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Ah Kansas, a state in confusion. Or a statement of confusion.
You know that right off. Remember how traumatized you were as a youth when asked to recite the states? Number 24 was Arkansas, named after the state’s native population the Quapaw Indians. Okay, so they forgot to put a W in the English rendition, but you learned that.
When you get to #34, you say Kansaw! And the teacher, LAUGHED, and then the class laughed, and you turned red and sputtered and hadn’t a clue. “CANS ASS,” the teacher prompted. You looked confused. But “R CAN SAW”?
And you have hated Kansas ever since, for making you look a fool.
The joke is on them, they are the idiots who think they were transported from Arkansas and their native people are called the Kansa peoples. They just slapped a S on the end, and then forgot to pronounce it as a W! I tell you, no wonder the French hate English speakers!
Okay, think of what you know about Kansas: Precious little I bet. Here’s what I know:
- No creativity, almost entirely bordered with straight lines.
- Topeka: known only as the name of the famous case of Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, an ominous beginning to be sure
- Sunflowers
- Bloody Kansas or bleeding Kansas–a schizophrenic state on slavery from the beginning
Kay, that sums up what I know.
People in Kansas have eyes that only function from side to side: the reason: no vertical challenge. It’s too damn flat! You can stand in the middle of Kansas and see to every border. For years Kansans had no idea what airplanes were. They heard a buzzing above their heads but had had no occasion to ever look up before.
It is claimed that it has been scientifically proven that Kansas is not “flat as a pancake”. They spent a lot of money to prove that, but I still think it’s appallingly flat.
Cities of note: NONE I mean really. NONE. Wichita (WITCH e TAW) is the only one you can think of, and HERE they put a W sound without a W like Arkansaw, I mean Arkansas. No wonder these people are nutso.
Speaking of which, they have a certifiable nut as a Senator: Brownback, who is a fundie Catholic convert. (since retired I believe)
If you do a google images search on Kansas, you get an inordinate number of photos of tornadoes. This is meant to tell you something. Pay attention!
Historically, the land was owned by its inhabitants, also called Native Peoples, who had an odd but very workable system of not actually “owning” the land, if you get my drift. This was found unacceptable by Europeans. Spain claimed it, and France claimed it, before Mexico and Texas did. None of the above built a damn thing. The new US of A “bought” it from France, because as I was told Napoleon needed money, and it was too far to vacation in. Missouri claimed it as well, but that story is boring.
The Santa Fe trail goes through Kansas, and you can still see wagon ruts in places, which tells you just how boring and unused this state is. There is also a Chisholm trail as well, and I think that had to do with John Wayne, or the movie Shane.
There are towns called Abilene and Dodge City, but these are mostly ghost towns now that cowboy movies aren’t being made. Various movie stars such as Wild Bill Hickok, Bat Masterson, and Wyatt Earp hung out in both.
There are less than 3 million people living in Kansas, which is a wonder, given that it is so damned flat, and most of the fences are climbable. This leads to the supposition that Kansans are basically lazy. Hispanics populate a lot of the southwestern part of the state, but most are in line to get on a bus for elsewhere, anywhere that is.
There are 6,000 ghost towns, but you probably figured that out already.
There are probably a lot more cattle and sheep in Kansas than people, but I frankly didn’t check that out. A lot about Kansas you can just guess about, and be pretty sure you are right.
There are some roads there, but so little to look at that it doesn’t matter.
So in love with drawing lines are Kansans, that they made 105 counties. This works out to a county for every 2,700 odd citizens, which means that state workers take a lot of coffee breaks and get most of their personal errands done during working hours.
You can get married at 15, but not drink until 21. The state is split about where you can drink. That probably explains itself. There are two time zones in the state, and again, that explains more than you realize. Did I explain that most Kansans are schizophrenic?
Kansas school boards are constantly denying evolution and trying to teach creationism and intelligent design. They keep getting reversed in court. They do not learn.
Kansans usually support the Kansas City Royals and the Kansas City Chiefs, both of which are found in Kansas City, Missouri. Kansans still don’t know this. Missourians do, but continue to hoodwink Kansans and collect taxes for stadium maintenance.
So what we can see is that Kansans are none too smart, lazy, and do not learn well. Testing proved that 7 out of 10 could not locate their state on a map of the US.
Take a wide berth around this state if possible. It is still unknown whether the “stupids” are carried by virus or only by more personal contact.
hmmmm… no wonder I never went there. You left out something important, though.
Nickname: “God’s blindspot” (from Wikiality)
….hey, gotta run….it’s friday and I had a religious flashback….off to the store to buy fixin’s for tuna casserole.
lol Jimmy, I had no idea!
I briefly considered commenting with a harsh rebuttal about my gracious home, but I then discovered that you’re from Iowa. I guess it would have been easier to accept your remarks if you were from one of the beautiful states like Montana, Maine or Hawaii. But no, you’re from Iowa, 50 miles to the Northeast… Also – for someone that considers themselves a follower, you sure do spew a lot of tasteless, uneducated, slander…
Judge not, that ye be judged.
Kory. There are many refined things about the magnanimous state of Iowa that allow its residents to look down on the state of Kansas. First; there is corn (its largest export.) Second; there are boisterous blowhard opinions from self righteous people who spew hate while claiming to be against racism (this is the 2nd largest export.)
Kory and Konan, both of you are not regulars here, and I suspect this is your first visit. I’ll check into you further a bit later. However, it is often best to be careful what you say before you have bothered to check things out a bit more thoroughly.
This post, as was another I did about Maine a week ago, is meant as obvious satire and humor. There were factual inaccuracies abounding which were meant to make people laugh. That is part of what I do here.
If you had bothered to read a bit more before you inserted your foot in mouth, you would have discovered that this series began after I had completely excoriated the intelligence of my own state after the latest election.
I assume you are both young and inexperienced in blogging, neither of you having one apparently. Perhaps satire is something that the young are particularly unable to grasp, I have no idea.
Your remarks are so beyond silly that I’m at a loss. Both of you need to get a grip and frankly read more.
I must be weird. I made a fool of myself in school the opposite way. AR-KANS-ASS. 🙄
I understand it has the geographic center of the contiguous 48 and is known as the Buckle of the Bible Belt.
Tom, I can see why you would do it the opposite, since seeing both spelled would impell a normal person to believe they were both pronounced as they appears, so Arkansass would follow. I figured that perhaps the good settlers of Kansas knew of the statehood of Arkansas and thus knew the silly pronunciation, and would follow suit, since they copied the name, removing the Ark. I wonder if the Arkansas river in Kansas is pronounced with a W or S? lol..
In the ten years or so I have been traveling hither and yon in my camper, Sherry, I have either gon to or from home through Kansas. I have actually written a piece or two on it on my blog in years past. There are several things I remember best, most of it is closed on Sunday, it has a state park named Cheney, yet last year I blew a transmission near the City of Independence, which is in about as far east and south a point as you can get without falling into Oklahoma. Alf Landon was born there, Mickey mantle played his first professional baseball game there for a Class D team and the first professional baseball gamne to be played with lights at night was played there. The author of “Picnic” was raised there and they have the nicest mechanics I ever met.
That said, it is also the only state I have ever been in that has credit card pumps open for gasoline ogn weekends, but no attendadnt present. It hasd its moments, but most are strange.
Reamus, I must say, being the traveler you are, you could likely know more about my state of birth than I do…that would be MI…lol…one of my very best online friends hailed from there and was a bull rider and rebuilt cars into those fancy street rides…thanks for all the additional info! lol..that is what I was hoping to hear, a few real life folks who could enlighten us on stuff the average person would never know. Thanks Reamus.
Hey, you wrote some fairly negative comments, so don’t get bent out of shape when someone takes offence to your post and has a counter thought. Real journalists, like William Allen White, would welcome considerations from those in the community. Instead, you have elected to make degrading, witty remarks about me that suggest that I am young and undereducated. If that’s what you want to believe to make yourself feel better, than so be it, but next time you click “publish” all I ask is that you easy up on the hate…
Ps. William Allen White was from Kansas
Kory, I can only assume you are young. I said zero about your education. I recognize that satire is sometimes missed by the young who tend to not read discriminately but take things rather literally.
You are simply abtuse here. As I said, you haven’t been here before, and obviously missed my post on Iowa which renamed itself Stoopidville. So get a grip as I said.
The fact that you think there was hate expressed says it all kiddo. I assume Kansas is as fine as state as any, and one of my best online friends in the entire world was a cowboy from Wichita…So get a life dude and grow up! start with looking up humor in the dictionary, and if you don’t like what you read here, why, the door is —–> thataway.
Wow, Sherry, you really put a bee in their bonnet! I’ve been a fan for about a year now and check your blog most every day. My husband and I moved to Maine (from Alabama!) two years ago and I laughed and enjoyed your post about Maine. I don’t usually comment, but wanted to say I love the satire and humor! BTW, we called ourselves “Maineacs”!
So nice to hear from you Mustang! I toy with doing Alabama…but oh lordy I might get hung from a tree! It must be quiet a change to be in Maine..beautiful but the winters! yikes…is it better near the coast? I know CT was warmer than I ever expected the two years I lived there.
You said I need to read more! Come on, your replies have been faster as the day has gone on. You’re checking back more frequently to see if I have commented, because you are enjoying the little the banter we have going on. You have to love that I am passionate about my home state. It’s like someone calling your kid ugly. Sure, you know he’s a little cross-eyed, (from his mother side) but by gosh your not about to let someone else point it out! I know you have pointed me to the door, but I hope I am welcome back sometime to check in on your posts.
you are welcome to come as often as you like. As long as you’re mostly polite, which you have been, you won’t be asked to leave.
Kory, I think Sherry would love to have you come back but Jeebus, lighten up will you? This isn’t a place to argue, there are lots of blogs for that. I find your defense enlightening and your defensiveness about Kansas pretty silly…now take a deep breath before some more flames come out…
Best,
Reamus
I’ll miss you the most Reamus.
Boy&Howdy… that Kory dude has gotz a minimal amount of humor….or else dere is a bug up his ass that is really making him try to scratch an itch he can’t reach. either or, pick ’em, ain’t no deal to me…. but all in all if he exemplifies Kansas then it is a funny-hmmmm kinda state. ‘Gees.
Oh….I forgot to say “Wowsers”….it is colder than Kansas herethis morning…first thing I said getting out of bed was Wowsers! It is a Wowsers kinda day.
wowsers. I don’t think I’ve ever used that term. Is that an Oshgosh term? And explain to me,…what the heck is Oshgosh meaning? Sounds like somebody got surprised up there in the north or something?
I’m not sure where Wowsers came from…. I think when the kid’s were little and I was told my usual language was no longer deemed appropriat prooper, ah, shit, nice, Oshkosh is named from an Menominee Indian Chief who was famous for fleecing the early white traders. I guess it means “claw” or ‘nail’… someone recently told me that thee Chief suffered from an in-grown toenail. I’m sure he picked it up from the White Man….or picked the toe too much.
why thank you for the info. Oshgosh is ingrown toenail! Boy now that’s a story!
I spent a week in Kansas back in 1997. Got some cute Toto souvenirs. Best part of the week: discovering the museum with the steamship Arcadia in it. THAT was fun.
Seeing all the “little houses on the prairie”? Not so much.
Yikes, that was one of the things I know about Kansas: “we’re not in Kansas any more!” lol….thanks for reminding me.
This post made me laugh harder than anything else I’ve read today. I like it.
Here in Kansas Land of Aaaaah’s, we do (allegedly) have the Biggest Ball of Twine. It’s in Cawker City. If it seems I’m making it up, all I can say is Google it. Try: Cawker City Biggest Ball of Twine.
Besides Cawker City there is another city worthy of mention. That would be Topeka. I learned this tidbit of information while watching Cartoon Network with my kids.
On Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, there was an episode about Topeka. “It is hot in Topeka. TOE Peeka.”
Then I remembered why it is hot in Topeka. The zip codes in Topeka all begin with those three numbers which are referred to in the Bible and scare the daylights out of some of us. They do me anyway. I lived in Topeka for ten years. Never did I think its zip codes were a coincidence. I know why it is hot in Toe Peeka.
Also, I remember my dad cautioning me when I would come to visit Kansas, “do NOT use satire with people here. They will think you are making fun of them.” Exactly. At long last my fellow Kansans would you please lighten up?
Oh my Simone, thanks for the stories! I love the one about Topeka…wish I had known, I would have really had some fun with that. Glad you got the satire! lol…I’ll be by to visit your blog. Always enjoy finding new friends.
I believe that everyone is wholly missing the point here. I am a Kansas native and have lived here all but 1 year of my life. It is not that we Kansans are offended by the truths of our fair state, but rather I am offended as a reader. Your mediocre attempt at a satire piece has fallen well short. In other words, it’s just not funny. Vive Kory Hauser!!!
Sorry my brand of humor is not yours. Perhaps one of the other states I’ve done would appeal to you more. Thanks for your opinion. That’s why we aren’t all the same. I really do try not to be mediocre. Your kindness is noted.