Why US=World argument might actually be legitimate

[Insidb]

pokoko said:

Insidb said:

When you look at the Mason-Dixon/Red State-Blue State dichotomy, they're actually pretty spot-on about us. My family is primarily based in TN and NY, and each more or less fits the mold for the region (even despite my northern half being very religious and conservative). I've been to about 30 states, and the trends tend to bear themselves out to closely approximate the stereotypes. Having spent half of my life in NYC, I can attest that most Europeans I've met tend to think more alike to city residents than almost any other region of the US.

I hope that clarified things a bit.

Sorry, but I'm gonna have to call bullshit on that.  Even within one state, the culture can vary greatly.  Look at Texas or North Carolina or Florida.  For instance, Raleigh is far more educated than New York.

It's not universal, but the trends do demographically persist. I never said that it's an absolute or that an entire state's populace conforms to the trend, but there are reasons that many states reflect specific patters with political leanings, educational performance (and curriculum), religious zeal, etc. Plenty of states have a metropolitan city that is more reflective of a global city like NYC, but most of those cities are more reflective of the general populace of the state. My sister lives in Charlottesville, VA, which is a more metropolitan city, but the residents predominantly reflect the average Virginian. Your point is well-taken, and NY is a prime example of where our ideas merge; mid-Long Island, Staten Island, and Westchester are conservative bulwarks all in very close proximity to Brooklyn, Queens, eastern LI, and Manhattan, which are predominantly liberal and make up most of the population. If you want to argue that the red-state south is more progressive than the growing northeastern and western blue states or that their political leanings are not reflective of the majority of their inhabitants, I personally have to disagree and will lean on personal experiences and poll data to reinforce that opinion. 

Edit: I understand that part of this is an opinion (hence, clearly stated so), but too many Americans have rose-colored glasses on.