By: Thomas Horvath

The state of Florida is the third most populated state in America, so of course there will be crime stories. However, Florida has become rather notorious in recent years for their crazy headlines that normally involve a Florida man doing something absurd that you would have to see to believe. These incidents are dubbed as “Florida Man” stories.

The origin of this meme is believed to be from a Twitter account called @_FloridaMan. This account would post wacky news stories that would include the words “Florida Man” in the title. This would catch on as more and more people began to hear about the stories. It would give these stories the title of “The World’s Worst Superhero”, which was jokingly implying that all of the Florida men were the same person. Since this original account, the state of Florida has become a running joke online, and most people around the country find it pretty funny, including Floridians. Many have taken pride in their wacky state and even call themselves Florida Men. However, there have been critics of the Florida Man trend. Some have stated that most of the stories involve homeless and drug addicts, and these stories feel like they’re punching down on groups of people who are mentally challenged, such as the homeless and disabled.

It seems though, however, that Florida has lost its title as the most insane state in America. Recently, Ohio has become the state that is considered the craziest place where nothing can go right, popping up regularly in modern meme culture. Even if Florida has lost its title, many Florida Men are still out there, doing insane crimes that will get most people raising their eyebrows. Florida Man has become a part of Floridian culture, even if it is not an entirely accurate depiction of what most Floridians are like.