While the nation is still trying to wrap up the most trying political campaign in our lifetime, we are going to look at something or somebody else. It will be something that we hope takes your minds off of what we’ve been through and what lies ahead.
Do you know these folks?
They look kind of familiar. Where do I know them from?
You and I know them pretty well. Or maybe not at all.
They are us.
Buzzfeed ran an article on November 4 in which it reported the results after asking Artificial Intelligence to create images of the way typical residents of each state would look. Nancy and I found this piece fascinating as we looked at the images for all of the states.
The same two people provided the faces. A man and a woman who appear to be in their early 40s, perhaps (?). The article says the results “reveal the biases and stereotypes that currently exist within AI models.” Maybe, if we dwell on this deeply enough, we might find they exist with each of us. Buzzfeed cautioned these people “are not meant to be seen as accurate or full depictions of human experience.”
They look pretty real to us. But, then, that’s one of the scary things about AI.
It appears AI used a lot of demographic and cultural information to give these folks their special looks. What does it tell us about ourselves?
Nancy and I tried to “read” this Missouri couple. Here’s what we decided. Both are intelligent with at least some higher education, maybe more than a little. He’s serious and pretty well set in his opinions. He’ll argue with you about them and probably won’t retreat. He’s sure he’s right. She’s her own person, one of substance, curious and considerate of your opinion. She might agree with you eventually, or partly or at least continue the conversation. He’s intense. She’s curious. You might walk away from a conversation with him convinced he thinks of himself as slightly superior. You might walk away from a conversation with her with something to think about, and she might walk away thinking the same thing.
Who’s the Republican? Who’s the Democrat? Either? Both? Is one of them an independent?
What does it take to make them laugh or at least to smile?
If you are from St. Louis, what high school would they have attended?
What’s their favorite television show?
Do they go to church?
On a vacation, does he want to fish and hunt while she wants to hike?
Are they a couple? Could be. If they are, they probably have some interesting discussions. Do they drink wine? Yeah, but I think he’s the one more likely to order a beer at dinner. They could be Tiger fans and might even tailgate on Saturdays. They enjoy the company of others. They don’t join organizations, or very many organizations. They’re middle-income folks, educated. If they are a couple, they would have a couple of children probably pre-teens with all of the challenges that comes with them.
Their professions? Not teachers. Not lawyers. Maybe she’s a social worker. Maybe he’s a fireman. Maybe he runs an auto parts store and she has a fabric store. Or maybe he sells boats and she’s the administrative assistant to a college dean.
He drives a pickup truck, maybe a Dodge Ram. She drives a Prius.
What do YOU think? Who are they? Who are we? How would we look and dress to show what typical Missourians look like?
If you want to see what this couple looks like in other states, go to:
We found some surprises. We found some that (in our personal stereotypes) were dead on. We were interested in how they are placed in the pictures of some states’ representatives. Sometimes she’s in front or more by his side..
We love Iowa’s couple and consider them a 21st Century American Gothic, an updated version of Grant Wood’s famous painting.
You know what we think would be fun? Have some folks over and show them the pictures representing each of our states and let the group discuss the things Nancy and I have discussed.
Thirty years ago, Robert Fulgham was a best-selling author of self-understanding books. One of them was Well, What is it You Do? He said, “I—and you—we are infinite, rich, largely contradictory, living, breathing human beings, children of God and the everlasting universe. That’s what we do.”
Maybe that’s a good place to start when you “read” these Missourians.
Spend some time with them and if you would like, tell us in the comments box how YOU read them—and what they say about our state.