"I don't know if I stumbled onto a joke site, but I see all these incredibly negative reviews of my State, some of them direct replicas of those before, but with different names posting . . . and I can't help but think that this site is incredibly biased. I mean, you have a review of Massachusetts by someone named TexasLover, and no one has an issue with that. It seems the majority of the negative reviews originate from Florida and the south and that does make sense to me."

--- I believe that people who move to Massachusetts from the south do so with the intention of liking the state and of course for school and job purposes. My family and I lived in Massachusetts for two years. I have a balanced view of Massachusetts. There are things I like and don't like about the Commonwealth. There are people from the south who are shell shocked by the straight forward no-nonsense attitude of Mass natives. It is something that I appreciate and respect to some degree. However, some may have a hard time getting use to it and hence the term "Masshole" applies. There are a few situations where the term "Masshole" is well deserved. However, I have experienced plenty of "Floridaholes" in my time. Most of the people I interact with in Massachusetts are friendly or tolerant of others.

"We are very accepting of any persons ethnicity"

- I've come across racists ( of various skin colors ) who interact with people of a different hated ethnicity. They had to due to employment or school purposes. I believe it is a social taboo to be an outspoken racist to someone face to face in the general public. So of course it may seem as if people are very accepting. I would say people in Mass are in general tolerant. I have my fair share of stares when I eat at a restaurant frequented by members of the upper middle class. I don't know why. Perhaps as a ( not in Massachusetts ) Latino I appear different? The social taboo of outspoken racism is generally recognized in many parts of the US.

"Massachussetts also has some of the best museums in the country, from the Museum of Fine Art and the Museum of Science being two just in Boston" - Massachusetts has a vast collection of interesting museums. Don't forget the beautiful collection of gardens and farms.

"since politics have little to do with how a State looks or feels, or how the locals act."

- Oh how a breath of fresh air it would be if politics were not an influence on the attitudes, behaviors, and thoughts of local citizens.

"Sure, in general, everyone is liberal and hates straight people, or at least that's how the southerners on this site seem to portray us. In fact we ARE liberal."

-- When I worked in the Florida higher education system, I interacted with hundreds of students, staff, and faculty members. The only people who talked about the New England area were job applicants and those interested in attending school. These posters are probably disgruntled transplants who are unhappy with Mass. It happens. I think most transplants including myself try to experience all that Massachusetts has to offer and make the best of it. There are also New England natives who moved back to Massachusetts as a result of their unhappiness with Florida, it's politics, and the job market.

"Sadly for you, and thankfully for places like Boston, and New England, scrolling through a page of hate mongering like I've seen on this site Only makes me want to avoid place like Texas and California in the future." -- I don't know why you made this statement if you accuse others of being biased. I think transplants are venting their frustrations and this is the place to exercise their feelings. Not everyone likes Massachusetts and I could understand some of the negative sentiments. In all fairness, not everyone likes Florida and I've read the same vitriol coming from New England natives on other forums.

"In closing, it's disgusting that you people judge and entire state or region on the predominant politics, and for those who actually have some information, and knowledge, you shouldn't be so critical. Yes, Deval Patrick got elected, yes, he's terrible, but if you were voting in that election, he certainly seemed better than the rest."

- People in the south or from the south could care less about Deval Patrick unless they move to and live in Massachusetts for some time, learn and disagree with his approach to governance. They do care about what their politicians do and how they serve. Perhaps southern transplants like myself are mimicking attitudes and disillusions that our fellow Mass natives may exhibit:)0). Asking people not to be so critical of Massachusetts would be like asking people to suppress their freedom of speech and expression.

"The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Declaration of Principles adopted in 2003 reaffirms democracy and the universality, indivisibility and interdependence of all human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Declaration also makes specific reference to the importance of the right to freedom of expression for the "Information Society" in stating:

"We reaffirm, as an essential foundation of the Information Society, and as outlined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; that this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Like it or not, these posters are exercising the very thing that Americans have fought and died for. The very thing that Mass natives hold, or at least I hope, dear to their hearts. So I think in essence everyone is a "masshole". To all my southerners, try to make the best of it. I've learned that if you focus entirely on the negative, you'll miss the positive aspects of a location. I miss Florida and plan to return in the future, but I am making the best of it in Mass until an opportunity in Florida arises.

I hope I wasn't very critical of your state. ;)