Why does everyone think that Idaho is nothing but potatoes?

Question

I mean i have lived in Idaho for my whole life and the only thing i hear from people about Idaho is potatoes, or Napoleon Dynamite, but the thing is that Idaho is a h**l of alot more than just potatoes.

Answer 1

I bet there are places that you do not have a great deal of knowledge about , too.  People often generalize about things they have little knowledge about.  It is just a common human behavior.  There is likely at least one state about which you probably have very little knwledge, and many misconceptions .

Answer 2

I also think of Fly Fishing.

Answer 3

But what?

All I found was...,

potatoes!

Sorry, it's the bad truth.

Answer 4

The same reason a lot of people think the entire state of California is like LA.  They don't live there, so they only know what the media tells them.

Answer 5

most people don't have a first hand knowledge of idaho so its just ignorance.   i have a degree in geography and used to joke idaho wasn't really there because nobody could prove it.  it actually took 5 years of the same bad joke before someone actually disproved it.  

people don't drive through the north-west much because a lot of it is big and unpopulated.  thats the way people most often get a concept of place -- is by visiting it.   of course our education system devalues geography and cultural studies -- its kind of a one-two punch of stupidity. if you don't learn it in school or see it with your own eyes you are left with a bag of potatoes to educate you.

don't feel alone -- i like to hire people from all over the world and they all have lots of entertaining stories about stupid americans.  my favorite was a brazilian who shocked people when she told them her neighborhood looked just like a neighborhood here (people actually thought all brazilians live in tree-huts thanks to national geographic speicals) and they were amazed that she bought her clothes at malls in brazil.  like who knew brazil was so advanced?    she learned americans were stupid really fast though.