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I apologize for not reading through the entire thread. However, a member PMed me a link to this thread, asking that I add an opinion, seeing as though I am from Chicago and now living in LA.
I am not going to go to the extent to say that I hate Chicago, or the midwest. Nor am I going to go ahead and say that there is or isnt such a thing as a "midwest mentality". But what I will say is, the further you get away from a place, the more different it becomes. I was born in a family that in itself was born and raised on the southside of Chicago, and I will say that their values alone are different than those just miles north of them in the same city. Where I grew up is a nice little area, where people hold onto kind moral values. Thats a good thing. However, for any of you that are familiar with the southside of Chicago, you know there is a lot of hatred involved as well. Its safe to say that in these areas, most people over the age of 40 have an issue with race, gender, and even sexual orientation. This is so not because they dont want to accept, but because they are stuck in their own bubble.
Now, in order to be fair, I will say there is such thing as a midwest mindset. But that mindset is sparked by a persons life experience, rather than the area that they live in. Lets take me and my brother for example. While my brother still lives in the midwest (Wisconsin), he has many harsh social and political views, that are the complete opposite of that in south Chicago. On the other hand, in a state that socially isnt much different than IL, he is able to get by just fine with his opposing views. Which in a lot of ways leads me to believe, if there is a midwest bias, it can be worked against while still living there.
On the other hand, I can see the original posters point. I think the idea of a midwest mentality is our way of showing a difference between the two areas, and how we may like one over the other. I am a mid 20s gay man who is trying to work his way through the music industry. While that might not sound completely unconventional, I found my experiences in Chicago quite the opposite. While I was accepted by my friends for my sexuality, my parents still have trouble, due to their core values taught to them in the midwest. I was also told that I would not have a successful career in entertainment, due to the fact that those people see not much of that industry in Chicago, as they do in NY or LA.
I now live in West Hollywood, where its a far cry from Chicago. Sure, the values arent as good as those in the midwest, but you trade it off for a relaxed atmosphere, where you can just "be" instead of "being judged". I can go on and on about this, but I will leave you with one last point :
I have lived in Chicago for 25 years, and then in Hollywood for 7 months. During this time I have visited Chicago, where I came to one conclusion. Both are great cities. However, in Chicago people are "tolerant" of each other. While in WeHo, people are "accepting" of each other. If we could clone those core midwestern values, and put them in a more accepting atmosphere like west LA, the world might be a much better place.
Jer3784, I've lived in plenty of other places besides the Midwest (including central Hollywood); I still think there's no difference in the values I found in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Washington, DC (to name a few) than the values in my hometown of Minneapolis. There are plenty of people in all of these locations who are extremely tolerant or accepting (whatever word you want to use), as well as those who aren't. West Hollywood is more like a neighborhood than a city; you could just as easily find a neighborhood in Chicago and point to it to make the same point. I could certainly point to any number of similar neighborhoods in Minneapolis. Likewise, there are undoubtedly many people within LA (and probably even in West Hollywood) that aren't so accepting. (and comfort level with sexual orientation is NOT something that is defined by geographic location rather than other factors; if it was a "Midwestern" value then how would that explain Minneapolis?)
And to dundermifflin: I agree that this isn't about politics or religion, but about "a way of life that is distinct from other regions in the U.S." That is my point: there is NO distinct way of life in the broad swath of country known as the Midwest that sets it apart from other regions. (and good points by Alicia Bradley about the Midwest being sort of thrown together and so broad as to be practically meaningless when it comes to actually trying to identify anything culturally or even historically that binds these diverse areas together)
The only things that might come close to fitting that would be perhaps a relationship to the weather or something similar; the experience of living with four seasons creates some different traditions than what you find in some parts of the country. But that's not what anyone here is talking about.
There is little that binds the south to the north, nor the east to the west except boundary lines and family ties. There is no way to compare Springfield, MO attitudes to those of Peoria, Illinois, anymore than you tie New York City to Riodoso, New Mexico, or Troy Wisconsin to NOLA.
The east coast and west coast and NOLA have must older histories than Chicago or OKlahoma. Peoria, Illinois has a much history older history than Chicago or Springfield, MO, or Tulsa or KC for that matter. .
The bottom line is before anyone tires to sterotype and label an area they ought to know something about how the history of religion affected the founding of our nation, how our nation was formed, Klans and the south, Indians and weather in the north and the politics of religious persecution. These are things that are not taught in schools or learned in church. . .
I can only speak for the "Midwest Mentality" that I see in the Saint Louis Metro Area.
I notice the reluctance to try anything new and daring. Lack of bold initiatives and proactivity.
There is a complacency here that I have never seen anywhere else. It seems nothing ever gets finished.
They are about ten years behind in the social and general trends arena. What you did in Highschool is still relevant when you are 40 and 50.
Coming from the guy who lives in the western most suburb. Living in the city is much different, I've never been asked "Where did you go to highschool?".
I was born and raised in the midwest, Ohio. People are people in all of the States I've travelled and that includes where I am now in Alaska. I honestly don't feel that folks from the midwest consider themselves know-it-alls . I think every region has it's own form of mentality which some are good and some not. Again, people are people.
Coming from the guy who lives in the western most suburb. Living in the city is much different, I've never been asked "Where did you go to highschool?".
I live in LSL because I can't stand most of the other areas around here. I could easily afford to live in the city. But I like to live in nice places.
Jeez. Saint Louis is only 30 miles away (less than a 45 minute drive) The locals around here make it seem I live in West Bumfuct . (I've noticed that many locals don't like to venture more than 10 miles from their homes)
If you read my post, I said "where you went to high school is still relevant when you are 40 and 50" Too bad you brought it up. You know as well as I do that the "where did you go to high school question" is a widely known quirk of the local population and used to check your local pedigree.
Last edited by DinsdalePirahna; 02-12-2010 at 12:13 PM..
If the Northeast is so bad, why are so many Midwesterners moving there? That trend has been ongoing since the 1960's.
Where did you find that data? According to the census, there's been positive ongoing migration from the Northeast to the Midwest for over 55 years now (back to the start of the data set). I would assume the migration was actually larger before the 1950's since historically the Midwest was growing very fast, and getting a lot of migrants from out east.
Since the 1950's there have been roughly 500,000 more people who have moved into the Midwest from the Northeast than the other way around.
Where did you find that data? According to the census, there's been positive ongoing migration from the Northeast to the Midwest for over 55 years now (back to the start of the data set). I would assume the migration was actually larger before the 1950's since historically the Midwest was growing very fast, and getting a lot of migrants from out east.
Since the 1950's there have been roughly 500,000 more people who have moved into the Midwest from the Northeast than the other way around.
I grew up with a lot of people originally from the Midwest whose parents moved to my hometown.
A couple of years ago I found a site that showed the migration trends for counties in each state and I noted that quite a few Midwesterners have moved into New England. Granted, more people from the Northeast are moving out of the area than vice versa but there was a decent number of people from the Midwest to the Northeast when the economy was strong there.
I live in LSL because I can't stand most of the other areas around here. I could easily afford to live in the city. But I like to live in nice places.
Jeez. Saint Louis is only 30 miles away (less than a 45 minute drive) The locals around here make it seem I live in West Bumfuct . (I've noticed that many locals don't like to venture more than 10 miles from their homes)
If you read my post, I said "where you went to high school is still relevant when you are 40 and 50" Too bad you brought it up. You know as well as I do that the "where did you go to high school question" is a widely known quirk of the local population and used to check your local pedigree.
Lake St Louis is one hour from downtown. You haven't lived here long enough to even check out other places. Have you ever been through St Louis Hills? It's in the city and very nice. You put a blanket judgement on the entire area. It's like saying everyone from Poughkeepise is a juiced up guido.
Lake St Louis is one hour from downtown. You haven't lived here long enough to even check out other places. Have you ever been through St Louis Hills? It's in the city and very nice. You put a blanket judgement on the entire area. It's like saying everyone from Poughkeepise is a juiced up guido.
LSL is less than 45 minutes on a bad day, its only 30 miles from downtown. I've been making it in under 40 minutes since I-64 (rte 40) re-opened. You are either a slow driver, or one of those people that don't venture outside their ten mile limit.
I've been here 19 months. Long Enough. I like to explore. One of the first things I do when I move into any area is try to get lost and find my way home without maps or a GPS. You get to see a lot of things that many locals don't get to experience or see.
I think I've been through every neighborhood in Saint Louis City (including the real scary ones), and many neighborhoods in both St. Louis and St. Charles County. I have probably been to the Hills, just didn't know it. I've been as far north as Hannibal and as Far south as Springfield. One of the Great drives of this area is taking route 94 through the wine country.
Maybe it is a blanket judgment, but when you see similar personality quirks or traits from a lot of people (including family members) living in the same general area, it means that these are genuine characteristics of the area. Doesn't mean that every one here is like that, just a lot of them.
I'm not the only one that sees this. You are probably aware of the discussion going on at the LinkedIn site. There are quite a few transplants such as myself that identify the same issues, and with the Saint Louis Locals sticking their heads in the sand, denying that St. Louis is not kind to new comers.Lets not forget the other people that will not post anything negative about STL on the LinkedIn site, because they are still looking for work.
There really are not too many Guidos in Poughkeepsie, they exist mostly on Long Island's South Shore. And they do exist in large numbers. Poughkeepsie (city) is more Mexican and Puerto Rican now than it was one I grew up.
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. I think every region has it's own form of mentality which some are good and some not. Again, people are people.
