Stereotypes | Teen Ink

Stereotypes MAG

By Anonymous

   Farms, cows, illiteracy, no electricity. These are only a few of the stereotypes that I have heard about Nebraska. Yes, I have to admit that Nebraska is known as the "Cornhusker State," but not the "Everyone lives on a farm, gets up at dawn to milk the cows, walks five miles to and from school every day, if they go to school at all" myth. Most of the people in Nebraska live in cities or towns. I have only been on a farm once. Even though you may think that we Nebraskans know about farming, I don't know a thing. I can't tell the difference between wheat and barley. I know what corn stalks look like, but I think most people do. I was born and lived in Lincoln, Nebraska my whole life. I like it here. Some people say, "I feel sorry for you," but I don't know why. I bet most or even all that have these stereotypes have never been here before. It is actually an interesting state with many monuments like the Oregon Trail, Chimney Rock, Ashfalls, and many other interesting places. There are also many unique facts about Nebraska.

We do the same things here as everyone else in the United States. We hang out with friends at the mall or at home, go to movies. Everyone goes to the Nebraska football games, even during seasons when they don't play well. We have parties and go swimming. I also enjoy going up to our cabin and swimmng, skiing, and hiking.

Unfortunately, we too have crime, shootings, and gangs like most other cities. I bet no one ever guessed that Nebraska had crime, but we do. I don't know where people get their stereotypes.

The weather is really strange here. If you think that Nebraska has weird weather, that one stereotype is true. When I say that I live in Nebraska, people always seem to think of dry, hot summers and hazardous, cold winters, but that is not true either. There is a saying that goes "If you don't like the weather here, wait 15 minutes." In spring it is 20 degrees one day 75 degrees the next. Sometimes there are blizzards in April, and it's 80 degrees in February.

Try to look past words and thoughts, and look at information and your own experiences. Maybe next time you think of Nebraska, you won't think of a myth, rather you will think of this article and say,"Hey, Nebraska seems like a nice place, I would like to visit sometime." ?



Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 3 comments.


i love this so much!

Sen 1 said...
on Oct. 3 2010 at 3:13 pm
I like the idea, and the previous comment that there are stereotypes about all states, but I kind of think your stererotyping everyone else about what we think. I sure don't think people in Nebraska live in cornfield, just people in Iowa! (Just kidding) But remember that we ALL don't necessarily think that you live on a farm. How do you know about your WHOLE state anyway? Maybe there are a lot of farmers somewhere that are proud that there are a lot of them? I'm just saying.

on Mar. 7 2010 at 2:17 pm
magic-esi PLATINUM, Hyde Park, New York
27 articles 0 photos 231 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.&quot; <br /> &quot;Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light.&quot;

I think every state has its stereotypes. You should hear what people say about New Jersey. (FYI, girls don't have 'big' hairdos here, we don't think the world revolves around us and WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT BAGELS. Plus, there is no such thing as a New Jersey accent. We sound the same as Floridians and Maine citizens alike.)

Anyway, besides that, your article was very well written and I liked both how it taught people about Nebraska and how it opened people's eyes to the truth behind many stereotypes.