Beantown, Ben Affleck: These Misconceptions Drive MA Crazy

MASSACHUSETTS — Why don't you have an accent?

It's a common refrain heard by traveling Bostonians – and Massachusetts residents in general – when they tell someone where they're from. If you're from Boston proper (which out-of-staters consider anywhere east of Worcester), you're supposed to sound like an Affleck or a Wahlberg. If you're from the Cape, you must be a Kennedy.

Don't even bother telling them you're from anywhere else.

Patch asked residents to vent about the biggest misconceptions about Massachusetts. Some are obvious to anyone who's seen "Good Will Hunting," "The Departed," "Mystic River," "The Town," "Black Mass," etc. etc. Others haven't gotten the Hollywood treatment yet, unless there's a deleted scene where Will Hunting cuts someone off at a rotary while voting Democrat down-ballot.

Let's get this out of the way now: no one calls Boston "Beantown." The nickname dates back to colonial times, when the region was known for its baked beans. Nowadays, our culinary tastes have moved beyond fallout shelter fare, and using the reviled moniker is the quickest way to let someone know you're not from around here (I learned this the hard way my freshman year of college).

Take it from Chris in Waltham: "That we call Boston 'Beantown.' NO. WE. DON'T. WE. DO. NOT."

Then there's the accent. If we had a nickel for every time we heard "pahk the cah in Hahvahd Yahd," we could afford those high taxes in Taxachusetts (another outdated reference residents hate). In fact, there is no singular Massachusetts accent – see Affleck v. Kennedy – and some residents don't have one at all.

Folks take umbrage with the "Masshole" stereotype of a loud, obnoxious, rude Bostonian that, yes, has a thick accent.

"We just call you out on the bull— lol," Kathleen from Melrose wrote.

And where did everyone get this idea we're bad drivers? Sounds like a "them" problem. Many respondents were defensive about the state's drivers, pinning chaos on the roadways on out-of-towners who can't navigate a simple rotary.

"Nine million tourist [SIC] hit our roadways and call us bad drivers because they're getting in each other's way," John in Woburn wrote.

Massachusetts has actually shown improvement in this arena. The state was among those where pedestrian deaths decreased last year, despite a jump in bad driver behavior, and is in the bottom five of death rates per 100,000 residents.

However, Massachusetts holds the dubious distinction of having the highest percentage of drivers with a prior at-fault accident, according to insurify.com, which tracks data from car insurance applications. The good news? It's below the national average of speeding, DUI and reckless driving rates.

"We are aggressive drivers, but we also know how to use the passing lane. (Looking at YOU Virginia drivers.)," Jennifer in Framingham said.

Other gripes: everyone is a liberal, and the state has some of the highest taxes in the country.

While Massachusetts is a deep blue state, Donald Trump received close to 33 percent of the vote last November, beating President Biden in 50 communities. The former president enjoyed pockets of support in western and southern Massachusetts.

Taxes are also surprisingly low in Massachusetts, at least compared to other northeastern states. An April 2020 USA Today ranking had Massachusetts 25th on its list of states with the highest tax burden, between Arkansas and Nevada. Nearby states like New York, New Jersey, Maine, Vermont and Rhode Island all cracked the top 10.

"I moved to CT for a year. Prices and taxes are much higher there. EVERYTHING costs more there," Rick from Milford wrote.

As for our obsession with Dunkin' – fine, we'll give you that one.