How are you most different or most like the stereotype of your demographics?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m a gay white male born and reared in Alabama, so using the stereotypes for those demos:

Most like:

Alabama: LOVE fried foods and parts of pigs you just don’t see that often north of the Carolinas; could gladly drink sweet iced tea at every meal (though I’ve cut down for weight/diet reasons); find the Civil War fascinating; grew up on a farm with (but not in) a tin roofed shack by the side of the road and really close to the food chain; use words and phrases like “y’all”, “turn right there” and “I’m fixing to do that”; own and know how to use firearms. Used to own a pickup (start with post 184 if you’re interested/not familiar with that story) & intend to again someday.
Gay: LOVE showtunes (though I’m one of only about three gay guys who can actually say this), loathe football and most other collegiate or professional sports, bought a Ricky Martin CD when he was hot (though only for his contributions to musical theory, of course), I smoke and I have a spoiled bandana wearing little dog.
Most unlike:

Alabama: I’m liberal, agnostic, don’t have a southern accent, don’t hunt, prefer snow to heat and (repeating myself) loathe football/baseball and most other team sports.

Gay: I’m not the least bit neat, can count the number of guys I’ve slept with on one hand (with multiple digits left over), don’t exercise (though I need to start), don’t drink (well, yearly average of one drink per month), have never done illegal drugs harder than pot (and that man years ago), can’t emphasize the degree to which I loathe techno and dance clubs, don’t like antiques (antiquities, yes) and regard shopping for clothing as a painful but necessary duty and undertake it as a surgical strike (get into the store, buy the shirt, get out).
And you?

2

Hmmm… I’m a bi white female born and reared in southern New Brunswick, Canada.

Most like:

New Brunswick: Well, I’m bi.* Lingual*, of course. :stuck_out_tongue: I love fiddleheads, picking blueberries, drinking blueberry wine; I drink Guinness, I am proud of my Irish/Acadian roots. I love sweet, rich foods, such as poutine and pecan tarts, as well as “bangers and mash” and “treacle cake” (sausage and 'taters and molasses cake, respectively). Though I speak with a “funny” accent, I do not say “aboot”. I do, however, say “aboat”.

Bi: …I like girls and boys? And girls who are boys who like boys to be girls who do boys like their… oh, never mind. You know the damn song.

Most unlike:

New Brunswick: I don’t go “muddin’”. I don’t care that much for hockey. I LOOOOOOOOOOVE football (soccer). I can read. (I kid, I kid, fellow NB’ers! :smiley: ) I am a bit of a sociophobe. Maybe a lot of a sociophobe…

Bi: I don’t sleep with everyone, and have always been monogamous. I am married. To a man. Gasp. I am not promiscuous (outside of the bedroom). I am quite reserved, and I don’t go to clubs or bars.

3

Seattle:

Like: I love coffee, oddball music, floaty dresses, poetry and ugly comfortable sandals. I am an aging former hippie who use to work for a software company but now works in a bookstore. [Dear Og, I am a veritable parody of the Seattle demographic!]

Unlike: I am a libertarian. You won’t find me hiking, skiing, snowboarding or complaining that I can’t because of the weather. I’m not an outdoor girl. I much prefer looking at the outdoors from the indoors. I drove an American car (that isn’t an SUV). I hate sushi.

All in all I’d say I fit right in here. :slight_smile:

4

Let’s see…I’m a straight, white male born and raised in Southern California.

Most like: I am certain that the universe revolves around Southern California. I get the bends if I travel north of Santa Barbara. I hate the Giants with the white-hot heat of a thousand suns. I know every fish taco stand within 50 miles, and I eat Mexican food for breakfast at least twice a week. I know more Spanish than I think I do. I bitch about the traffic, and every freeway begins with “The.” I am a dilettante and a snob about food and wine. I drive everywhere.

Most unlike: I’m not a granola-eating, natural-fiber wearing, PETA-worshipping, tree-hugging liberal loony. I couldn’t care less what the weekend gross was. I don’t ski, don’t surf, don’t sand-rail, don’t jet-ski. I support the NRA.

5

Jew from Miami (also a straight white male, but that’s obvious enough to anyone who sees me).

Like: Um, I really like a good deli and Woody Allen movies. And Cuban food. And guayabera shirts. I have a self-deprecating sense of humor, for what it’s worth.

Unlike: I’m not religious, never been to Israel and don’t feel any great loyalty to it, never even had a bar mitzvah, despise humidity and heat, hate the beach, hate South Beach, no interest in Latin music, barely speak Spanish, never have fun at nightclubs or bars, don’t wear open shirts with chains, don’t wear any jewelry, not a metrosexual (I too hate clothes-shopping), not musclebound, not into fiery, high-maintenance women.

6

I am a 32 year old white Southern male from rural Northwestern Louisiana:

Most unlike:

There are a bunch of them. I was the only one in my graduating class to go to college. I followed that up with Ivy League graduate school. My family has been in the South since 1610 and I am the first to move away and start a new generation. I work as an IT consultant and people from my hometown wouldn’t even understand the job description. I lost my Southern accent years ago. I married into a wealthy Boston family and live here now probably for good.

Most Like:

I am Southern DAMNIT! I will be to the day I die. I don’t know where my accent went but if someone finds, it please return it. I don’t think like people in Massachusetts (New Hampshire is a lot closer). I love the South and love reading about Confederate Civil War victories. I love Southern history and culture and when I drive South from Boston and enter Virginia, I feel like a weight is starting to be lifted. My daughters probably won’t grow up in the South but they will know about it. By some quirk, my Boston wife is the best Louisiana style home cook that I know.

7

I’m a straight, white male college student from Ohio.

As for being white, I’m a horrible dancer. When I try to dance at parties, I get laughed at and quickly stop. However, I listen to a lot of “black” music. For example, I’m a huge Prince fan.

As for being a college student, I walk around all day listening to my ipod. Also, I’m pretty liberal, I take a lot of naps, and play drinking games every weekend. I don’t drink much coffee though, or cram for exams.

As for being from the midwest, I’m a pretty nice, laid-back guy, which I guess is a stereotype of the region, but I’m not naive, nor was I raised on a farm. I am also an atheist.

8

Straight white, married 42-year-old guy born in Kentucky, spent nine years in military, live in Ohio

Most like: Am laidback, move at my own slow pace, never getting in too big of a hurry, fairly conservative in politics, dress and demeanor. Proud to have served in the Marines.

Unlike: Am tolerant towards every and all politics, dress and demeanor (except loud drunks) – in fact, find females with noserings and bizarrely-colored hair sexy (though my dear wife has neither). Cannot stand most “Southern things” – big-ass trucks, Rebel flag, tight blue jeans with Skoal cans, caps, pride in ignorance. Cannot tolerate wannabe Rambos in the military.

Sir Rhosis

9

White Female Straight Canadian

Most like: Polite, say aboot, drink beer, listen to CBC

Unlike: Don’t like hockey, don’t wear snowshoes, don’t listen to Barenaked Ladies

10

I’m a white male, born and raised in rural central Louisiana (waves at Shagnasty) and now transplanted to Texas.

Most like:

I’m a dab hand with small boats–I went to my high school graduation in a pirogue (Cajun: “small boat”. Sort of like a canoe.) The first thing I learned to drive was a Swamp Fox (a kind of amphibious vehicle), and went from there to a tractor, before graduating to trucks. I’m a good home-style cook, and I make spicy (not just hot, but well-seasoned) dishes. I’ve been known to eat things most Yankees wouldn’t step on. :wink: I make my own booze. I support the NRA on most issues. I have an abiding love for the green spaces of my home–the lush fields, the deep woods, and the canopied bayous–that will never be rooted out of my soul; sometimes you really can’t take the country out of the boy.

Most unlike:

I’m not Christian, much less a member of any of the fundamentalist denominations that dominated my home town. What little French I speak isn’t Cajun. I cordially detest country music, with the exception of a few very old songs and some novelty pieces. I have no interest at all in spectator sports. I personally hate guns, to the point that I prefer not to even touch one. I don’t share the bigotry that was endemic to the area where I grew up. I have an engineering degree, and work mainly in systems and software engineering. I write fantasy games and stories in my spare time, play in a LARP, and get mistaken for a performer at Ren Faires.

11

Hispanic, married, female in California
Like–
I have a huge, extended family who thinks nothing of piling into a van and driving all night for a sick relative/ graduating grandson/ gambling junket.
.
Unlike–
I am 5’8" and about half a foot taller than all my relatives.
I didn’t have children until I was 24 and then only 2. Both with the same father.
I only speak medical spanish.
My husband cooks every meal we eat.
He is whiter than white and can eat spicy food and I can’t.
Although I dropped out of school to get married, I have 2 college degrees.

12

47 year old hetero female.

Anchorage

Like,

Love the outdoors, biking, hiking, berry picking etc. Am the typical “can do” Alaskan girl, can work on cars, am self sufficient, believe in hard work and not “finding a man to take care of me”, not much patience wth stupidity and have the Alaskan Last Frontier highly resourceful make do or do without mentality. I love traveling around Alaska to the rmote sites (part of my job), it is a lovely pristine place to see. Many parts of Alaska are still completely untouched, not populated by anything other than trees and critters. And never have been. Oh, and like most PacNwsters…LOOOOVE the good coffee. Don’t touch canned storebought…blech!!!

Unlike

Hate…no HATE…No…HATE AND LOATHE with the burning passion of a thousand suns fishing/hunting/snowmachining, which seem to be the raison d’etre, to the point of complete obsession for most Alaskans. I do NOT think that “the best thing about Anchorage is that it’s so close to Alaska”, if I had my druthers, it would increase in size at least twofold. I hate that the state has a serious lack of more civilized entertainment pursuits. And wish that we had enough of a population to support a major league Hockey team, or could majorize (not a real word) our beloved “Aces”.

I LOVE dancing bu our dance community is pitifully small, nearly non-existant. I hate salmon, moose and other game.

13

Off the top of my head:

23 year old Chinese immigrant in Calgary Alberta, however:

  • I am perfectly fluent in both Chinese and English, but I don’t have that weird Chinese accent that even some of the Chinese folks who were born here have. I can’t even fake it.

  • I have at best a casual interest in most hobbies that are stereotypically asian, i.e. video games, Japanese animation(OK, maybe a bit when I was younger), Asian pop music, Asian TV dramas, import cars, all are mysteries to me. I don’t own a completely black outfit, I don’t put gel or orange dye in what little hair I have left, I don’t wear a jade medallion or any cheezy “Asian” jewlery. There are no silly “asian” ornaments or pictures of Mao or stuffed animals anywhere in my car.

  • I do have Asian friends but not because we share any of the above interests.

  • I have actual in-depth knowledge of China and Chinese culture. I am a few credits away from a degree in Chinese history, should I feel the need to get a second degree. My parents, who have spent their entire lives in China, often consult with me on obscure points in ancient Chinese history and literature. (Extremely modest too :slight_smile: I’m hoping Tamerlane and China Guy will be cutting me down to size in future threads on this topic).

  • I’ve been in the Army reserve for almost 6 years now, have served on overseas missions and plan on doing so again, despite the fact that Chinese culture abhores military service. I thought that since I was an immigrant, I have no right to complain about the country or the goverment with a clearn conscience if I’ve never put my ass on the line to defend them. Chinese people and asian immigrants in general have no Idea what I’m talking about.

So, I’m in the army, but:

  • I’m a liberal. I thought the invasion of Iraq was wrong from day 1. I’m pro gay marriage. I support basically every liberal and progressive agenda. It saddens me that my liberal bretheren down south are so ineffectual in the face of the conservative onslaught :slight_smile: .

  • I rarely drink. Oh I’ve had some good nights, to be sure, but being busy and having to drive everywhere sort of cuts down on my chances and I just don’t like it that much.
    I’m also a 23 year old male Canadian, but:

-I don’t get professional sports. That includes hockey. They are absolutely incomprehensible to me… There’s nothing more I can add to this point because I honestly don’t know anything about hockey or football or curling, and I can’t understand how people can get so exited about them.

-I hate beer. It is beyond me how anyone could force this vile substance down their throats and enjoy it. I also hate carbonated beverages in general.

-I cannot understand hip hop or country music. I think I just lack the neccesary cultural grounding to apprieciate them.

-I’ve never owned a television in my life. Threads here about commercials or reality TV are completely lost on me.

-I enjoy romantic “chick flick” movies.
There, now you know why I can’t be bothered to fill out my profile on myspace. My “hate” list is so much longer than my “like” list.

14

44 YO white lesbian geek from very working-class Barstow, California.

Stereotypical geek: I love science & math stuff way too much, love my computer way too much, am currently learning Go, does computer modding with all the useless LEDs and too many fans, surfs Wikipedia when bored.

Stereotypical lesbian: Wore a mullet for many years, hate dresses, cuss too much sometimes, overweight, environmentally savvy, feminist, have multiple cats, thinks “Dykes to Watch Out For” is a perfect description of real life, likes to wear ties & cufflinks.

Stereotypical scary red-neck small desert townian: Wore a mullet for many years, won’t shop at anything more fancy than Nordstrom Rack, love trains and 18-wheelers, loves old country music, did too much meth and Southern Comfort in my youth, lost my virginity at the drive-in, learned to play guitar & harbored secret longings to be a rock god.

Non-stereotypical geek: I dress fairly nicely, like being sociable, not an athiest or agnostic and actually quite religous, not obsessed with comic books or graphic novels, didn’t think Lord of the Rings was that great a read, not a huge science fiction fan.

Non-stereotypical lesbian: don’t like the L word that much, don’t think “butch” and “femme” mean anything, like straight men just fine, love “girly” crafts, have long hair, don’t play sports at all and especially despise softball, loves to hang out at drag queen bars, not especially uptight or militantly in-your-face about my politics.

Non-stereotypical scary red-neck small desert townian: Extremely leftist, supports gun control, not Christian, likes craft beer, never learned to ride a horse, uncloseted, respects the military just fine but never harbored any desire to join, is consciously anti-racist, doesn’t wear any clothing with an American flag on it, fuzzy kittens or puppies, wolves, eagles, bears or noble Native Americans, doesn’t like shopping at WalMart.

15

My local ‘demographic’ compatriot earns around $200k per year, lives in or is renovating a Victorian terrace and shops at boutique stores for the best in foodstuffs. Organic and biodynamic veggies and meats are de rigeur. They have their broadsheet newspaper home-delivered, and either send their kid to the most exclusive private school, or perhaps home-schools them, because that is cool too. They listen to the national broadcast station (the ABC) and they follow Melbourne in the AFL.

I’m different because I don’t earn $200k per year. I don’t live in a restored mansion. I can’t afford to shop in boutique food stores. I don’t have my newspaper home-delivered (but I do buy it every morning on my way to work). My kids went to the local gummint schools.

I DO listen to the ABC, but I don’t barrack for Melbourne in the AFL.

But me and my neighbours are all pink-arsed liberals, and we all vote accordingly.

:smiley:

16

Northern Californian: Pro-choice, pro-gay rights, pro free-speech, etc. Don’t really like conservatism, or organized religion. Think I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Didn’t vote for Bush. Didn’t vote for Schwarzenegger.

Nerd/Geeky: My bookshelves have collapsed under their own weight on more than one occasion. I build weapons on a flight simulator to relax. I read The Republic for fun. Don’t care for most televised organized sports. I have no real prospects of having intimate relations with a woman. I watch a lot of anime.

unNorthern Californian: Anti-gun control, pro-death penalty, pro-nuclear. Don’t like liberals, either. At all. This beautiful place is still too goddamn hot, and the human population is irritating. Still like Bush better than Kerry. I didn’t vote for the Democrats running against Arnie, either.

unNerd/Geeky: Hate math. Not a fan of economics, either. Never played a tabletop RPG, or a multiplayer FPS. Never read Lord of the Rings, or much Asimov. I fence. Functional asexuality doesn’t really bother me, that badly. A lot of anime just pisses me off.

17

Actually, that makes you most like about 95% of the bi girls I know! :stuck_out_tongue:

For me: Vancouver twenty something girl

Most like

Vegetarian, party girl, brunette (really, when you hear “Vancouver”, do you think blonde? Nuh-uh), eat lots of tofu and organic food, love (fairtrade) coffee, love the rain, love apres-ski, liberal, support same-sex marriage, bisexual.

Most unlike

Don’t smoke pot, don’t support decriminalization or legalization, no longer do any drugs, don’t wear Birkenstocks, don’t ski, don’t snowboard, don’t want these damn 2010 Olympics.

18

Wow, this makes perfect sense, but I’ll be damned if I knew HOW… and I’ve never even been to BC. :confused:

Put me down for not skiing or snowboarding too. Apparently people come to this city for that stuff. Who would have known?

19

I’m a 20 year old white male college student double-majoring in engineering and mathematics. I’ve lived in Colorado all my life.

Like
Coloradoan: Started skiing when I was 3 years old, like hiking, politically conservative (though emphatically NOT Republican)

College Guy: Drink bad keg beer AT LEAST once a weekend, play my music loud at all hours of the night, have been to more than one riot

Geek: Have done math for fun more than once, big fan of sci-fi, bit of a video gamer, bit of an introvert

Unlike
Coloradoan: Love seafood, like warm weather more than snow

College Guy: only smoked pot twice in HS (not impressed), I cook at least once a day (probably twice a day average), have enormously expensive tastes in almost everything, not turned on by casual sex, don’t have a facebook account, annoyed by frat guys

Geek: very strong/athletic (only kid at my high school ever to bench-press twice their body weight), love most sports, hate role-playing games and fantasy in general, dislike comic books

20

I’m a black female ecologist, 28 years old from Atlanta, GA.

(Disclaimer: I’m aware that there are contradictions present in the following Some of the “unlike” for one demographic group can be considered “like” another. You’ll just have to guess which goes with which).

Unlike:

1.I don’t have kids, out of wedlock or otherwise. Nor was I raised by a single mother.
2.I not only speak “proper English”, but I also regularly use big words.
3.I am not confrontational or easy to anger.
4.I can’t dance or move gracefully in any shape or form.
5.I don’t play sports.
6.I don’t have a big butt, nor am I overweight.
7.I don’t have an “ethnic” name.
8.I’m not materialistic or overly conscientious about my economic status.
9.I’m not religious. In fact, I’m quite “a-religious”.
10.I like getting dirty.
11.I eat meat and don’t weep for every dead animal I see. I admit that many vegans annoy me (but that’s my problem, not theirs).
12.I’m not easily grossed out.
13.I don’t care about getting my hair or nails prettified. I don’t comb my hair but once a week.
14.I rarely wear dresses. Make-up and me don’t get along.
15.I don’t want to find “Mr. Right” or have a bunch of kids or have a house with a white picket fence.

Like:

  1. I’m always making people laugh.
  2. I refer to people as “girl” sometimes. As in, “Girl, you crazy!”
  3. I love fried foods, collard greens, grape soda, Koolaide (my favorite flavor is “red”).
    4.I speak with a Southern accent. Sometimes it’s subtle, but occassionally it’s “out there”. I use words like “fixin’”, “ya’ll”, “over yonder”, and even “reckon” (I blame this one on the books I read). Sometimes I also let Ebonics creep in when I speak to certain people.
  4. I’m obsessed with Southern literature and movies.
  5. I wear Tevas and have crusty toes.
  6. I’m regularly covered in mud and I’m always thinking about animals and plants.
  7. I accept the historical reality of evolution, and I am politically liberal.