These Floridabulous Posts Show Us What Life Is Like in the Sunshine State

This article was originally published on Excellenttown.com

Every group has got one: that cousin who the family doesn’t really talk about. Well, in America, that cousin that we don’t talk about is called Florida. If you’re from America, you know what I’m talking about. If you’re not, let me explain it like this: we are so used to seeing weird headlines coming out of Florida that we barely even bat an eye when we hear that a man has thrown an alligator through the drive-through window at Wendy’s. We just shrug and say, “Well, that’s Florida!” Want to see what we’re talking about? We’ve gathered memes, tweets, and stories from all over the web to celebrate the glorious weirdness that is Florida. Marvel, wonder, and facepalm your way through this selection of the worst—or is it best?—of what Florida has to offer.

#1: What Is Going on With Florida?

If you’re not from around the US, or if you missed that Florida Man name that got big a while ago, you might be wondering what we’re talking about here. What is the deal, you may be asking, with Florida? To be honest, the rest of us aren’t really sure. Alcohol? Drugs? A culture that does not prioritize self-restraint?

Whatever the reason, there always seem to be weird things happening in Florida, to the point the rest of the US barely even reacts to the latest weirdness. For example: if a city mayor in most places in the US had this as a profile picture, people would be shocked. In Florida, people just shrug and move on.

#2: Who Is Florida Man?

All of this weirdness in Florida gave rise to a popular meme a few years ago, the Florida Man. This got its name from the high number of news headlines coming out of Florida about men doing bizarre things, most of which started in typical news headline style, with a simple “Florida man.”

You know, “Florida man arrested for assaulting girlfriend with fried chicken.” “Florida man breaks into jail to hang out with his friends.” “Florida man arrested in local park for practicing karate on swans.” And now that wacky Florida Man robbed a gas station out of boredom. What will he think of next?

#3: Even Crocodiles Need Refuge From the Heat

Everyone knows that when it comes to Florida, the heat can be somewhat unbearable at times. The very act of being outside can be too much for certain people, as well as certain animals. Let’s just say being a housepet in Florida is a good situation to be in, seeing as you get to enjoy air-conditioning every now and again.

We’re pretty sure this crocodile wished that they were a housepet in this moment… But can you imagine coming to your front door and realizing there is a deadly predator trying to get into your house? We at least hope this animal had the decency to ring the doorbell.

#4: See, Video Games Have Real-World Applications

The United States of America is a very big country, and the different regions in it have developed very different cultures, accents, customs, and ways of living. If you’re looking for a way to keep them straight, this person has helpfully tied them to video game characters.

New York City, with its high proportion of Italian Americans, would obviously be the home of Mario. Californians are known for being a little full of themselves and a little bit too cool for the rest of us, like Sonic. And then there’s Florida. And… well, enough said.