The Palmetto State found itself ranked between #11 Alaska ("a vast yet empty expanse of tundra and oil") and #9 Nevada (full of sad hookers and even sadder johns") in Gawker's cross-country assessment. Writers praised South Carolina's "lovely" beaches and coastal culture, but the commentary turned decidedly negative from there.

"You guys are really racist!" wrote Gawker's Richard Lawson. "You're just really, really racist." Lawson then linked to multiple articles about race-related conflict in South Carolina, including recent dustups over the Confederate flag flying outside the State House.

However, Lawson did have an apparent solution for South Carolina. "Just please stop being so incredibly racist," he wrote. "And also being so crazy. I don't know how else to say it. Just rethink the whole strategy."