What Started It All

Hey all, Pete here. And recently Joe has been very upset with me for my lack of writing. Apparently he doesn’t understand that some people have a job or two. But to be perfectly honest I have just been procrastinating. I’ve been meaning to write this particular post for a while and now I finally have the time so hear you go. You can all stop complaining now.

This following post was written for my final in a College Writing class. We had to write a page that mirrored a blog post or a wiki article or something like that. We also had to have MLA citation and interactive text, which pretty much means its linked to Wikipedia. I chose to write a blog post on a topic of vital importance. I had so much fun writing this article that it gave me the idea to write my own blog. However, I knew that I couldn’t write it alone, I procrastinate too much. So I went in on it with Joe who is SLIGHTLY more responsible than me. So without further ado, my final for College Writing.

Oh quick side note, I got a 98 out of 100. So if you think its bad you can just go suck one.

Missouri? Ohh...

Typical Eastern College Student #1:“You’re from Missouri? Ohh…

Me: You have no idea where that is do you?

Typical Eastern College Student #1: …No

One of the unexpected consequences of going to a school that has a big eastern draw is I had to deal with the stereotypes of coming from the mid-west. For those of you that don’t know, I am from a small city outside of St. Louis called Chesterfield, Missouri. I normally just say I am from St. Louis, because it is easier and people know about St. Louis even if they can’t point to it on a map.

I was pretty surprised at the sheer number of people that do not know where Missouri is. I feel pretty confident that if you named a state I could find it on a map. I thought this was something everyone learned in third grade geography. Apparently I was wrong. I was shocked at how many students at my University did not know where each state is located. But to be fair, most easterners aren’t aware of anything west of Pennsylvania. But hey, there’s nothing important out there anyway right?

College Student #2: Oh Missouri? I have family in Minnesota. That’s close right?

Me: …sort of?

Fig. 1: A quick geography lesson for everyone

Sometimes someone will know where Missouri is, our conversations go a little something like this:

Eastern College Student #3: Missouri! I fly over that when I go to California

Me (with sarcasm): Really?! Wow, we have so much in common!

What is even more entertaining than someone who can’t find Missouri on a map, is someone who knows nothing about the state and has to resort to using stereotypes.

“But Pete,” you’re asking, “aren’t all stereotypes based on some sort of fact?”

Yes, avid reader, you would be correct. However, I don’t think anyone has bothered to update the Missouri stereotypes since the 1800’s. All things considered, Missouri really hasn’t done anything exciting to deserve a new stereotype. The fact remains, the only information some people have about my state is a book (or two) they read in school, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Yes, the most popular stereotype about Missouri originated in 1876 and 1885, respectively. The books were supposed to be based in the 1830’s as well. That means this stereotype is anywhere from 125-180 years old.

Most people think that the average Missourian (Missouriite?) wears overalls, floppy straw hats, and no shoes. We all dream about being a steamboat captain. In our free time we enjoy: building rafts and floating down rivers with recently escaped slaves, distilling our own whiskey, and tricking our friends into whitewashing fences for us.

Fig 2: Thanks Mark Twain, good work showing us in a positive light.

But it's really not fair to blame him, I doubt he thought the stereotypes he created would last over 125 years.

Sometimes instead of Tom Sawyer people get the image of a corn farmer. It is true that corn is a big agricultural export from Missouri but it is far from our largest export. Also, most of the corn farms are to the north and west of Chesterfield. The corn farmer stereotype then raises another stereotype that because I live on a corn farm I must be uneducated and unworldly. Ok this is just embarrassing, keep in mind that the people calling me “unworldly” can’t locate Missouri on a map.

College Student #4: "So do you like, live on a farm or something?"

Me (with a heavy dose of sarcasm): "Ya I do. Ma and Pa always want me to come back from school early so I can help with the harvest."

Fig. 3 & 4: Top: a picture of me in my backyard. Bottom: What people think is a picture of me in my back yard

So here is a quick, stereotype-bashing lesson for all of you who know nothing about where I live. Fun fact #1 Chesterfield is actually considered a well-to-do suburban city. Fun fact #2, the number one agricultural product of Missouri is not corn it is, in fact, soybeans. Other major industries in the state include, but are not limited to: aerospace (Boeing, formerly McDonnell Douglas), transportation equipment, lead mining, chemicals, wine, and beer (Anheuser-Busch’s headquarters is in St. Louis). No one rides in steamboats anymore, we don't wear overalls, and the Mississippi river is WAY too dangerous to raft on. I don't live on a farm, I live in a typical suburban neighborhood. My house is on less than an acre of land. In my yard we grow grass, not corn.

Ok so clearly I am not the only person to ever be stereotyped. I want to know, if you have every had some ridiculous stereotype thrust onto you let me know, leave a comment.