Ignorant questions from people living in a different State than you

[Mr. DS]

Taking off of the similar thread involving countries, do you ever get (whether it be in your travels or conversations) questions or comments about your State from people who have never been there?   I live in Rhode Island and I think what we face a lot is "do you live near the ocean".  Granted, for me yes I do live 10 minutes from the ocean.  I can actually walk up the road and see it.  However, I'd say over half the state is a bit far away from the nearest ocean.  It seems to be the first question asked usually.  Either that or many people assume we are all coastline with no rural or suburban areas.

Then I also have gotten, "Are you near Boston?"  This is odd to me because Boston is the capital of MA.    It would make more sense to ask "Are you near Providence?"

So how about you, what do you get asked a lot about your State that drives you nuts?

[Paquita]

No  .  No one asks me questions about Illinois.. no one cares.  I will say that people that live near Chicago but not in Chicago seem to be afraid of the city and people that live farther away, but still a visitable day-trip distance, seem to think the city is hot stuff.  They're both kind of right.

[Derf]

No  .  No one asks me questions about Illinois.. no one cares. 

Awwww. Here's an ignorant question for you: what do you call someone from Illinois (I mean besides a yankee--I'm from South Texas, so pretty much everybody north of Houston is a yankee  )?

And Darksider, I can also say that (coming from a Texas perspective), nowhere in Rhode Island is all that far from either a coast or a state border. I have to drive 7-8 hours to get to the next nearest state (Lousiana), and 3-4 hours to leave the country (Mexico). Where are you when you drive 3-4 hours?

[flackbait]

Some of the various questions I have been asked by adult tourists from the US while I was fishing off the pier of my hometown in Michigan(which is right on Lake Michigan) have included: Are there dolphins in this lake? Are there whales in the great lakes? Are there sharks here? and my favorite of all time; Is Lake Michigan fresh water or salt water? The answer to all these questions is no! I really wonder if any one teaches basic geography in the US anymore somedays. All that said I don't expect anybody from outside the US to know these thing and I'm more than happy to answer a foriegn tourist's question about the great lakes but I'd expect my fellow Americans to know a little about the great lakes.

[Jack]

I'm from Minnesota, and no, it does not look like this for 11 months each year:



Only for THREE months each year 

[Mr. DS]

No  .  No one asks me questions about Illinois.. no one cares. 

Awwww. Here's an ignorant question for you: what do you call someone from Illinois (I mean besides a yankee--I'm from South Texas, so pretty much everybody north of Houston is a yankee  )?

And Darksider, I can also say that (coming from a Texas perspective), nowhere in Rhode Island is all that far from either a coast or a state border. I have to drive 7-8 hours to get to the next nearest state (Lousiana), and 3-4 hours to leave the country (Mexico). Where are you when you drive 3-4 hours?

I understand that aspect but the way many people ask they generally think we are living like Gilligan.  And to answer you question, a 4 hour drive would end me up in some part of CT I think.  Or Central MA maybe. 

[3mnkids]

No  .  No one asks me questions about Illinois.. no one cares.  I will say that people that live near Chicago but not in Chicago seem to be afraid of the city and people that live farther away, but still a visitable day-trip distance, seem to think the city is hot stuff.  They're both kind of right.

Im from IL too.  I do get asked one question. Are you close to Chicago?      I tell them no im close to St. Louis and occasionally I hear.. Is that in IL?   

[AndyC]

I'm from Minnesota, and no, it does not look like this for 11 months each year:



Only for THREE months each year 

Not all of Canada looks like that either. Where I live, we have a lot of trees.

I don't think it's as true as it once was, but there was a time when Americans seemed to think that crossing the 49th Parallel would take them into something resembling Northern Exposure, but with Mounties. My mom used to be fond of sharing stories of visitors who were impressed to find such things as paved roads. Mind you, there are still enough misconceptions about Canada south of the border to make it a popular source of humour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=pZpjtagJ-0w&feature=related

[Flick James]

I'm not from there, but I imagine alot of people, when someon says they're from New York, assume they're from the boroughs. Hello, there's an entire state. New York City is an island off the coast of the state. Then, I also heard a guy from Brooklyn say upstate may as well be Canada.

[Hammock Rider]

Derf, what do they call someone from Illinois? How about over-taxed, under served, bankrupt or just plain "sucker"?  (Aw, that's harsh.) I think it's pronounced : Ill-uh-noy-an

  Every now and then when I travel and I mention I'm from Chicago someone will ask if I know Al Capone. Not "know of him" but if I actually have met and befriended Scarface Al Capone. As I am a smart a$$ I sometimes tell them that his baby sister baby sat me as a kid and that's how I learned to bribe cops. 

[Derf]

Derf, what do they call someone from Illinois? How about over-taxed, under served, bankrupt or just plain "sucker"?  (Aw, that's harsh.) I think it's pronounced : Ill-uh-noy-an

Sounds more like you're an Ill-annoyed. 

And, being from Texas, I can tell you that no, I don't ride a horse everywhere, I don't speak like a hick (although I can, quite convincingly), I've never tipped a cow (well, there was that fat waitress, but, no  ), and I don't wear chaps. I do consider Corpus Christi to be the biggest hick town in America, but that's just because I'm a surly old fart. 

[macabre]

hi
you will have to forgive my ignorance(i,m a brit) but please explain to me .What is a hick?

[AndyC]

hi
you will have to forgive my ignorance(i,m a brit) but please explain to me .What is a hick?

Yokel, bumpkin and hayseed are synonyms you might recognize.

[Derf]

A hick is an uneducated poor person. A bumpkin. An oaf. A schmuck. People tend to stereotype Texans as either hicks or oil-well-owning billionaires. I'm neither. Well, I am poor, but I have a master's degree, so I'm not uneducated. 

[trekgeezer]

A hick is an uneducated poor person. A bumpkin. An oaf. A schmuck. People tend to stereotype Texans as either hicks or oil-well-owning billionaires. I'm neither. Well, I am poor, but I have a master's degree, so I'm not uneducated. 

I'm from Arkansas, and we're all ignorant Hill Billies.  When I went to Navy Boot camp in Chicago my company commander was impressed with the fact that I was not a slobbering bumpkin and insisted on calling me Arkie. 

I've been to a lot of  states and several other countries and believe me when  I say, every place has their version own of the bumpkin, redneck, oaf, and idiot.

I usually call the locals here, goobers.