Is anyone here tired of the "blue state/red state" hype?

[FerrisBueller86]

I'm SO tired of all this crap.  Because of my political leanings, I'm supposed to consider so many places to be enemy territory.  I'm supposed to boycott Gloria Estefan, Britney Spears, and Jessica Simpson.  I'm supposed to hate everything about Mississippi, even though Gulfport is a nice place to visit and Aunt Jenny's deep fried catfish was DELICIOUS.  I'm supposed to hate everything about other places I've been to that I liked, such as Indiana, Omaha, Florida, Oklahoma (home of the National Severe Storms Laboratory), and other places.

What is the media trying to do, start another civil war?  Well, I need to remember that Karl Rove and Osama Bin Laden want me to hate Alabama's guts.  That's more than enough reason for me not to.

[A18]

I prefer to think in terms of Reagan states and Mondale states.

For example, I do not hate the Reagan state of Massachusetts.

[nini2287]

I prefer to think in terms of Reagan states and Mondale states.

For example, I do not hate the Reagan state of Massachusetts.

Change Mondale states to state.

[A18]

By the way, the once exception to this rule is that I do not mind Minnesota.

[Gabu]

I'm tired of pretty well all labels, as they are the single biggest impediment to reasonable discourse on the planet.

[Ebowed]

I prefer to think in terms of Reagan states and Mondale states.

wlel i think of tehm as lbj states and rasist staes lol

[TheresNoMoney]

I'm SO tired of all this crap.  Because of my political leanings, I'm supposed to consider so many places to be enemy territory. 

I agree with you. I am also sick of the northeast-elitist crap I always hear on the internet and cable TV. I've lived in the northeast all my life, and I don't know any elitist. The people in my state (New Hampshire) are all pretty much middle class and very down to earth.

[MaC]

oh, I hate it so much.  My state is refered to a blue state, pfft over two third of the land area is red, by all the farmers and small town people.  Wouldn't it just be a better idea to call them Bush states and non-Bush states?

[Rob]

oh, I hate it so much.  My state is refered to a blue state, pfft over two third of the land area is red, by all the farmers and small town people.

I know exactly what you mean. Oregon is referred to a "blue state", and yet this is how it voted last year (of course, the colors are reversed):



I post this not to somehow delegitimize Kerry's victory here- I did support him, after all- but merely to point out that the current practice of describing "red states and blue states" is overly simplistic at best, and outright misleading at worst.

[opebo]

I dislike all American states, HamRadioRocks.  

[2952-0-0]

oh, I hate it so much.  My state is refered to a blue state, pfft over two third of the land area is red, by all the farmers and small town people.  Wouldn't it just be a better idea to call them Bush states and non-Bush states?

No. That gives the impression that ALL New Yorkers are liberal hippies while ALL South Dakotans are rednecks. I HATE labels like those. In fact the entire America is purple with a *slight* lean to one side:

http://www.electoral-vote.com/2004/nov/nov07.html

And here is the straight county map:
http://www.electoral-vote.com/2004/nov/nov06.html

[Ebowed]

If the media actually cared about who won the majority of the counties, the only "blue states" would be Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia.

[bgwah]

You shouldn't hate Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears because they're Republicans.

You should hate them because they suck.

[Gabu]

You shouldn't hate Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears because they're Republicans.

You should hate them because they suck.

Hahaha, now those are some true words if I ever saw some.

[Sam Spade]

You shouldn't hate Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears because they're Republicans.

You should hate them because they suck.

Truer words have never been spoken.

[Akno21]

I'm also tired of the notion that Iowa is somehow a better state than New York because Iowa is filled with down to earth, hard-working people, while New York is full of elitist snobs who aren't patriotic.

[DanielX]

I'm also tired of the notion that Iowa is somehow a better state than New York because Iowa is filled with down to earth, hard-working people, while New York is full of elitist snobs who aren't patriotic.

It's just a stereotype based on maybe 2 million NY residents, most of whom live in posh NYC neighborhoods and suburbs...

[Democratic Hawk]

No, when talking about states that voted Demcrat and/or states that voted Republican - the blue state-red state dichotony is appropriate enough

Dave

[angus]

I'm SO tired of all this crap.  Because of my political leanings, I'm supposed to consider so many places to be enemy territory.  I'm supposed to boycott Gloria Estefan, Britney Spears, and Jessica Simpson.  I'm supposed to hate everything about Mississippi, even though Gulfport is a nice place to visit and Aunt Jenny's deep fried catfish was DELICIOUS.  I'm supposed to hate everything about other places I've been to that I liked, such as Indiana, Omaha, Florida, Oklahoma (home of the National Severe Storms Laboratory), and other places.

What is the media trying to do, start another civil war?  Well, I need to remember that Karl Rove and Osama Bin Laden want me to hate Alabama's guts.  That's more than enough reason for me not to.

"They got a name for the winners in the world
 I want a name when I loose.
 they call Alabama the Crimson tide.
 Call me Deacon Blues."
   --Steely Dan



yeah, Al and I bitch about this regularly, you may have noticed.  Others do as well.  I'm pretty sure we've just become desensitized.

[PBrunsel]

I seperate America into- Voted for Hoover, Voted for Smith!

[??????????]

I dont have a problem with most states. But the northeast is still a horrible place even before this Bush/Kerry/Bush/Gore nonsense started up. The people up in those upper reaches of hell think that they are better then everyone else, especially southerners. I love when people from New England rail on southerners about racism when a vast majority of those in states such as NH, VT and ME have probably never even met a black person.

[AuH2O]

It's mostly their elites that are the problem.

The red state/blue state stuff is mostly nonsense. If there's a divide its religious/secular or urban/non-urban.

[angus]

I dont have a problem with most states. But the northeast is still a horrible place even before this Bush/Kerry/Bush/Gore nonsense started up. The people up in those upper reaches of hell think that they are better then everyone else, especially southerners. I love when people from New England rail on southerners about racism when a vast majority of those in states such as NH, VT and ME have probably never even met a black person.

you finally got rid of the picture of a United States President being assassinated.  good man.  I don't think anyone that's ever actually lived in New England claims there's any lack of racism there, by the way, States.  Any comments along those lines stem more from ignorance than sophistication I'd think.  It's just fashionable to pick on southerners right now.  I agree it's ignorant and bigoted, and it'll pass.  Anyone who's spent any time in the deep south learns what stereotypes are true (third-world economics, good music, friendliness, overt religiousity) and which are false (racism in excess of racism elsewhere, lack of sophistication about the world, etc.).

AuH2O is right, in the sense that the county maps are more telling than the state ones, but even they are gross oversimplification.

[Alcon]

For me, it's not the descriptor, but the implication. The media needs to realize that blue state/red state is a voting pattern, not a lifestyle.

[Gabu]

I seperate America into- Voted for Hoover, Voted for Smith!

Glad to hear it's not "Voted for Hoover, voted for FDR", because then there would be an awful lot of states you would hate.