Indiana stereotypes? (Gary, Bloomington, Columbus: insurance, how much, college)

[JackedInPrinceton]

Hi, I'm from New Jersey born and raised. I however dated a girl for a summer who was visiting NJ family and was from Indiana... ( Didn't realize how much of an accent you guys had! ) Basically I just wondering what some of the funny stereotypes are in your state. For example in NJ most people think that all we have are swampland/urban cities, people are rude, mobsters, everyone acts like Tony Soprano, jersey accents etc. I thought it would be funny to hear what some people who dont know any better assume about your state?

[domergurl]

What kind of accent? When I was at IU in Bloomington, I was introduced to the Kentuckiana accent, but we northern folks don't have it. We have a standard midwestern accent, kind of like David Letterman. Stereotypes? I honestly don't know. We are a humble state that doesn't like to draw attention.

[JackedInPrinceton]

Originally Posted by domergurl

What kind of accent? When I was at IU in Bloomington, I was introduced to the Kentuckiana accent, but we northern folks don't have it. We have a standard midwestern accent, kind of like David Letterman. Stereotypes? I honestly don't know. We are a humble state that doesn't like to draw attention.

Lol I dont know what kind of accent cause I had never heard anyone from Indiana before... Def different than are accent though lol! I know she would talk about how many would conisder Indiana people hicks for example.

[Interpol76]

Extremely conservative, dumb hicks, full of white trash, very antisocial, un-neighborly, introverted people who tend to marry early in age. I've lived out of state (Cali, Montana and Texas) and have never heard anybody say anything nice about Indiana except: "isnt that where Michael Jackson is from?".

[rrah]

Well....there's that basketball thing here...I think it's bred into Hoosiers to love basketball. Nothing is more warming to a Hoosier parents heart than to see little Joey or Susie on the court making a lay up or sinking a freethrow. I previously thought this was a myth, but with a son that has lived here since he was 8, I know it's true.

[domergurl]

I started playing basketball when I was 5. It was just a given that Saturday mornings and summer vacations were spent on the courts. Played until my freshman year of college. Just finished coaching my girls. Yea, it's in my blood ... I sit and watch basketball on tv and ref the game and yell and the coaches when they don't call a timeout at the right time. I tend to watch games without the announcers voices becaus it's not pure. Yikes, I'm scaring myself. Color me a basketball geek.

But yes, the Michael Jackson thing, the David Letterman thing, the KKK thing ... I'm not sure if that's necessarily a stereotype, but it's what Indiana is known for.

[Capt. Dan]

Things i've heard about Indiana in my travels-
Stay out of Gary.
Larry Bird owns most of French Lick.
Very stubborn people.
North-Da Bears---South-the Colts
The women have just enough fat on them to keep the men warm in winter.
Alot of gay people in Indy
people there have just enough of an accent that you cant tell where they are from.

[artemis]

What accent ??

[MainStreet]

You guys must not watch enough local news. There are two accents in Indiana. One is the no accent and then if you drop south of Shelbyville, there is a southern twang.

But, even in Indy, some of those inter-city southsiders, natives, sound like they just got off the bus from Alabama.

When I first met my ex and his friends, one of them asked me if I'd gone to college. Apparently, no accent or the King's English with no accent is a sign of education in these "them" parts, lol.

My own Indiana stereotypes are....

Everyone says "busted" instead of broken....

A lot of cursing in public....

They call their grandparents something other than Grandma and Grandpa.

I've been amazed the number of natives that haven't travelled outside the stateline or been on an airplane.

Friend took a bunch of kids from Lebanon to Indy (what....maybe 20 miles) and they had never been there. Acted like they just blew into Hollywood.

[domergurl]

It drove me nuts when we lived in Fishers and now here in Columbus how people call their grandparents Ma-maw and Pa-paw. What's that about? Also when they put the emphasis on the first syllables of "insurance" and "umbrella". I'd also never heard the term "fair to middlin'" before college and had no clue what it meant. Also, I remember hearing some old timers saying "you-uns" and "we-uns".