Supernatural America

Monsters of America

This map shows various states of the USA being linked to their own predicted apocalypse inspired by famous American films and literature based in those states. I found this view of America particularly interesting as it shows how not only can the states be stereotyped by their individual cultures but by how others depict them through the world of fiction. Some of the supernatural links between each state are more obvious than others, for example: Stephen King -a world famous author who specializes in horror- sets most of his work in Maine, hence why he (his work) is selected for being the disaster to strike there. 

However, going off the subject of the supernatural, some states' tragedies are far more real. In Mississippi, it reads 'Racism'... This can be based off both historical events and how the world portrays it. In 1988, 'Mississippi Burning', a film based on the real life death of three civil rights activists in 1964, was released. This is a more concerning side of this map above as racism is still an issue in the USA, particularly in 'The South' i.e. Mississippi. On the topic of 'The South', another part of this map that I thought was quite intriguing was how Texas linked to 'Cannibalism'. Many people (including Americans) class it as being a part of 'The South' which is geographically correct, but culturally wrong and so therefore, Texas becomes a victim to the strongly stereotypical impression of southern culture (Mississippi, Louisiana etc.). 'Hillbillies' are a particularly common link to southern America and I found that the idea of linking Cannibalism to Texas only amplified this stereotype. Traditionally, hillbillies are portrayed as scum or inbred and mentally unstable - cannibals share these exact characteristics.