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Floridians Explain How They Really Feel About The 'Florida Man' Stereotype

"Florida Man" – which depicts a male from the Sunshine State who commits stupid crimes – became a huge internet meme around 2013 and has entered common parlance.


Typical characteristics of a Florida Man's shenanigans involve drunkenness, nakedness, and lack of intellect.

Some examples that made news headlines in recent years include a man who called 911 so he could hitch a ride to a Hooter's restaurant or the guy who was caught watching the solar eclipse during an attempt to steal a vehicle.

If anyone ever hears of an idiotic crime that was committed, the default response would be, "it was probably Florida Man."

And chances are, they are usually right.

But how do Floridians feel about their unfortunate reputation?

Redditor ohyeahthatsthestuff1 asked:

"Floridians, how do you feel about the "Florida Man" stereotype?"

"Pretty Accurate"

"I encounter them fairly often and I find it pretty accurate. It doesn't describe all of us, but there are a non-zero number of them in any public space, so it make sense that it has caught on."

DomesticatedLady

"So Chill"

The keys is basically wild floridians in their true form."

SockUnicorn

"Everything is so chill down here though. I've been in Key West for about 2 years now and everyone is so laid back. Great change of pace from the year I lived in Texas.

CampbellsTurkeySoup

Three Alligators

"So I've lived in Florida for the last 10 years in my most bizarre interaction with Florida man was that a golf course. It was the beginning of February and I went to the local track to play 18. The starter paired me with a threesome and on a par three overwater lying just off the green were three at least 10 foot alligators. One of the guys made a joke about there being no unplayable's, and we all hit.

One of the guys, as luck would have it, hit right in the middle of these three alligators. We all drive over to the green and the guy drops his ball just off of the green to chip on. Another one of the guys got furious at this and started calling him names. He casually walks over to one of these at least 10 foot alligators and reaches over and grabs it by the tail and gives it a shake. All three of them shoot off into the water like they were more afraid of this 5 foot nine guy than anything else in the world. To this day it's one of the most amazing things I've ever seen."

BarneyFifesSchlong

In Sarasota County

"Having spent a lot of time in Sarasota county. Can confirm, a lot more crazy sh*t happens that doesn't make the press, because no one got arrested for it."

squats_and_sugars

Hanging With "A Bunch Of Rednecks"

"Oh yeah. Born and raise in FL. One of my last good memories there was going out with a bunch of rednecks (all of us were in HS) to the swamp with home made potato shooter gun and shoot potatoes to feed the gators. Another time those same rednecks wanted to go out and hunt wild boars with nothing but knives. I passed on that one."

PalwaJoko

"Floridamany" Places

"Yeah where I grew up in Boca Raton, this didn't happen. When I was in Pensacola for Navy training, it definitely did. Nothing really floridamany happens in Palm Beach or Broward counties, particularly east of 441."

duffman13jws

Some Redditors embraced the myth and were amused by the ridiculous news headlines coming right from their own backyard.

One person admitted they wore the Florida title like a "badge of honor," and another incorporated reading news about the Florida man as part of their morning ritual.

That Bites

"I find it entertaining. Weird stuff definitely does happen here. I once went to a party and ended up in the start of a zombie apocalypse because a crazy girl bit me on my arm and wouldn't get off me till her roommate came across the room and kicked her in. I only offered my hand to help her off the ground and she bit me, totally unprovoked. I'm sad I don't remember her name or I'd fb message her on our bite-iversary."

TinyHachets

Florida Pride

"I wear the Florida Woman title as a badge of honor- I wrestled a gator in a Christmas hat! (My Uncle is an alligator trapper for the state, FWC, who needed help removing a large nuisance alligator when I was home from the navy. It was a perfect Christmas card opportunity)"

"Edit: A link to the picture for the nonbelievers https://i.redd.it/l4ztoun69yc61.jpg"

"This was in Sarasota FL. The gator was reported to the state after it attacked a lawnmower, ate a calf, and tried to eat the farmers daughter. Yeehaw"

"I had to sit in a bush by the waters edge making a baby alligator call to attract the gator when the speaker died.... Nearly had a heart attack when the gator beelined towards me to investigate! Baby alligator calls sound like you are saying 'oww oww' in a constipated voice."

Scubachic0121

Morning Ritual

"I give a quick look at the local Florida city police arrest report online every morning as I sip my coffee and sit down to work. It gives my life a bit of perspective. I know that correlation is not causation and all that, but,...... Do bad haircuts cause crime? Or does crime cause bad haircuts?"

picksandchooses

Spoken Like A True Floridian

"I've lived in Tampa for 15 years and that stereotype is total fiction that the deep state wants you to believe to keep you in the dark."

"Now if you will excuse me, I have to go freebase some bath salts so I have the energy to wrestle the alligator out of my above ground pool (tarp in the bed of my pickup truck filled with water)"

yoyoyoyoyoy

Crazy Came To Visit Florida And Stayed

Some people refused to believe the sunshine state breeds crazy.

There were a handful of Redditors who adamantly believed that the Florida Man or Florida Woman came from somewhere else.

Not From Here

"Born and raised Floridian. I feel like it's appropriate and wrong at the same time. The biggest problem with it is most of the 'Florida men and women' you hear about are originally from somewhere else. Same reason we're seen as being bad drivers. No one is actually from here. You throw a million different driving styles into one place, you're bound to have a bad time."

NakedKittyAlucard

State Of Being

"Florida Man is a state of being, not an accident of one's birth. A Florida Man or Woman may be born anywhere, but they will always, inexorably find there way here, like a moth drawn to a flame."

cbusalex

It's A Theory

"In my experience this is usually what happens. Grandma or Grandpa (or both) move to Florida. They have one f'k up son or grandson that has pissed everyone off from wherever they're from. So they go to Florida to leech off their parents/grandparents since they're the last ones on earth that'll still somewhat support them. Then they do their crazy stuff."

throwawaycuriousi

While every state undoubtedly has its share of bad behavior, Florida, unfortunately, gets a bad rep due to the state's frequency of bizarre crimes.

And there are a couple of reasons for that.

The freedom of information laws in Florida make it easier for journalists to obtain information about any arrests, and public records laws help journalists receive access to police reports. ​

Or it could be the dramatically fluctuating weather. Who knows?

Two identical goats stare into the camera while standing in a field.
Photo by Jørgen Håland

When discussing love and relationships, the motto is usually less is more.

But what if there is more of one partner?

Being involved with identical twins can be quite the experience.

Can you really tell them apart?

Is everything identical?

If you're attracted to one, aren't you automatically attracted to the other?

So many questions.

Now we need some answers.

Redditor nicknamesofdaveryder wanted to hear about love and the twin experience, so they asked:

"Redditors who married someone with an identical twin sibling, why are you glad you're not with the other twin instead?"

I've never met a lot of twins, let alone gotten involved with a pair.

I have questions.

Hopefully I get some answers.

Saved

Comedy Central Wink GIF by Drunk HistoryGiphy

"My late husband's twin was a non-functioning alcoholic and my husband wasn’t. My husband says joining the navy was what saved him from going down that road."

iteachag5

Falling Asleep

"Story time! I am an identical twin (we still look so much alike!) and one night I spent the night at her house. She and I fell asleep in the same bed because we were up late talking, etc. Her husband slept on the couch. The next morning my twin went to take a shower and her husband laid down on the bed with me (thinking it was her of course). I jokingly said 'Hey sailor, looking for a little variety?' He shot off the bed and said 'If I was looking for variety, do you think I'd choose you??'"

tanyagal2

The Good Guy And The Other One

"I didn't marry him but I dated an identical twin. His twin's girlfriend and I used to joke around that she got the evil twin. He was just a selfish, messed-up person. One of the benefits of breaking up with my boyfriend was no longer having his twin in my life. Plus, his ex gf and I are still great friends! The good guy was just the lesser evil. She wanted to get as far away from that family as I did. The best thing to come out of those relationships was our friendship."

super-ro

Love Wins

"My dad's an identical twin. People have a hard time distinguishing them, but to my mom and me, they look like two completely different people because of the way they walk/talk/etc. Obviously, my mom only fell in love with this one person. When you love someone it's actually pretty easy to tell identical twins apart."

michaelsgavin

Issues

Threaten Ashley Olsen GIFGiphy

"The other twin has the same personality as I do. We argue readily and are super competitive with each other. We butt heads on a lot of issues."

why_not_send_a_nude

Personality clashes aren't just a twin thing.

It's a human thing.

We can't help ourselves.

Different People

Triplets GIF by RuPaul's Drag RaceGiphy

"I work with a guy who married an identical triplet, one of the triplets also works with us. I asked him one day if it was weird working with someone who looked just like his wife. He got a little pissed and basically said they are all very different people and he doesn't see much of his wife in her."

LeafMeAlone_99

He's Evil

"We’re not married but known each other since we were 12 and have been together 3 and a half years. His twin is a massive di**head who tried to break us up multiple times, was madly in love with me in his own words, and after 2 years of pursuing me declared I was a terrible person and put him through hell. Because I didn’t break up with his TWIN BROTHER to date him."

xMollyP

Life Choices

"My husband and his twin brother look very different to me, although they are identical and get mistaken for one another all the time. They couldn’t be more different in terms of personality. They have different values and life goals, hobbies, one is introverted and the other is extroverted. If they were two people who didn’t look alike, I would automatically not be attracted to my brother-in-law simply because we are not remotely compatible personality-wise."

"Also they have very different styles. I do not find the way my husband’s twin dresses/grooms his hair attractive. It’s so wild to me when people can’t tell them apart because they couldn’t be more different in my eyes."

lanieeeeeeee

Opposites

"Well, my wife and I have been together for 30 years. She has a 'mirror' twin. Even now, if you don’t know them well or interact frequently you will not be able to tell them apart. They are complete opposites. I married the extrovert, she has never met a stranger, will try anything at least once, and can find a positive aspect in almost everything she encounters, they are also best friends, my wife drags her sister along all the time."

"Once she’s out she enjoys our activities. I love my SIL, all three of them, but so glad I married the one like me. The mirror part even goes for looks, when I see my wife’s reflection I see my SIL, it’s weird sometimes. Also, attitude and personality are everything, I have never been 'attracted' to her twin."

redbonecouchhound

The Look

Sexy Damon Wayans Jr GIF by Global TVGiphy

"I used to date an identical twin. Although I found his brother objectively handsome, I wasn't attracted to him at all. It was cool to directly experience how attraction goes far beyond just the looks."

Liatessa

I've never been intrigued by twins, and now I never will be.

confused man in blue t-shirt

Sander Sammy on Unsplash

My Father was considered a genius.

At 16 he graduated high school as Valedictorian, joined the United States Navy as soon as he turned 17 then was promptly recruited by Admiral Hyman Rickover's team converting the Navy from diesel to nuclear power.

He served as a nuclear and electrical engineer on naval vessels after the conversion project ended, then as a reactor inspector for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after retiring from the Navy.

He also needed a full time babysitter in order to survive. Things like paying bills, buying groceries, feeding himself all escaped him. He lacked any semblance of common sense.

Really smart people doing very unsmart things isn't uncommon.

And sometimes a person is labeled a genius who's really an idiot with good brand marketing.

Keep reading...Show less

Corporations don't get big overnight.

A lot of tough decisions, big wins, and sometimes even bigger losses, go into their growth.

But sometimes companies make mistakes that the public simply cannot let slide, and it can be hard to imagine how the company could stay afloat after the backlash.

Redditor Astro_Shogun asked:

"What decision by a company received the most amount of backlash from the public?"

Dang It, Photobucket

"When Photobucket decided to take the whole internet hostage by asking for 400 dollars a year for what was previously a free image storage solution. The move broke years of forum posting and erased a significant portion of the web collective knowledge."

- denpo

"Yup. And now they're holding almost all of my son's childhood photos (some of which I managed to save in other places) hostage."

- KnockMeYourLobes

"Browse any forum thread from the early 2000s and practically all the images are gone because everyone used Photobucket back then. It will be the same way with Reddit whenever Imgur goes under."

- NothingOld7527

So Salesy

"JCPenny doing away with sales and trying to present itself as a more upscale store. Sales immediately plummeted, and they reversed course quickly."

- flyingcircusdog

Cheap Jewelry

"Gerald Ratner said the reason his jewelry company could sell stuff so cheap was because the products were crap. It destroyed the company overnight."

- simplemtbman

Front Wheel Drive

"Ford, in the '80s, tried to replace the aging Fox body Mustang with a front-wheel drive, Mazda-based car. This was pre-internet, but car people got UPSET and deluged Ford with a letter expressing their anger."

"Ford backtracked, kept the Fox body around, and released the vehicle that was going to be the new Mustang as the Probe. It lasted two generations, but the Mustang soldiers on."

- StillN0tATony

Online Only

"Microsoft got roasted when they announced Kinect and always-online were required for the Xbox One. Took all the momentum they had from the 360 era and put them miles behind Sony."

- Jerry_Williams89

Childhood: Destroyed

"Sonic having human teeth."

- LightDash

"I just immediately pictured teeth in a Sonic milkshake and had a horrified reaction before my brain caught up to you meaning the character."

- Rolizas

Questionable Upgrades

"Very recently, T-Mobile. A company that 10 years ago called itself the Uncarrier by making a series of pro-consumer changes to its plans and the previous CEO built almost a sort of cult of fans of the company. Then T-Mobile acquired Sprint and got a new CEO."

"A couple of weeks ago, T-Mobile internal documentation revealed it was going to automatically upgrade customers on old grandfathered plans up to new plans, which were more expensive. Customers would have to call in to opt out of the change. 'They weren’t raising customers’ rates, they were moving them to better plans.'"

"Well, major tech news got ahold of that, and then even some local news stations, and T-Mobile quietly 'clarified' a week later via internal communications that only one percent of their customers would be affected."

- artimaticus8

Coming Together in Hate

"Anyone remember the Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad when she solved police brutality?"

- vernon3

"Those moments are precious. There are a few things these days that bring everyone on the Internet together. That was one of those things. We all hated the Pepsi ad that solved police brutality."

"That ad had it all. Pandering, ignorance, arrogance, and talking down to their audience."

- notwoutmyprob

"And a Kardashian."

- Kitchen_action

With Every Purchase

"I couple of years back a local Detroit area car dealership decided the best way to celebrate MLK day was to give away free car alarms with every purchase."

"Nobody liked that."

- graveybrains

A Sale Gone Too Well

"Hoover UK offering two free flights to America if you spend £100 on their products. They anticipated that people would spend a lot more than the minimum required which would cover the approximately £600 value of the tickets."

"When the company was deluged with purchases around the £100 mark, they reneged on the offer, which prompted a very expensive lawsuit. The fallout was so bad that the UK division of the firm was sold to a rival company."

- Live-Dance-2641

New Drink, Who Dis?

"New Coke."

- PeggyWithPhatA**

"After the relations disaster, the public clamored for the decision to be reversed, and Coca-Cola released 'Coke Classic.'"

"Coke Classic soon had an even higher market share than Coke did before the public relations fiasco, and a new theory made the rounds: that Coca-Cola deliberately made these decisions, simply to gain publicity, and increase market share."

"The reaction from Coca-Cola’s executives was, 'We aren’t that smart, and we aren’t that stupid.'"

- Malthus1

A Tweet Turned Sexist

"Burger King stating that 'Women Belong in the Kitchen.' What they were TRYING to say was that they wanted more diversity. People didn't see it that way, and in the end, they had to issue an apology."

- zerbey

The Downfall of an Incredible Publication

"Here’s one there should be a public outcry about."

"Disney bought National Geographic and controls everything it does. This is the last year the iconic magazine will be available. I’m incensed."

- redheadMInerd2

(The writer of this article is equally incensed.)

Predicting the Future

"I feel like whatever YouTube is cooking up lately will be the next one."

- Just_Aioli_1233

"Tech companies sure know how to kill off highly popular and profitable apps, super quick. It’s interesting to watch it happen in real-time. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, all losing tons of followers and destroying their own stock."

- Eleanor_of_Accutane

It's easy to see how all of these mistakes resulted in huge backlash, sometimes at the total expense and downfall of the business.

But some of these mistakes were made by companies that are still huge today, and to a certain extent, that's kind of surprising.