I need to comment on this MN Nice=fake thing (Minneapolis: movies, school)

[Grannysroost]

Originally Posted by Guero

[list][*]Sorry, I am late to answering this, been gone fishin' like a good MN Nice guy!

Passive-aggressive isn't desirable. It's communicating through channels that people don't normally communicate through because they fear face-to-face interaction. So having our entire state population labeled as a bunch of cowards isn't going to sit well with some, including me. I think it's about as lame as labeling everyone from Detroit or NYC as muggers and gangstas.

I 100% agree with you about a happy medium, and that happy medium (for me anyway) falls somewhere in between passive-aggressive and in-your-face.

As far as the blame game, I meant non-natives who come here and then start pointing fingers at Minnesotans (and marketing slogans aimed at tourists) in general, because they are having a rough go of it.

What you said - the blame game - seems a lot are running from something and looking for Eden and when does not go their way - bad natives....blah, blah, blah - don't do that and no problemo....

[crazyme4878]

Yes, I have been on several state boards, and this issue seems to come up a lot in some, but especially in the Wisconsin and Michigan. However, it also seems that people in the MN forum grab a hold of the whole stupid "MN Nice" saying and get carried away with it.

Then again, I wonder what midwest transplants in NYC, Boston, and areas like say about those natives?

[bonnieb143]

I don't think Mn. people are fake. I am from there, and although I used to be a quiet sort, and have been accused of that, (being too quiet) from some loudmouthed, backstabbing females in OK., I don't have a problem in telling someone up front what the problem is. I don't want to be rude or hateful, yet there are times, I don't really give a flip...
I would have left the park instead of making my child sit on the bench while the other child played. Not a big deal, but personally, I would have felt somewhat awkward. I would have wanted her to have some underwear on at least...there are too many freaks in the world who would enjoy seeing a naked little girl...scary. The woman was a bit uptight, and I think a bit silly, but again, I think it would have been a better idea to leave, or wrap her in something to cover her private area.

[Daks4]

Originally Posted by Teegs

It's what I look for. I hate fake people. If someone doesn't like me or something about me, I want them to tell me. If I don't like someone, I tell them. That way I don't have to pretend.

This is what I like to read. Thank you for being so honest. How refreshing!

[Daks4]

Originally Posted by Tinawants2move

I don't think that the woman was being p/a at all in that comment. I would NEVER EVER let my 3 y/o be naked in public like that, esp., in front of her 13 y/o brother. You're in PUBLIC. At least take your kid behind a bush.

Okay.. It's really not that serious. Now would I have my 3yo relaxing on the public bench waiting for her brother to stop playing..um.. probably not she could've got a splinter in her butt. However, if the lady with the 13yo and 2yo was minding her business from the beginning she most likely would not have seen the bottomless 3yo.
FYI, you making it out to be unnatural for someone to be naked and not educating your children about bodyparts other than there own will only have you becoming a very young Grandma later. There is nothing dirty, wrong or disgusting about the human body, educate and leave the perversion out of it.

[amgor863]

I hope I'm replying correctly.

I don't think Minnesotans are fake. I think they just can't be bothered fighting. My brother (a transplanted NYer--raised in the South Bronx), has never had any problems. He's had a good life. Everyone thinks it's funny that he talks fast and uses his hands! In fact, the first time I visited, as a little girl, my sister-in-law's little sister wanted me to stay longer, so she could learn to talk like me. lol. Years ago, there was the "I'm afraid of NY thing", but that goes on all over the US and Europe, too.

As for racism, don't want to burst anyone's bubbles, but I've met more racists in New York and urban areas of England (where I resided for several years) then in Minnesota. That's also, sadly, is an international problem.

[beachmommy19]

I posted this on another thread, but thought it should be here as well. First of all, let me say that I do think Minnesotans are polite. Nice, friendly, but not very welcoming. Even just reading all these posts, and noticing words like "outsiders" "natives" etc, I don't think that most Minnesotans are trying to hurt us, but...you are! Here was my response to someone else's post on another thread:

I don't think that Minnesotans are rude or mean on purpose. But...it is so hard to make friends up here! I moved here 3 years ago, after marrying a Minnesotan. I had great hopes of living in a great city and area, but I am so disappointed with the fact that, sure, people are nice, but they do not want to get to know any new people deeper. So, great, maybe midwesterners value more deep relationships, instead of surrounding themselves with tons of casual friendships, but where does that leave those of us who don't have family or friends here? Nowhere! It has been a very, very lonely place for me, and thank God, we are moving back south in a year or so. Minnesotans simply never leave Minnesota, and therefore, all their lifelong friends and every extended relative they have still live here, so there is no room in their life for any new friends. I think that is terribly sad, and they are missing out on learning from other people, and getting to know other people. And...it's an absolutely miserable place to live for someone who is not from here, sorry, but it's true.

Beachmommy19

[skytap]

I have been a satellite TV installer in west central mn for eight years and been in more than 4000 home; I will say that almost all the people were MN nice to my face. I have a few people do the whisper talk while I was in the other room and you can tell they are talking about you. The Lp gas man that we had for 4 years while in our first house was so nice even offered invited us to come over for dinner once, When we moved out the new owners had to order some Lp and I said to use them because they where so nice so they did, When he was done filling their tank he commented about the F@## foreigners that used to live there. I am Italian and my wife was from the area. Little did he know they where friends of ours. The other thing you have to be very,very,very careful about meeting new people in MN is the MLM friend(melaleuca,scamway and all the rest of them) When we first moved here we knew nothing about them, One couple became friend with us, we hung out and became really close, Until the talk! do you know what chemicals are in your house and does you family’s wellbeing mean anything to you, MN has hundreds of thousands MLM scammers promising you will get rich and live healthy but they have the worst health and no money to themselves. Hmm it didn’t take me to long to figure out that if you have nothing and have been with that company for 18 years what possibly could if offer me. So with joy I will be leaving the incestuious(http://www.stopitnow.org/mn/) state of MN and not coming back,I would say that The MN nice is more like MN KNIFE~~~~!!!

[acrylic]

When you do household installations, you can't expect people to be nice. I don't know why, but it seems like people aren't that curetous when someone goes in their home. That's probably true of many Americans. As well as, it seems, being stingy with food. I've run across that about 99% of the time, and it really strikes me as odd that this country has so much food, but yet one can be so stingy with it? And it seems like I've had to defend my parents indirectly being talked about, by people saying that foreigners are bad. This country was built on foreigners. Anyways, I've also encountered some people being nice to your face, but whispering about someone in the next room. But that's not just Minnesota. That's anywhere in the WORLD, and I can guarantee you that.
Sorry that you've had a bad experience in MN. Only complaints I've heard about MN were the cold (which I wholeheartedly agree with)...and living in Duluth, that there's really nothing to do.

[MNIrishGirl]

Minnesota Nice - it is true !!
I grew up in Minnesota - and now live in Utah sadly, I miss the Minnesota people very much !!
Utah is the worst state that I have ever lived in !!