# Not So Fast With Your Crayons, Yanks! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 15, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804 "2004-11-15T02:25:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804/1 "2004-11-15T02:25:45Z")
At last! [This link](http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/) provides some much need perspective on those red and blue states. It contains several maps and cartograms of the 2004 US Presidential election results. The red/blue concept is still used, but the information is evaluated according to several different factors on different maps. I found these fascinating. Even just a quick glimpse at each is revealing. (They are all on one page.) The 7th map is my particular favorite. 1. The usual red state/blue state map with which everyone is familiar. (This one assumes that the undetermined states will go Republican.) 2. A map in which “the sizes of states have been rescaled according to their population. That is, states are drawn with a size proportional not to their sheer topographic acreage – which has little to do with politics – but to the number of their inhabitants.” 3. A map “scaling the sizes of states to be proportional to their number of electoral votes.” 4. A map of “US counties, again colored red and blue to indicate Republican and Democratic majorities respectively…” 5. The cartogram showing what the county-level election returns look like. “The amount of red on the map is skewed because there are a lot of counties in which only a slim majority voted Republican. One possible way to allow for this, suggested by Robert Vanderbei at Princeton University, is to use not just two colors on the map, red and blue, but instead to use red, blue, and shades of purple to indicate percentages of voters.” And that leads us to the next map… 6. A map using red, blue, and shades of purple to indicate percentages of voters. 7. The cartogram using red, blue, and shades of purple to indicate percentages of voters. In this map, it appears that only a rather small area is taken up by true red counties, the rest being mostly shades of purple with patches of blue in the urban areas. 8. Side by side map and cartogram “using a color scale that ranges from red for 70% Republican or more, to blue for 70% Democrat or more. This is sort of practical, since there aren’t many counties outside that range anyway, but to some extent it also obscures the true balance of red and blue.” What I hope that some people will learn from looking at these maps is that in both a figurative and literal sense, there are holes in the red and blue states and the electoral college causes us to paint with too broad a brush – or crayon, in some cases. Notes from the source page: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Text and images may be freely distributed. We would appreciate hearing from you if you wish to make use of our work. © 2004 M. T. Gastner, C. R. Shalizi, and M. E. J. Newman The views expressed are personal and are not necessarily shared by the University of Michigan. Mark Newman, Department of Physics and Center for the Study of Complex Systems, University of Michigan Updated: November 14, 2004 ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804/2 "2004-11-15T02:42:05Z")
What do the New York Yankees have to do with all of this?\* \*Apart from the probability that Yankees fans voted overwhelmingly for Bush, wretched power-worshipping front-runners that they are…😃 ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804/3 "2004-11-15T02:58:00Z")
Cool page. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804/4 "2004-11-15T03:11:30Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > What do the New York Yankees have to do with all of this?\* I dunno, but they can keep their damn dirty paws of of me! :mad: I’m no Yank’s Crayons! Okay, so my GF is a native New Yorker, but still! ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804/5 "2004-11-15T03:26:03Z")
> [@](#): > > **Jackmannii** : What do the New York Yankees have to do with all of this? No, no, dear Jack. You are confusing two things. One is the House that Ruth built. The other is the House that ruthlessness built. Sorry, **Eats\_Crayons**. Nothing personal. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804/6 "2004-11-15T03:29:34Z")
Just remember, If you yank your crayon too much you’ll go blind 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Keapon\_Laffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e274bd/32.png) [@Keapon\_Laffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keapon_Laffin)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804/7 "2004-11-15T03:40:06Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > Just remember, If you yank your crayon too much you’ll go blind 🆒 Gasp! I never knew \*\*Eats\_Crayons \*\* was a euphemism for something . :eek: ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804/8 "2004-11-15T04:08:52Z")
:: stares at monitor, racking brains :: There’s a helluva Crayola wisecrack here, if only I had the wit to find it… :: wanders off to the kitchen for more Kool-Aid :: ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804/9 "2004-11-15T21:39:16Z")
Is it me or do the proportional county maps look like a fish? Thought there was something fishy about the election this year! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804/10 "2004-11-15T21:42:51Z")
[Woah, dude, it’s all like, wavy and stuff and, man, I think my penis is larger too.](http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/countycartlinearlarge.png) ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804/11 "2004-11-15T23:04:37Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > No, no, dear Jack. You are confusing two things. One is the House that Ruth built. The other is the House that ruthlessness built. ::: quietly applauds ::: Very interesting mapping! ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804/12 "2004-11-15T23:06:29Z")
> [@Bruce\_Daddy](#): > > [Woah, dude, it’s all like, wavy and stuff and, man, I think my penis is larger too.](http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/countycartlinearlarge.png) Ah Florida, “America’s Wang.” I know the joke is old, but it still needs to be on a license plate. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2004, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804/13 "2004-11-15T23:44:17Z")
Damn, I can practically see my house on [this one](http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/countycartredbluelarge.png). ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804/14 "2004-11-16T01:17:23Z")
I like the ones that show the U.S. fish-dog Satan child. I hope the next president will fight to have the U.S. filled in and the dirt moved around so that it really looks like that. I choose to think that is an early blueprint commisioned by a congressional research panel. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804/15 "2004-11-16T02:16:31Z")
Do you think anyone would notice if we just _paint_ the country blue over the next four years? We can start with roof tops. ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804/16 "2004-11-16T02:29:50Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > Do you think anyone would notice if we just _paint_ the country blue over the next four years? We can start with roof tops. Why not? People have been painting the town red for ages… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804/17 "2004-11-16T02:59:13Z")
Well thank God. I didn’t think we could milk the election for any more Pit threads, but I’m so happy to be wrong. Could you people just give it a goddamned rest already? Pit your slovenly neighbors, or the guy who cut you off in traffic this morning, or the idiot who cut ahead of you in line. Rail against the injustice of Wal-Mart express lanes, or the convicted minor criminals who will be ringing bells for the Salvation Army as part of their community service sentences and fishing coins out of the kettle with a coat hanger and chunk of bubblegum. Deplore the commercialism of the holiday season, and rant about the killjoys who are closing down your favorite New Year’s party venue. Just stop it with the fucking election. It’s over. Do we really need to argue about how densly populated election districts are? Do you really think you are that much smarter than people who voted the other way? Do you think that you could have changed the outcome or gotten a bigger margin if people just _fully understood your position_? You’re a goddamned **IDIOT** if you think that way. Shut up, sit down, examine what happened, and try to understand why. I’m talking to both sides here. Whoever you are, you don’t have a monopoly on rectitude. You’re acting like a bunch of unruly, ignorant children. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2004, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804/18 "2004-11-16T03:22:10Z")
> [@Exgineer](#): > > Well thank God. > > I didn’t think we could milk the election for any more Pit threads, but I’m so happy to be wrong. > > Could you people just give it a goddamned rest already? Pit your slovenly neighbors, or the guy who cut you off in traffic this morning, or the idiot who cut ahead of you in line. Rail against the injustice of Wal-Mart express lanes, or the convicted minor criminals who will be ringing bells for the Salvation Army as part of their community service sentences and fishing coins out of the kettle with a coat hanger and chunk of bubblegum. Deplore the commercialism of the holiday season, and rant about the killjoys who are closing down your favorite New Year’s party venue. > > Just stop it with the fucking election. It’s over. Do we really need to argue about how densly populated election districts are? Do you really think you are that much smarter than people who voted the other way? Do you think that you could have changed the outcome or gotten a bigger margin if people just _fully understood your position_? > > You’re a goddamned **IDIOT** if you think that way. > > Shut up, sit down, examine what happened, and try to understand why. I’m talking to both sides here. Whoever you are, you don’t have a monopoly on rectitude. > > You’re acting like a bunch of unruly, ignorant children. I missed the part where anyone in this thread expressed themselves in a way other than silly attempts at humor or conveyed any of the points you are ranting about. :dubious: Somebody hasn’t had their hug today. ---
**Author:** ![Blown\_Injected](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Blown\_Injected](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blown_Injected)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804/19 "2004-11-23T20:41:50Z")
Looks like somebody is trying too hard to make excuses. A small hand full of coastal cities should not get to choose the leader for the entire nation. If we put some 100,000 acre ranches in Rhode Island then the population probably would not be more than double that of Wyoming. It is obvious that the city people vote different from most of the rest of the country. Maybe we just let the 😛 filthy crime ridden cities do their thing and we decent folks with values do our own thing. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804/20 "2004-11-23T20:53:17Z")
> [@Blown & Injected](#): > > Looks like somebody is trying too hard to make excuses. A small hand full of coastal cities should not get to choose the leader for the entire nation. Fortunately, that’s not what happened. A bunch of sparsely populated midwestern states chose the leader for the entire nation. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-so-fast-with-your-crayons-yanks/274804.md?page=2)