9 Embarrassing Situations That You’ll Only Understand If You’re From Michigan
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Sophie Boudreau
Author
Life in Michigan is full of ups and downs. While we’re fiercely proud to be from the Great Lakes State, our experiences here certainly aren’t without their hiccups. For Michiganders, a few awkward or cringe-worthy experiences are simply par for the course. Here are nine undeniably embarrassing situations that you’ll only fully understand if you’re from Michigan.
You know the scene: you’re trash-talking Ohio State (or the state of Ohio itself) with a group of people, feeling pretty confident that you’re from Michigan instead of our rivals across the border. Suddenly, the group goes quiet. You realize that there’s an Ohioan in your midst, and you’re left awkwardly explaining that your distaste for Ohio is all in good fun… right?
We should know better than to put a great deal of faith in the Detroit Lions, but that never stops us from proudly hyping up our team before every game. There’s nothing more embarrassing than shamelessly touting the Lions’ skills, only to watch them completely drop the ball. Literally.
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If you grew up here in the Great Lakes State, we’re sure you or one of your friends has fallen victim to the embarrassment of showing up at school when a snow day has been declared. Since snow days seem to occur with relative infrequency here in Michigan, sometimes kiddos and parents don’t even bother to check the news and simply assume that school will proceed as planned. Nothing is more jarring than showing up to a locked, dark, empty school!
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We Michiganders love to use our hands as built-in maps, and can you really blame us? Most Americans aren’t lucky enough to have the shape of their state ready to be referenced at a second’s notice. While this tactic is common throughout Michigan, it draws in some interesting looks when it’s used outside of the Great Lakes State, and it can certainly make for some embarrassing moments.
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Unfortunately, states across the country seem unwilling to accept the truth: that fizzy beverage we love to drink is called "pop." When we’re traveling, Michiganders can’t stop themselves from ordering pop with dinner. There’s no quicker way to garner odd looks and a few snickers than by failing to refer to it as "soda." Someday these other states will learn the truth!
Every Meijer is basically the same, right? Wrong. When a new store is built near home or we’re traveling to a locale across the state, there’s nothing more confusing than finding groceries where the pharmacy usually is. This difference in layout can lead to a great deal of embarrassment, complete with plenty of aimless wandering through the produce section.
If you ask us, we don’t have much of an accent at all! But non-Michiganders are quick to embarrass us by pointing out some of our unique pronunciations. From a general sense of nasally speaking to our tendency to pronounce "milk" as "melk," we’re often the butt of jokes when it comes to our accents.
This might qualify as secondhand embarrassment, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less awkward. When we hear an out-of-towner boast about their upcoming trip to "Mackinack" Island, we can’t help but interject with the proper pronunciation. Sure, it might make us look like rude sticklers, but we want to preserve the proper name of our beloved island!
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What? Oh, that’s just a bit of dust in my eye! I’m definitely not openly weeping as the radio plays a Pure Michigan ad, complete with soothing music and brilliant descriptions of the Great Lakes State’s most gorgeous destinations. I mean, who would get emotional about something so silly? That would just be embarrassing!
Okay, Michiganders: how many of these embarrassing moments have you experienced throughout your time in the Great Lakes State? Did we leave any other situations off our list? We’d love to hear from you, so share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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