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Miami, LA and Vegas are the most superficial places I ever been to, Rust Belt and Southern cities are the least but they have some status seeking people but the culture is not like LA, Miami and Vegas overall the people are more down to earth.
Basically two hours or less outside any city, whether in the PNW, Midwest, or NY-NJ, you are going to find people in Carhartts, sweatpants, and work boots. Or worse... juggalos. :-)
(actually, are juggalos even a thing anymore?)
What's a juggalo? I presume we're not talking about Insane Clown Posse fans.
I'm not exactly sure but one thing I know is not all regions, states and cities are the same on this or anything else. Yes you will find all kinds of people in all places but the percentages will be different.
It seems noticeable to me in the PNW, especially CA. The midwest that I've seen may not compare homes and phones and stuff, but there is much of sameness to natives, and a tendency to single out people who are different (different colors, different cultures, different accents). I've seen plenty of superficiality in those regions. Also in CO (partly because of the midwest connection).
I'd think smaller towns in the south, and small / medium-sized towns with diverse cultures, would have the lowest superficiality, in general.
Absolutely, in Portland, OR where I used to live there was competition amongst a growing number of people who want to have what everyone else has to fit in. That's why you see so many Subarus on the streets and expensive grocery stores selling organic food on every corner. Not that those are bad things, but it does show a certain type of conformity amongst the newer more affluent transplants. It's a kind of "keeping up with the Joneses."
Although I am a down to earth guy myself who could care less about material status symbols I am pro-superficial. I say that because I associate superficiality with women looking attractive, wearing makeup, sexy outfits etc. I love superficial women.
What part of the US is least prone to the mentality of keeping up with the Jones and are least likely to judge others based on the clothes they wear, the cars they drive, the phones rhey own, etc. I think all 50 states are at least somewhat prone to this but not all equally. I personally think this is less prevalent in the Pacific Northwest and the Midwest. What do you think?
Alaska
The Dakotas
Nebraska
Kansas
Oklahoma
Iowa
West Virginia
New Mexico
Utah
Mississippi
Wyoming
Missouri
Kentucky
For instance in the Northeast, Upstate, Pennsylvania and Maine probably have less superficiality overall then the wealthy areas of the NYC, Boston and Washington DC metros. And not everyone in those metros would I describe as superficial. But even so, you could still say that the Northeast in general still has more superficiality then say the Great Plains.
The Northeast Corridor generally (which of course includes the Philly area of Pennsylvania also) is definitely a hotbed of superficiality, which dissipates pretty quickly once you leave the major metro areas.
It's a different brand of the superficiality you tend to find out West or down South, with greater emphasis on appearing highly-educated, intellectual, or possessing esoteric knowledge, as opposed to only ostentatious displays of wealth, although certainly that's not out of the question, either.
My impression is that three factors tend to make areas more superficial and judgmental:
- High population density
- High median income
- Strongly partisan politics (either small-town conservative or cosmopolitan liberal)
If this is true, some of the least superficial places in the country would include New England, Colorado, New Mexico, and the West Coast outside the major cities (so, like, central California), plus maybe the Rust Belt. This was certainly my experience when a couple friends and I went to New Mexico for spring break: everyone was very relaxed and open-minded.
To each and everyone reading this thread. The real answer is: Dearborn, MI. Hands down the only place in the nation where everyone respects another regardless of social class, race, or income.
Dearborn is definitely a hidden down-to-earth place.
If this is true, some of the least superficial places in the country would include ....Colorado.... This was certainly my experience when a couple friends and I went to New Mexico for spring break: everyone was very relaxed and open-minded.
Sometimes a place will seem one way during vacationing and visiting, and quite different when living there and working/interacting with others. Colorado is a perfect example. During all my visits, I thought the people were the nicest on the planet. After moving, the impression changed radically. Behind a lot of smiles and nicey-nice-ness were feelings and opinions that didn't match their faces.
Some areas put a premium on outward niceness (though with inner feelings that might not match), while other areas value realism (what you see is what you get). I discovered that my roots are with the latter.
Lesson: don't assume visiting will match residential living.
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