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.
ive lived in ca , ga , md but born in raised in wi so i thk my opinion counts... first off all out of all the places ive lived besides berkeley ca the midwest in terms of the niceness in ppl, is the best... dont get me wrong, we have our issues... as far as that term, ive never heard it and that description you gave on chicago sounds like the east coast not the midwest....
The Midwest is a large region and there are differences in culture in many areas. One common trait I've noted in many states here is that people like to play stupid mind games. You don't see much of that in the Northeast and I've never experienced it down South, but it is very common in most areas of the Midwest. One thing I've noted in Missouri is that most of the men are pretty catty and pissy and can outdo a lot of the women in that department in this state and that's saying something because the women here are damn pissy and catty.
I think "Midwest Mentality" is a kind of label on certain aspects and traits that can describe a group of people.
I hear is sometimes from people on the coasts to describe "family - morals - simplicity - grounded", it's usually labeled to people from the Midwest because there's a stereotype of the region, and there's the fact people from the coasts visit the Midwest much less than say the Pacific West, the Northeast or the South on vacations or random travels. I've talked to people in NYC and San Fran, and they all seemed to have this view that the Midwest lifestyle was much different than theirs, and that it was more "bedrock" and simple. That people in the Midwest are missing out on a huge piece of life that they're getting on the coasts and the south. That people in the Midwest just "don't understand". Most of them have never been to the Midwest though because they don't have a personal reason to go. So they take that reality that they don't want to go there and internalize it into meaning that there's no reason to go there, that it's kind of a "dead" region. It's cold in winter, there's no ocean. Just these lost naive souls out there in "the middle".
I didn't really react to it, but I got the feeling they didn't realize that the people in the Midwest basically life the same lives that they're all living. I mean we're all in the United States afterall. The Midwest has the high income levels, education levels, people live in the suburbs, there are large cities, culture, concerts, people can understand fashion, etc. People in the Midwest follow the same sports, watch the same movies, listen to the same music, go to Ikea, get the same TV programs, etc. They have access to airports, roads and trains and travel to the same places. It might take a few hours to fly somewhere, but it's not like they live their ENTIRE lives in this strange 1950's Mayberry type of place.
I've always just felt like Midwest Mentality or whatever the term is that's used on the Midwest describes this type of wholesome or almost naive lifestyle.
I didn't really react to it, but I got the feeling they didn't realize that the people in the Midwest basically life the same lives that they're all living. I mean we're all in the United States afterall. The Midwest has the high income levels, education levels, people live in the suburbs, there are large cities, culture, concerts, people can understand fashion, etc. People in the Midwest follow the same sports, watch the same movies, listen to the same music, go to Ikea, get the same TV programs, etc. They have access to airports, roads and trains and travel to the same places. It might take a few hours to fly somewhere, but it's not like they live their ENTIRE lives in this strange 1950's Mayberry type of place.
This reminded me of a friend of mine in Seattle who asked me if people in Iowa dress like the people from "Little House on the Prairie." Amusingly, it was a serious question. I told her that the women wear bonnets.
This reminded me of a friend of mine in Seattle who asked me if people in Iowa dress like the people from "Little House on the Prairie." Amusingly, it was a serious question. I told her that the women wear bonnets.
That's your friend's bad - unbelieveable. Ashton Kutcher was born, grew up in Iowa and went to college there as well. Iowa is always ranked one of the smartest states in the country. People who love to bash certain states (out of ignorance) really need to smarten up.
My aunt moved from Iowa to DC back in about 1978, and said people were seriously straight up asking her if people in Iowa had indoor bathrooms, television, shopping malls and if they drove cars. Haha, one woman asked her what kind of animals they had, and wanted to know if all the animals stayed in the house!!!
She said she just looked at them with a confused look for a few seconds and then started laughing. Asked them if they understood that Iowa was actually in the United States. Then about a week after she moved the area got 3" of snow and people were almost cowering in the corners and acting like the world was ending. It was a big "wtf" time in her life.
I haven't heard anything THAT bad, but I do actually like that I'm from Iowa because when I mention it to people I meet or in bars on the west/east coasts - it's always really entertaining some of the crazy things people ask.
I grew up in the Midwest (Indianapolis, IN) and have no idea what Midwest Mentality means and is. I always thought Midwesterners lived their lives the same as anyone else: go to school or college, get married, have kids, go to work, raise the kids, take the kids to soccer practice, go to the mall, go to another close city to see their attractions, etc. Why people think Midwesterners are any different is totally beyond me. Perhaps its me thats the crazy one........
That's your friend's bad - unbelieveable. Ashton Kutcher was born, grew up in Iowa and went to college there as well. Iowa is always ranked one of the smartest states in the country. People who love to bash certain states (out of ignorance) really need to smarten up.
Yeah, I know. I'm from Iowa. Lived there for 26 years and got a great education.
For the record, my friend wasn't bashing Iowa; she's just really ignorant. Another time she said that there are no large airports between Denver and the east coast.
I think "Midwest Mentality" is a kind of label on certain aspects and traits that can describe a group of people.
I hear is sometimes from people on the coasts to describe "family - morals - simplicity - grounded", it's usually labeled to people from the Midwest because there's a stereotype of the region, and there's the fact people from the coasts visit the Midwest much less than say the Pacific West, the Northeast or the South on vacations or random travels. I've talked to people in NYC and San Fran, and they all seemed to have this view that the Midwest lifestyle was much different than theirs, and that it was more "bedrock" and simple. That people in the Midwest are missing out on a huge piece of life that they're getting on the coasts and the south. That people in the Midwest just "don't understand". Most of them have never been to the Midwest though because they don't have a personal reason to go. So they take that reality that they don't want to go there and internalize it into meaning that there's no reason to go there, that it's kind of a "dead" region. It's cold in winter, there's no ocean. Just these lost naive souls out there in "the middle".
I didn't really react to it, but I got the feeling they didn't realize that the people in the Midwest basically life the same lives that they're all living. I mean we're all in the United States afterall. The Midwest has the high income levels, education levels, people live in the suburbs, there are large cities, culture, concerts, people can understand fashion, etc. People in the Midwest follow the same sports, watch the same movies, listen to the same music, go to Ikea, get the same TV programs, etc. They have access to airports, roads and trains and travel to the same places. It might take a few hours to fly somewhere, but it's not like they live their ENTIRE lives in this strange 1950's Mayberry type of place.
I've always just felt like Midwest Mentality or whatever the term is that's used on the Midwest describes this type of wholesome or almost naive lifestyle.
I have lived in the midwest all of my life, (central michigan) and I have to say some of the stereotypes are true. People here do tend to be less eccentric, more socialy conservative. People here do tend to live down the road from thier parents and grandparents, and yes church is a big part of life here. Another stereotype, yes the land is flat in many places and there is corn and soybeans as far as you can see. However, those on the coast have no idea how pretty places like the great lakes shorline are, mississippi river, wisconsin dells etc. This part of the nation does have natural beauty mixed in with the cropland and dairyland that feeds everyone else. Our lives are also much slower than our counterparts on the coasts, and our cost of living is a fraction of what thiers is.
Im glad they think we are "flyover country" and make fun of the flat cold dull states we live in. These stereotypes keep them from moving here for the cheap living. Look how those northeasterners wrecked the Carolinas and Florida when they moved in. So to those of you that live in the northeast, it is sooooo flat here, we all do nothing but sit on the porch and watch the beans grow in the summer, then we have about 9 months of winter. I bet you could roll a marble from Ohio to Nebraska and never hit a hill or tree. There really is nothing here. Most of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota are covered in Ice 3/4 of the year. If I were you Id stay in the northeast where it is paradise, things to do, sophistication. Boy you got it all over there. Are there sterotypes out there about the midwest? you betcha there are, but they are serving us every day, protecting our quality of life and keeping our cost of living down. We dont want them ruining our region the way they did parts of the south.
There is NO "Midwest mentality." The meaning I've encountered has usually meant conservative, religious, small town. Not to criticize those who are conservative, religious, and/or live in a small town, but since when did that get to define an entire region of the country? It certainly doesn't depict my part of the Midwest (Twin Cities). Sometimes it's being said in a good way, other times in a negative way. I find it annoying in either case.
As do I. Same with the terms Middle America, red states, flyover country...which conjures images of a conservative, wholesome, slow-paced, etc way of living. There's nothing inherently wrong with those attributes, but the words are almost always used in a negative manner and viewed as such, particularly on this website. Most places in the Midwest don't even fit that stereotype, and there are plenty of slow-paced BFE towns on the coasts.
I hadn't even heard of the term "midwest mentality" until about ten minutes ago. It's asinine to paint a large area of the country with such a broad swath. I've explored many different areas of the country, and people really aren't that much different from each other. We all eat the same food, drive the same cars, etc, right? People in San Diego wake up and go to work with the same goals as people in Saginaw.
Are there differences? Sure, but not enough to the point that our lives are all dramatically different from each other. So, "midwest mentality"= BS.
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.
