Can you believe they didn't know...?

Very thankfully, I have had the opportunity to be exposed to people from all over the United States.  By region we are different from one another.  Clear differences manifest themselves in accents, or whether it is "pop" or "soda," but despite our differences, we also have many similarities.  One parallel that I have noticed is that pretty much everyone expects everyone else to know more about their home state than occurs in reality.  I suppose it could be an extension of the spotlight effect, a phrase in psychology that explains the overestimation of how much other people notice small details about an individual, by that individual.  Whatever the case, I think most people can say, "If I'm not from your area of the country, I have been to concerned with what is going on in mine to pay a whole lot of attention to yours."  If my state isn't 500 miles or less from your state, don't expect me to know if yours has mountains, if it has armadillos, or if it is the number one exporter of potassium.  As a test, take out a blank piece of paper.  Draw each of the 50 states and when you are done compare it to a map.  I bet you are more accurate with states that border yours.

I want to make sure this doesn't sound like a rant.  I'm just saying, "Be understanding." Happy cartographing.