Visual Research Week 1.

This is a picture of the United States of America without Texas. Now, as a girl who has been raised in the heart of Texas, this image obviously caught my eye. When I first moved to Oregon, I remember the stereotypes some Oregonians would make about me. I heard all kinds of things from cowboy boots and hats to having the Texan accent. Sometimes, some people even have bad assumptions about the Texas itself as well as the people living in Texas. One of the common things I heard was something along the lines of, “Oh, you’re from Texas? Haha! Texas is flat. Texas is boring. Texas has Bush. Texas this…Texas that.” I never knew why people said these things, but the negative generalizations really got to me at one point. So, this picture made me think of these moments and it made me question, “What would the United States really be without Texas?”

As you can see the image below, the United States is missing the state of Texas and its panhandle shape. There’s a red background and white font and letters that say, “Imagine….a world without Texas.” It kind of makes people think and question the significance of having Texas part of the United States. Notice how there’s a big chuck/gap missing from the picture below? Would the United States look any better on the map without Texas? I just don’t think it would be the same anymore without Texas. I feel that Texas is a part of the puzzle piece that makes the United States what it is today.

Despite the “flaws” that people hear about Texas, the state is still part of the nation. The image is symbolizing that in order for America to be one nation, we need to first feel as one “whole” country altogether, and without Texas, that would not be possible. It’s ironic because there’s been some news in the media about weather or not Texas is going to secede from the United States. I guess the saying goes, “Texas can survive without the United States, but the United States cannot survive without Texas!”