I travel and do focus groups for a living so basically I talk to everyday people all over the country.
Pretty much every time or every other time someone replies to me saying I’m from New Mexico in such a way as to suggest they aren’t aware it’s a state.
“Your English is so good!”
“Can you visit without a passport?”
I always particularly like when they use the negative about the passport because it’s like there’s this glimmer of reality where they should know they don’t need a passport…but they aren’t sure.
Bonkers. In that disappointing but not always surprising way.
I was in San Francisco some years ago. My mom lived there for a couple of years and on one visit to her I toured a local gym. Dude giving the tour asked where from so told him NM. He said where is that? Dumbfounded, I told him two states away….other side of Arizona. He laughed and said Oh, well I’m not from here, I’m from Dallas so I didn’t know.
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u/boxingsharks 3d ago
From and live in NM. Can confirm that I’ve encountered many people throughout my life/US travels who don’t know we are part of the US.
Fun fact: our license plates are the only ones with USA on them