This is a dark pattern.

It plays with color spectrum, pitting red against violet. Not fair. Roy G. Biv?

Now, there are some messed up things like the south -- it appears severe on state borders, thought the black line probably compounds it.

There is something very interesting and valuable here, yet it doesn't feel honest.

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EDIT: Reviewing the color spectrum red and violet are next to each other. It felt more severe than it was. Perhaps because violet is compressed into 3 percentage points (purple, violet and dark purple), while there is red, orange, orange-yellow, yellow and cream for the "good-ish", all strong and not neutral.