Region-bashing

[All Along The Watchtower]

I've noticed a disturbing trend in American politics (there are a lot of those, of course. ) Region-bashing: the view that because of a region's dominant  political views, the whole region or state can be "written off" as "a bunch of kooks."

Republicans do this with major cities and the coastal regions. Democrats do this with the South and other Republican-voting regions and states (and much of that is often a criticism of rural Americans, which is ironic, considering that much of the GOP's raw numbers come from suburban and exurban areas).

Nevermind that over 4 million people in California just voted for Romney. Californians are clearly all a bunch of liberal crazies. Nevermind that over 3 million people in Texas just voted for Obama. Texans are clearly all a bunch of conservative crazies.

The broad brushes and stereotypes and excessive generalizations need to stop.

[DC Al Fine]

Agreed, those damn Midwestern stereotyping centrists really piss me off.

[DemPGH]

Yeah, I catch myself doing this a lot with the South, especially when you compare the 1860 electoral map to the 2012 one, and I try to watch it. But I think Charles Barclay or one of those guys talked about the South and how not everyone is a redneck moonshine drinker voting on guns and God.

[Zioneer]

I'm very much a leftist, but I get really ticked off by the secular left's stereotyping of Utah as some backwards, Taliban-esque place. We're a modern state, for goodness sake!

EDIT: I'll admit that I stereotype Arizona, Texas, and the Southeast a lot though.

[memphis]

I'm very much a leftist, but I get really ticked off by the secular left's stereotyping of Utah as some backwards, Taliban-esque place. We're a modern state, for goodness sake!

EDIT: I'll admit that I stereotype Arizona, Texas, and the Southeast a lot though.

Outside of a few urban islands, the South is a total hellhole. There's no sense in pretending otherwise. And, or course, every major city is full of scary ghettos that are even worse than the rural areas. Has very little to do with politics. Very few areas are truly livable.

[Indy Texas]

Hate all you want, but thank us when you go to fill up your car and there's gas to put in it. (And even if you're some kind of granola hippie who doesn't own a car and only uses renewable energy, we also generate more wind power than any other state).

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

To be fair, one region of the country has been on the forefront of denying rights:

Slavery
Jim Crow
Interracial marriage
Womens' right to vote
Immigration
Gay rights

Man, if only we could go back to the days when women couldn't vote and gays were put to death. States rights!