Folks in South Dakota are pretty easy-going, and it’s hard to offend us… but these 11 things will usually make us cringe.
- Complain about our miles and miles of “nothing.”
Don Harder/flickr Look again. Sure, we have vast spaces of open land… but if you look closely, you’ll find beautiful grasslands, big blue skies, quaint little towns, and a myriad of plants and animals.
- Wrinkle your nose at our “casserole.”
srsldy/flickr First of all, it’s hot dish. And second of all… we grew up with this stuff and we love it.
- Torment our bison so you can get a selfie.
mr_t_77/Tripadvisor Yes, our bison are magnificent, but they’re also wild animals that weigh 1,400 pounds. Stop walking up to them and teasing them so they’ll look up in just the right pose for your stupid selfie.
- Assume that the entire state is just like Deadwood.
Wayne Hsieh/flickr While we do love our Wild West history, it’s just that… history. We don’t actually spend our days playing poker, hanging out in saloons, and solving disputes with shootouts in the street.
- Assume that our farmers and ranchers are just a bunch of dumb hicks.
Amboo who?/flickr Farmers and ranchers are some of the smartest folks in South Dakota. They’re in business for themselves, so they know a lot more than just animal husbandry and agriculture; they have to know about accounting, economics, consumer trends, weather, and more.
- Ask us if we’re the Dakota with Mount Rushmore.
Camelia TWU/flickr Yes, that’s us. We also have a lot of other cool attractions that you might like to see. Or, you can just come to our state, spend a bunch of tourist dollars at our most famous monument, and go back home. We’re cool with that.
- Come to Sturgis just to get drunk and party.
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally/Facebook We’re not going to lie — Sturgis IS a huge party. But if you look around, you might notice that it’s also a party hosted in the most beautiful place in the country. Real motorcycle enthusiasts come here to ride through the Black Hills for an experience they can’t find elsewhere.
- Ask us for a soda.
Antonio Delgado/flickr Soda is the stuff you bake with; pop is what you drink.
- Take advantage of our genuine kindness.
USDA NRCS South Dakota/flickr South Dakotans are the best people you’ll ever meet. We’ll go out of our way to do just about anything for those who need our help… but we don’t like to be manipulated, either.
- Be lazy.
USDA NRCS South Dakota/flickr Here in South Dakota, we know the meaning of work. When we’re not doing our regular jobs, we’re out in our yards working, or out in our communities volunteering. We don’t have time for laziness here.
- Wonder aloud how we can possibly stand to live in such a boring state.
Main Street Square/Facebook With our vibrant art scene, rich cultural heritage, exciting concerts and festivals, and endless outdoor recreation… we’re so bored we can hardly stand it.
What other things would you add to this list?
Don Harder/flickr
Look again. Sure, we have vast spaces of open land… but if you look closely, you’ll find beautiful grasslands, big blue skies, quaint little towns, and a myriad of plants and animals.
srsldy/flickr
First of all, it’s hot dish. And second of all… we grew up with this stuff and we love it.
mr_t_77/Tripadvisor
Yes, our bison are magnificent, but they’re also wild animals that weigh 1,400 pounds. Stop walking up to them and teasing them so they’ll look up in just the right pose for your stupid selfie.
Wayne Hsieh/flickr
While we do love our Wild West history, it’s just that… history. We don’t actually spend our days playing poker, hanging out in saloons, and solving disputes with shootouts in the street.
Amboo who?/flickr
Farmers and ranchers are some of the smartest folks in South Dakota. They’re in business for themselves, so they know a lot more than just animal husbandry and agriculture; they have to know about accounting, economics, consumer trends, weather, and more.
Camelia TWU/flickr
Yes, that’s us. We also have a lot of other cool attractions that you might like to see. Or, you can just come to our state, spend a bunch of tourist dollars at our most famous monument, and go back home. We’re cool with that.
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally/Facebook
We’re not going to lie — Sturgis IS a huge party. But if you look around, you might notice that it’s also a party hosted in the most beautiful place in the country. Real motorcycle enthusiasts come here to ride through the Black Hills for an experience they can’t find elsewhere.
Antonio Delgado/flickr
Soda is the stuff you bake with; pop is what you drink.
USDA NRCS South Dakota/flickr
South Dakotans are the best people you’ll ever meet. We’ll go out of our way to do just about anything for those who need our help… but we don’t like to be manipulated, either.
Here in South Dakota, we know the meaning of work. When we’re not doing our regular jobs, we’re out in our yards working, or out in our communities volunteering. We don’t have time for laziness here.
Main Street Square/Facebook
With our vibrant art scene, rich cultural heritage, exciting concerts and festivals, and endless outdoor recreation… we’re so bored we can hardly stand it.
To those who like to make fun of South Dakota, we’d like to present these 12 things that our state does better than any other.
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