This Post Rocks

I've been seeing this map floating around the internet for the past couple of days, and I found it fascinating.  It shows favorite artists by state; or rather which artist was listened to most in your state in contrast to the other states.  The maps creators have released a similar map that shows each state’s most played artist, which indicates that pretty much everyone has been listening to a lot of Jay-Z.  What this map shows is the areas where each state has a unique artist that seems to rise to the top.

I found a couple of things interesting about this map:

1) Some states prefer artists that are from there, such as Bruce Springsteen in New Jersey or Dave Matthews Band from my home state of Virginia.  However, somehow The Grateful Dead wound up clear across the country from where they began.  What a long, strange trip.

2) Neither Florida nor Georgia prefer country group Florida Georgia Line, but rather Ohio.  This seemed odd to me.

3) I like the fact that Jack Johnson and Wisconsin rhyme (maybe that’s why they like him there so much).

4) I can’t personally picture anyone in Kentucky listening to Fall Out Boy, but I guess they do.  Maybe they jam out with their cousin/spouse to “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark.”

5) South Carolina thinks they are holier than the rest of us because they chose Hillsong United.  Well played.

6) I think it’s funny that Rush has the ultimate niche market, Rhode Island.

7) What year is it in West Virginia that they are still listening to Matchbox Twenty?

8) The farther West you go, the more I have no idea who the heck the artist is that they are listening to.

There is a spiritual truth that we can pull from observing this map as well, and it connects to the way that each one of us is unique.  As people we are not just some homogenous crowd, but we are individuals that God has placed unique souls into.  We are hand crafted, and we all bring something special into the world.  While there are many qualities that we share, you have something to offer that no one else has, and that is what God put you here for.  So today, embrace your uniqueness. Don’t try to be like everybody else, just be the person that God made you to be.

And if you live in Texas, blast some George Strait if you want to.