If you’re familiar with the site Abodo, it’s probably because you’ve used the service to help you find an apartment. That’s what they do. But to further their mission of helping users find the best place to live, they’ve also started dabbling in data mining. Drawing on the language in more than 12 million tweets posted between June 2014 and December 2015, Abodo has just released a report called “America’s Most P.C. and Prejudiced Places” as part of its ongoing Best Places to Live series.
The data Abodo came up with is certainly interesting to pore over, and it gets pretty granular, too. Are you a woman or someone who is offended by “derogatory language against women”? Based on hate speech culled from cities across the country, it turns out that Atlanta, Newark, and Arlington, Texas, are not for you. And if you’re gay it seems best to avoid Buffalo, New York; Arlington (again!); and, interestingly, Riverside, California.
At the state level, other places that minorities might consider avoiding include, but are certainly not limited to, Nevada (charting highest on both the “Anti-Transgender Tweets” and “Derogatory Language Against Cognitively Disabled” lists), California (with the most “Anti-Hispanic Tweets”) and West Virginia (by far the top spot holder on the “Anti-Black Tweets” list).
Abodo put together its charts by determining which states and which cities had the most tweets with derogatory language per 100,000 tweets posted. In the intro to their study, Abodo also notes that “where possible, we attempted to analyze the results within local context, as interpreting these findings requires attention to regional events, trends, and culture.” Meaning that, for example, in states with larger black populations the company tried to account for things like community-specific vernacular that could falsely reflect negative bias.
After all the data was crunched, it turns out the states responsible for the fewest derogatory tweets per 100,000 are Wyoming, Montana, and Vermont. That could mean that people are just nicer in those states, but it could also mean no one’s really tweeting from them anyway. Wyoming and Vermont are the two least populated American states, and Montana isn’t that much more crowded. In fact, there are only 6.8 people per square mile in Montana, so is anyone really talking about anyone there?
But we all know that reports like this are fun because we can see who’s the worst, and to no one’s surprise, the three states with the most derogatory language per 100,000 tweets are Louisiana, Nevada, and Texas. Delaware is number five on that list, but earns the dubious distinction of being the least populated state with the most hateful Twitter population. So, in a way, it looks like Delaware is the unexpected least-tolerant state in the Union. (You’re too good for them, Joe Biden!)
And in case you were wondering: Yes, Donald Trump did indeed win the Nevada and Louisiana Republican primaries. Delaware will hold its primary on April 26, and we’ll let you guess how that one’s going to turn out.
