Don’t hate on California: at least not for this reason

I’ve noted before that I find most cable news to be utter crap.

I try to avoid even referencing cable news articles, but today I just can’t help myself. I came across an article from Fox News USA` titled “California is No. 1 haven for hate groups, report says.”

They do rightly state that the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) Hate Map found the most hate groups in California.

This is what I call a “no shit Sherlock” statement. Being by far the most populous state in the country, it isn’t surprising that the most groups are in California as well.

If you look at the ratio of hate groups to the state’s population (2016 estimates, also including the District of Columbia), California ranks 35. That headline is much less interesting.

And take a look at the top 10:

 

  1. District of Columbia
  2. South Dakota
  3. Idaho
  4. Montana
  5. Mississippi
  6. Tennessee
  7. Alabama
  8. Arkansas
  9. Kentucky
  10. Virginia

  I doubt you’ll see the data reported that way…