Are there any conservatives in the TC's at all? (Minneapolis: wedding, public schools)

[uptown_urbanist]

Now granted, there were clearly lots of problems (including sexism and racism) here 40 years ago, but the description above also sounds highly embellished. I have a tough time believing that 1974 Minneapolis was so incredibly conservative, or at least not so dramatically more so than many other cities of the time. And after all, can't we get any credit for Mary Tyler Moore here?

[chessgeek]

Originally Posted by rodentraiser

Really? I left Minnesota 40 years ago because it was so conservative, it made me want to puke. Women were expected to get married and and have kids, and then stay home with those kids. I remember when girls could only wear skirts and dresses to school. As a high school senior, I wanted to learn how to work with wood. I was forced to take home ec instead. And God help you if you were different from your neighbors - ate late in the evening, came from another country, had an accent, or had dark colored skin. I still remember one of my teachers telling us that there was racism in hiring at that and other schools. African American applicants were always told the positions were "already filled"

I don't know. *shrug* I guess if you were a white male with unlimited opportunities to learn and work, with a wife to cater to your every need, it probably WAS a nice place for you then. If you were a teenage girl, like me, who wanted the opportunity to do something other than be an unpaid servant and pop out kids like there was no tomorrow, and your only job option was cooking, cleaning, and laundry, and you wanted to learn more than the sanitized crap they taught in high school and Sunday school, you went somewhere else. I went somewhere else and I never regretted it. Ever.

You may also be surprised to learn that Minneapolis has elected two female mayors since you left: Sharon Sayles Belton from 1994-2001 and current mayor Betsy Hodges elected in 2013. BTW, Sayles Belton is black and someone must have forgot to tell her the position should be filled by someone else. The current Superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools is a black woman.

It seems like there are far more women who own and operate some of the Twin Cities' best and most popular restaurants these days than in the past and many of them are well known not just in MN, but some regionally and a few even nationally (Kim Bartmann, Brenda Langton, Lucia Watson, and Ann Kim, etc). Women also play an important role in Minneapolis' impressive and growing design and advertising fields.

This Forbes article from late 2009 states that Minnesota is the 8th best state for women earners. With the economic progress/growth since then, it could even rate higher today.

Forbes: MN 8th best state for women earners - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal

There have definitely been changes since you left. I left quite awhile ago too (not by choice but my father's job transferred to San Jose, CA in 1972 when I was 12), but know people in the Twin Cities that mention these changes when we talk and I have also been back for some visits. So am less surprised by it.

Some outer suburbs and exurbs have been slower to change as some others have also mentioned.

[wushuliu]

Originally Posted by Yosh01

I think a lot of Minnesotans think like me which explains why Jesse Ventura got elected.

Well hopefully Minnesotans learned from THAT mistake...

[rzzzz]

Jesse wasn't a bad governor but he had no support in the state senate or house of republicans so all he could do was veto stuff. He was very pro public transit and is the reason the light rail got built, so I'm not sure why the "conservative economics" people always try to claim him as one of their own.

In regards to conservative media, MPR is 2nd most listened to and listener supported public radio in the country after NYC and APM, based in St. Paul is the 2nd largest producer of content for public radio.

[WoodburyWoody]

Originally Posted by rzzzz

In regards to conservative media, MPR is 2nd most listened to and listener supported public radio in the country after NYC and APM, based in St. Paul is the 2nd largest producer of content for public radio.

MPR produces a lot of national content, but is hardly "liberal" nor gets great ratings (they are KNOW, the latest radio book is at RADIO ONLINE ®).

There is an AM talk station that used to carry the national Air America programming and is still around, KTNF 950. I don't even see them in the ratings book for November.

[WoodburyWoody]

Originally Posted by rzzzz

Jesse wasn't a bad governor but he had no support in the state senate or house of republicans so all he could do was veto stuff. He was very pro public transit and is the reason the light rail got built, so I'm not sure why the "conservative economics" people always try to claim him as one of their own.
.

He had their support to empty out the built up surplus "rainy day" fund. But once tha t was done, yeah, Jesse had no support for any initiatives from the MN House and Senate Republicans.

[Unsettomati]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

Now granted, there were clearly lots of problems (including sexism and racism) here 40 years ago, but the description above also sounds highly embellished. I have a tough time believing that 1974 Minneapolis was so incredibly conservative, or at least not so dramatically more so than many other cities of the time. And after all, can't we get any credit for Mary Tyler Moore here?

Well, 1974 was only two years after Minnesota actually voted Republican in a Presidential election most recently (and the only such time in the last fourteen Presidential elections). On the other hand, so did 48 other states, and of the 49 states Nixon won it was Minnesota where the margin was the closest - though not that close, as he did win by 5.5%.

And in the House races that year, Minnesota elected five Democrats to three Republicans, picking up one seat. That was an open race where the Republican was retiring - and the result was Rick Nolan (yes, that Rick Nolan!) beating Jon Grunseth (yes, the future skinny dipper!). Meanwhile, in the race for Governor, Wendell Anderson was annihilating his Republican opponent 63% to 29%.

So if Minnesota was markedly more socially conservative in 1974, it was only because the nation was as a whole.

[rzzzz]

I doubt Minneapolis was oppressive in general for white women in the 1970s.
Two of my aunts from that era have PhDs, one was a college prof at Augsburg for 40 years. One is a director at MoMa in NYC. Another aunt had a career in the CIA (I think) as a middle east specialist and still lives in Jordan. Another one is a VP at Lutheran Brotherhood. On my mom's side from rural SE MN the women had more typical "women's jobs" like nurses and teachers but this was one of the best states for both of those careers during that time period.

For non white people the situation is probably different. Based on economic outcomes, Minnesota has been and still is a bad place for black and hispanic minorities.

[Frostbite82]

Originally Posted by LS35a

I left the twin cities 30 years ago because of the constant and intense hatred of white, heterosexual men there.

Unless you're a rich, white, heterosexual man, then lots of 'nice' Minnesota females want to have your babies.

Liberalism and lunatic fringe feminism destroyed these cities. 40 and 50 years ago they were a nice place to live.

Haha, what world are you in? You should be a comedian.
There is absolutely nothing accurate with your lunatic post.

[Chain of Lakes]

Originally Posted by LS35a

I left the twin cities 30 years ago because of the constant and intense hatred of white, heterosexual men there.

Unless you're a rich, white, heterosexual man, then lots of 'nice' Minnesota females want to have your babies.

Liberalism and lunatic fringe feminism destroyed these cities. 40 and 50 years ago they were a nice place to live.

Yep......It's very tough here in minneapolis for rich white men. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha........that's good stuff!