^^^^ never been to Arkansas
Yes, my and other people's perceptions of the US were modeled after our familiarity with Blue States. My Middle Eastern acquaintances have a much more negative view of it.
But we all took the US for being a more monolithic block than other countries. A bit like Canada and Australia.
These sort of articles were the first ones that challenged that perception a bit:
"This map shows the US really has 11 separate 'nations' with entirely different cultures"
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/regional-differences-united-states-2018-1?r=US&IR=T