Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Born and raised in WA and I always say I'm sorry or some derivative of it, I wasn't tought to say it, it's just something I picked up on and it's just reflex. However I know some Russian immigrants (I'm Russian) who find it extremely annoying because they know it's just a reflex and that saying sorry doesn't fix anything. Also one time a black woman with a really strong ebonics accent walked up to me to ask something (I'm guessing for a cigarette? I don't smoke btw) and I couldn't understand a single word, and I didn't really know how to respond so I just went with my go to reflex "I'm sorry" and then she repeated her self and I said I'm sorry again, and we went back and forth a couple more times, untill she snapped and just started saying I'm sorry repeatedly in a mocking tone, that's when it clicked that I was saying I'm sorry the whole time and I felt like a huge jerk, but I figured if I apologized it would make things worse so we just went our separate ways, though I still don't know how I should've handled the situation without coming across as a pretentious racist. Should I have just been frank with her and told her "I'm sorry, I have a hard time understanding you, can you repeat that again"
I would say it has more to do with the person than a particular city, state or region. People form stereotypes based on few or even one encounter they may have with another state or region. I hear people say New York City is rude and people never say hello when they pass people in the street and never say "sorry" when they bump into somebody in the streets. Usually when somebody has a bad experience in a city or region of the country, they tend to believe every person is like that, and conversely when people have a good experience in a particular city or region they tend to believe that everyone is happy and nice. Most people with common sense know different.
I lived in MN for awhile and I rarely heard it. People there were more likely to just look down, or away, and then just awkwardly run away.
I've heard it out East a lot, even in the crazy congested cities where there is a stereotype of being more rude.
I live in MN and if I accidentally run into somebody I'll reflexively say "sorry 'bout that" (and make sure they're alright) to ensure that they know I wasn't trying to be rude or be a punk. If you bump into the wrong person and they have an axe to grind, without that reflexive apology fights ensue -- especially when alcohol is involved.
So, although I'm not a stereotypical Minnesotan in most regards (I can be plenty confrontational), I still say "sorry" just to ease tension and avoid unnecessary physical confrontation (beyond the initial bump). I find that it's a pretty good deflator, and its worked against people I wouldn't expect to let me off that easy.
Anecdotally, I've NEVER bumped into somebody and had them run off with their head down, like you mention. That sounds either made up or an extreme one-off reaction. Minnesotans aren't very confrontational but you make it seem as though we run from confrontation, which is not my experience whatsoever.
In Texas, we used it two different ways. One where we did accidentally bump into someone. The other way is we start the sentence, then say something that's not in favor of the other viewpoint. Much like "I'm sorry, but you have no idea what you're talking about". Many of the times, the "I'm" is not part of it in either ways.
Anecdotally, I've NEVER bumped into somebody and had them run off with their head down, like you mention. That sounds either made up or an extreme one-off reaction. Minnesotans aren't very confrontational but you make it seem as though we run from confrontation, which is not my experience whatsoever.
I lived in Loring Park and worked out in St Paul.
I give it that it could have just been a Millennial thing, but I remember moving into my apartment and having one weird encounter after another. It was also common for people to pretend like they didn't see you in the hallway to hold the elevator, or hold open a door.
When I really think about it, the only places I had issues were Loring Park and Uptown...especially at bars.
I give it that it could have just been a Millennial thing, but I remember moving into my apartment and having one weird encounter after another. It was also common for people to pretend like they didn't see you in the hallway to hold the elevator, or hold open a door.
When I really think about it, the only places I had issues were Loring Park and Uptown...especially at bars.
Been in the upper Midwest all my life and that's odd behavior, especially for Minnesota. Even in Chicago people will almost always at least say "oh sorry" if they step on your foot on the train or bump you. The only time they might not is if everyone is rushing down the street at rush hour and you will inevitably bump into people here and there as you knock your way through the crowd. Then most people don't say anything, but we all get it, it's busy, there's 100 people around and you just work your way through.
how old were the people you speak of? I fear this is a generational/millennial thing as opposed to something to do with Minnesota.
Been in the upper Midwest all my life and that's odd behavior, especially for Minnesota. Even in Chicago people will almost always at least say "oh sorry" if they step on your foot on the train or bump you. The only time they might not is if everyone is rushing down the street at rush hour and you will inevitably bump into people here and there as you knock your way through the crowd. Then most people don't say anything, but we all get it, it's busy, there's 100 people around and you just work your way through.
how old were the people you speak of? I fear this is a generational/millennial thing as opposed to something to do with Minnesota.
Mostly 20-somethings. Loring Park and Uptown were the college aged neighborhoods.
Compared to other places I've lived like Cleveland, Milwaukee, or Denver, the 20 somethings in Minneapolis were probably the most cold and non confrontational. Even sharing an elevator ride, I would make a comment or a joke, and some people would kind of awkwardly laugh, while avoiding eye contact, but wouldn't hold a conversation.
I worked at 3M, which is huge and has thousands of employees, and would walk around the skywalks during my downtime. I always tried to say hi or acknowledge people I passed, or even chat up people I shared a table with at the cafeteria, and it was like pulling teeth. No one was "rude" about it, but it sure seemed like it made everyone uncomfortable.
I'm not trying to say people were rude or anything, just that it was extremely hard to connect with strangers or make friends while out and about. Even joining sports teams, people sticked to their cliques until like halfway through the season. Whenever I did connect with a stranger, they were a recent transplant who shared similar experiences.
BTW, I would still move back to Minneapolis in a heart beat.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
