Maine: boring. Indiana: boring. Georgia: hot, racist and boring. Oregon: liberal, weird, rainy and boring. Ohio: boring, but important in the primaries.
Such, at least, are the verdicts rendered by Google’s autocomplete function, according to some informal research by venture capitalist and occasional blogger Renee DiResta.
Suffering from mild culture shock upon her recent move from New York to San Francisco — where subways are sparse, people are obsessed with “local food,” and homeless people sprawl comfortably about the streets — she got interested in how people from different U.S. regions stereotype one another.
State by state, she started typing “Why is [state] so” into her Google search bar, and let its algorithm guess the remainder of her question. Type in “Why is Illinois so,” for instance, and it wonders if you’re going to ask, “Why is Illinois so corrupt?” For West Virginia, the top result is “poor.” Not all of the suggested descriptions are negative. Colorado is “healthy” and Delaware “business friendly.”
“It seemed like an ideal question to get at popular assumptions, since ‘Why is [state] so X?’ presupposes that X is true,” DiResta wrote. Once she had her results, she turned them into an interactive map of state stereotypes. You can mouse over any state to see the top four results.
Stereotypes don’t always correspond to reality, but it turns out that there is some wisdom in the crowd’s assumptions. DiResta found that states Google users think of as “expensive” in fact have some of the highest costs of living. And states whose top results include “fat” or “overweight” are indeed near the top in obesity rates, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Google’s guesses change over time, so her results aren’t necessarily the same ones you’d get if you tried the searches yourself today. For instance, DiResta’s top autocomplete for Texas was “awesome,” but mine was “hot.” Perhaps she tried the search on an unusually mild day in the Lone Star State. And Tar Heel basketball fans are surely hoping that “bad this year” will not linger long among the top results for “Why is North Carolina so.”
For DiResta’s full post, including a map of states that actually return positive results, take a look here.
I will take “boring” over so many other adjectives that could be used to describe states.
Yeah, at least we didn’t come up as “stupid”, “racist”, “Fat”, or “Corrupt”.
Unless you ask our Governor and then we are all of the above.
Unless you ask about our Governor and then all of the above are true.
Well I’m sure LePage will use more of his ‘scientific’ anecdotal evidence to support such claims……and we all know how much anecdotal anything is worth……not much.
Don’t you mean this state?
Why are Americans so whiny?
I don’t know.
“Boringest”? When did that become a word? Proper grammar seems to be a thing of the past!
That’s about the ignorantest thing I ever heard!
I hearded that.
A native Midwesterner, I lived for a while in New Jersey. Anyone I met from the East Coast, especially New Yorkers, said, “You’re from way out West” and of course negatively noticed my “accent”. After a while I replied that to a typical New Yorker, the world ends at the Hudson River, to an enlightened New Yorker, the world ends at the Delaware River. A few years later, the New Yorker magazine had a classic cover cartoon that illustrated the same thing.
So that makes you a “classic cover cartoon co-creator”? Cool…. ;> )
Love to take credit, but I can’t. Obviously, I was not alone in my observations. Did give me a chuckle because even New Yorkers (some at least) can laugh at themselves.
I catch your drift. I’ve experienced similar occurrences. To be filed in the “Great Minds Think Alike (or not)” drawer.
You should be stating NYC dwellers. New York State is a whole nother story. Spent a lot of enjoyable time exploring on a motorcycle 40+ years ago. I guess to some, it could be called boringly beautiful;)
Sorry. Most of the comments were coming from NYC area natives. A few were coming from upstate New Yorkers though (but they were past the Delaware and knew better). We too have had great experiences touring much of New York State, especially on the back roads (you can keep the Thruway). Even good times in NYC although that’s best taken in small doses.
Boring…Bangor…Uh, come to Downtown Bangor and walk from there up Hammond. Take a right on Union and walk about 3 miles. Then tell me how “boring” it is. Other adjectives maybe but not “boring”. Try is again at 1am and tell me how you like it.
Used to take this walk back in the day. Nearly every day. Sorry to hear it’s a thing of the past.
Seven are so boring they haven’t been named.
At a campaign event in Beaverton, OR, Obama claimed to have visited 57 U.S. states during the campaign
Everyone knows it’s 55. Duh
Maine isnt boring, maybe they should get outside and actually do something besides watching tv and playing X-box.
Agreed. Grab your favorite rod,reel,and #23 Mepps spinner and go trolling for Nessie!
How is Maine ‘boring’????Really?I dont think so..
Want to try boring sometime? Visit Scotland!
Yeah… you always see those white water kayaker’s half asleep at the helm,paddles dragging in the water drifting like dead ducks, their so bored. Not to mention squirrel hunters shooting themself’s in the butt. The governer ‘s a lot of things, but boring?
Only a small mind could find Maine boring. I don’t sit still for very long here. I’m out enjoying the fishing, hunting, hiking, biking, boating, sights, sounds and natural treasures this piece of earth has to offer. My mother always told me if I was bored it was only because I was a boring person…
Maine is definitely not boring. An incredible variety of scenery and activities within a couple of hours of the Bangor area. Possibly somewhat limited in some cultural areas (esp. classical music) but certainly not boring.
Give most people a chance to complain and they will. All these recent surveys don’t mean squat to me. I love Maine and every last one of it’s citizens. We’re awesome! If others don’t like it-stay where you are-somehow we’ll make it without you-even being as boring as we are. If we had been called fat I would have had to take some responsibility on that one.
Your speaking of state stereotypes reminds me of some folks I’ll see at Union Fair.
I look forward to Union Fair, which I think runs August 18-25 this year. I sometimes work in a booth as I gape in awe at dozens of people who wander about the Union Fair grounds late, late at night just before closing.
Because I live in Maine I have many friends who could easily lose 100 pounds without requiring hospitalization.
But only at Union Fair late, late at night can you see my neighbors who must top an unbelievable 300 pounds, fries in one hand and sweet drink in the other, as they slowly navigate the alley between the fried dough and the ice cream booth. You don’t see them in the daytime, but they come to Union Fair where they browse late, late into the night.
Sixty years ago when I was a kid the fat lady was an attraction at carnivals that came to Maine, but do you know anyone who would need to pay to see her today?
Why is this happening? Why are so many young Maine people eating themselves into the ground?
The humble Farmer
I’ll second that, and with your Humble permission, amend to include the just-before- closing shift at the Franklin County Fair. Could be the same people, but somehow I doubt it. Haven’t been to Skowhegan this week, but will bet they’re up front and present there, too.
It isn’t the least bit funny to see all that lard toted around the grounds of expositions once dedicated specifically to good farming and husbandry. It’s a sad irony, that’s what it is, and not a good commentary about once-fabled Yankee self-control.
At Skowhegan, you don’t have to wait until after dark.
I like fries and ice cream. I don’t like fried dough.
I am at about 260 lbs, big ole belly and all. I am supposed to weigh 185 lbs. according to the doctor.I know I overeat.I know I do not exercise enough.I know I will likely live longer if I become fit.I struggle with these facts on a daily basis, but I have not yet found a way to change my behavior
Now I cannot go to the Union Fair because I am concerned that you will “gape in awe” at me.
Where is the humility in that, Mr. Humble Farmer? I just realized that I did not accurately read the last line in your post! You stated “young Maine people eating themselves into the ground” I am off the hook as I am fifty two!My shattered self esteem is slowly returning to some semblance of normalcy
Some of those Maine fries are just out of this world compared to fries at fairs in other states !
(used to be skinny ) lol
Serious issue – why is the BDN publishing garbage from Slate? When will it publish National Review articles?
“boringest?” Really?How about “most boring?”Did ANYONE from the BDN pass English even once?
Bored people are boring people. There’s never a lack of things to do. If you’re bored, read, take a walk, call a friend, find a hobby-show some initiative and do something.
Maine isn’t fat? I must need new glasses
So glad the rest of the world thinks Maine is so boring! #OurLilSecret #TheyJustDontGetIt
They still come to visit, don’t they.
Massachusetts is the best state. That is why it is so expensive to live there. the state has the lowest divorce rate in the country,best schools,best hospitals,best east coast beaches, best towns
this is maine:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXgeqmjv_hU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvLTLcsDOGI
Laid back–Yes. Boring–nevuh!!
Maine is Maine. Depends on the County (they are all somewhat different), the weather, time of year. The one big difference in Maine I have noticed, now people tend to turn inward, rather than outward as in the 50’s and 60’s.
haha Arizone really takes the cake it looks like.
Boringest isnt even a word!!! Go back to journalism class before you post an article in the newspaper.
Guess thats why Maine is so rural. I wouldn’t change a thing.