STATES should do more (and probably are) to turn their public image around.
Every state, at this point I'd imagine, has a 'tourism campaign budget' -- and spends some money on 'promotion' -- perhaps a pittance -- (but with the bad economic times of the past years, I suppose state workers in those departments should be glad there's ANY money allocated to them at all, but that's another issue.)
The point is states DO advertise....what they want to and choose to promote.
-- if people in Alabama want to be known for the tech/med center in Birmingham, then they should promote that more -- and not just the Gulf Coast beaches.
-- If Mississippi doesn't want the first thought about it's state to be racism and poverty -- even in 2014 -- then it better get busy promoting something to counter that image.
Can anyone think of a state imagine campaign that did more than promote tourism -- and went for the 'quick and easy' buck of 'come spend money, vacation here and then leave?'
What state RECENTLY can you recall -- promoted and advertised the fact that it had "the highest educated workforce in the south" or the highest per capita income in the southwest" -- or "the lowest crime in the midwest" or the 'best weather in the northwest' -- OR better yet -- highest school test scores in the Mid Atlantic" or "the most colleges of any state in New England." (Obviously aside promoting the good can invite undesirables as well as the honest hardworking people you'd WANT to attract.)
During the country's expansion -- states, or towns would ADVERTISE -- 'land is cheap' -- "open space" -- "own your own land" -- we need townsfolk -- storekeepers, blacksmiths, doctors. Heck some parts of the country TODAY -- need doctors.
More often than not, it seems to me states -- DON"T promote what's good about the state and would attract people to LIVE there.....that's much more word of mouth.....a friend or former co-worker who moves to a place and says " come out here they're hiring" -- OR "man, you'll like it up here. People are nice." etc. BUT I understand that -- because WHEN I MYSELF FIND A GOOD THING -- even as mundane as a good restaurant or parking lot -- I DON"T want the word to get around but so much. I guess states are a little like that too.
ColdAilment, all the positive things you said about deep south states are true. But if those things aren't the FIRST THINGS THAT COME TO MIND when people think of those states, that's not those people's fault. THOSE STATES should do more (and probably are) to turn their public image around.
REALLY? It is not their fault for what comes to mind first? Then why is it that a highly educated person on the history and cultures of the states in the United States would have a VASTLY different opinion from your common American who has probably only been to a handful of states? It is not their fault? It is entirely their fault for not educating themselves.
Is it Mexico's fault that American's don't speak Spanish?
Is it Nepal's fault that Americans don't know the capital?
Is it Iraq's fault that Americans don't understand the religion?
Is it Alabama's fault that people don't know its culture?
Do you see what I am trying to convey here? It is entirely the American peoples' fault for not knowing what goes on in other states.
What are you talking about? What your saying makes no sense, and isn't even on point to the conversation at hand.
1)You say:
Quote:
Being ignorant is a choice, nothing negative about the fact that many people posting here are ignorant on other states.
That's not a fact, just your opinion -- which of course you're entitled to. But you state it as fact and it's not. You have no idea whether people are 'ignorant' about various states. You can't say that based JUST on the first thing that comes to mind. You don't see that those two things aren't the same, or necessarily related?
2) Once again you're making a link that just doesn't exist. I dont' even knwo WHAT point you're trying to make with this:
Quote:
Is it Mexico's fault that American's don't speak Spanish?
Is it Nepal's fault that Americans don't know the capital?
Is it Iraq's fault that Americans don't understand the religion?
Is it Alabama's fault that people don't know its culture?
Do you see what I am trying to convey here? It is entirely the American peoples' fault for not knowing what goes on in other states.
1) Not speaking Spanish has nothing to do with being ignorant about Mexico. A person may not speak Greek or Chinese that doesn't mean they're IGNORANT about Greece or China.
2) And as for your question
Quote:
"Is it Alabama's fault that people don't know its culture?"
What ABOUT the "culture" are you positing that people "don't know." How do you know that JUST BECAUSE the first thing that pops to mind about Alabama is racism and poverty -- that people don't know about it's 'culture.' -- heck racism WAS part of it's culture and IS part of its fairly recent history!
That's like saying that just because one of the first things that a person thinks of is the the 'wild west' when you think of Texas -- that people don't know there's more to Texas history than that. Don't you get that?
For example I did mention in my original post that Birmingham was a tech/med center -- BUT it's still not the first thing that comes to mind! You don't seem to grasp that just because certain things are the FIRST that come to mind about an area -- doesn't make a person IGNORANT about the area.
CLEARLY there are a lot of good things one could say about NYC. But let's say the first thing a person thinks of is the crazy traffic congestion, the fact that the city is just sooo crowded -- or unfortunately -- the 9-11 attacks. That doesn't mean the person doesn't ALSO know of and think about the city's MANY museums, the arts, Broadway, fine dining, Wall Street, The Statue of Liberty, Empire State building, etc.
You're just not thrilled with the fact that your state still has some negative imagery to overcome. Which is fine. I get that. But you can't state as fact -- just for that reason alone -- that people who think of racism as ONE of the VARIOUS things they think of when they think of the state -- are ignorant.
REALLY? It is not their fault for what comes to mind first?
No. The thread encourages stream of consciousness. Who are you to undermine anyone's thought process?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ColdAilment
Then why is it that a highly educated person on the history and cultures of the states in the United States like myself would have a VASTLY different opinion from your common American who has probably only been to a handful of states?
Fixed in bold. You are speaking for yourself. Everything else is hearsay. There is no correlation between being well educated or well traveled and approaching everything in the mind in a favorable manner. Generally speaking, you may be educated and know the history and the culture of a particular region or state, but that doesn't mean you LIKE it. Not everything appeals to everybody. That doesn't mean that all of those who don't say something positive are bitter or ignorant. If anything, I'd argue that those who are well traveled and/or well educated would be MORE inclined to have something negative to say and guess what? Unlike those who troll and bash a place without knowing anything about it, the well educated and well traveled have been there and seen it and can elaborate on whatever it was they didn't care for at said place when confronted about why they feel the way they do. Whereas the trolls bite their tongues and move on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ColdAilment
Is it Mexico's fault that American's don't speak Spanish?
Is it Nepal's fault that Americans don't know the capital?
Is it Iraq's fault that Americans don't understand the religion?
Is it Alabama's fault that people don't know its culture?
Fairfield County is nothing like the rest of Connecticut and some people take that one county and conclude that all of Connecticut is rich, preppy, snooty and might as well not even belong to the New England region because the whole thing can be constituted as a Big Apple suburb. You don't see me incessantly complaining. I know you're probably sick to death of the stereotypes from wherever it is you reside, but lighten up.
Yeah, I say ignore the coldailment from now on. Sniff Sniff!
More states lists!! I want to see what images others have in their minds!!
(Is no one going to take me up on smushing Delaware, Maryland and Rhode Island into a single state called Rhomaryware?)
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