[Dan]

I'm a California boy, born and bred. Both my parents were born here, as well as three of my grandparents (my dad's dad was born in Missouri). I'm mostly Chicano/Latino, so only some of my roots are 'back East.' My question is, why does virtually everyone outside of this state (so it seems) think we're all a bunch of jet-setting, fast-talking, unfriendly, shallo, flakey yuppies? I feel I'm a nice, non-pretentious, easygoing fellow from somewhat of a working-class background.

User Detail :  

Name : Dan, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : na, Race : Chicano, Religion : Pentecostal Christian, Age : 21, City : Los Angeles area, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Marc22348]

I think movies and the media really feed the stereotype. Shows like Entertainment Tonight focus on the Hollywood elite, and these are the jet-setting, fast-talking people you refer to. This is an image many Americans associate with California. Also, any movie featuring a surfer or skateboarder is either set in California, or the character is from California. These are the only images many Americans get of your state. This no excuse to buy into these notions, but it happens. I'm from West Virginia, so facing ridiculous stereotypes is nothing new for me. I'm supposed to be a snaggle-toothed, backward hillbilly who has sex with my cousins. Stereotypes build up over time, and with the media being the force it is today, they are very difficult to break down if they are constantly being reinforced through TV and film.

User Detail :  

Name : Marc22348, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 23, City : Morgantown, State : WV Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Sharon]

I agree that society as a whole has put California in this stereotype. The "spotlight" is on California often, thus we have this preconceived notion of what the people should look and act like. I personally am not a person who buys into stereotypes and in fact can mostly ignore them. However, California is a biggie for that. I have family from California and one of my dearest friends is there and they are no different than the variety of people here in New Hampshire. Hmmmmmm. Dare I ask what the stereotype for New Hampshire is?

User Detail :  

Name : Sharon, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 35, City : Keene, State : NH Country : United States, Occupation : Receptionist, Education level : High School Diploma, 

[Pat19876]

It is all in the stereotype. Plus, most people when they visit California (myself included) go to Los Angeles, Hollywood, Malibu, etc., and only look to see the "lifestyles of the rich and famous." When you picture New Jersey what do you think? Mallrats and garbage? There are beautiful woods and farmlands in New Jersey and plenty of people who do not fit the stereotype.

User Detail :  

Name : Pat19876, City : Newton, State : NJ Country : United States, 

[Lynn-T22499]

I actually have a few different stereotypes of Californians. First, you have all the rich folk who are on TV. I think most Americans are smart enough to realize that the rich folk are on TV just because they're rich. Then you have immigrants. I guess the stereotype is that there are a lot of Mexicans and Asians in California. Finally, my stereotype of Californians is that they are a lot more liberal than most of the US. They seem to be the first ones to try out new policies, like affirmative action. I admire that, because I think a lot of people in the US are too caught up with tradition and are too scared to try anything that might lead to an improvement in society. On the other hand, the people from California who I have met have sometimes been disappointing in that they fulfill the media stereotype all too well. I laughed when I came to college and heard a girl from California talking -- she really did sound like a 'Valley Girl!' Of course, she probably laughed when she heard me, thinking I sounded like something out of Fargo. I also got a kick out of seeing her bundled up on an October day when it hit 45 degrees. One of my friends from California has disappointed me by proclaiming how much she hates the Mexicans. Another friend confirmed my 'liberal' stereotype by telling me that it was normal at her high school for people to dye their hair wacky colors. At my high school teachers automatically started worrying about you if you did that, wondering if you were going to start toting guns to class or something. Of course, that could have more to do with the fact that I came from a small town instead of a big city. (Oh, there's another one -- 'wilderness' isn't a word that comes to mind when I think of CA!)

User Detail :  

Name : Lynn-T22499, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, City : St Paul, State : MN Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, 

[Deanna25765]

I came to California from Texas about a year ago. I don't know why Californians are stereotyped as 'laid back'. I see no evidence of that, because they always seem to be in a hurry. I can't figure them out yet. They aren't generally friendly like most Texans. Why do so many Californians finish my sentences? It's MY though, people, so let ME finish it. You see, they're in a hurry even when conversing. They also tend to eat weird stuff, like food from Trader Joe's.

User Detail :  

Name : Deanna25765, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 27, City : Irvine, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : Technical School, Social class : Middle class, 

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