Moved to MSP from ATL and...

[BPtransplant]

Originally Posted by Isaysos

So if you mock a city and it’s people on other treads, you would experience no argument or objections from the locals? Interesting.

I didn't start mocking it until after about 3 years of living there. When I realized it was vastly different than any other places I had lived (which included both coasts of the US and Chicago, and 2 foreign countries) in not a good way. My mocking only began when I realized the natives, who go out of their way to tell you how welcoming and friendly they are, are anything but. And how they think it's the greatest place to live and can't understand why another human would ever want to live anywhere else. I wasn't outward about it....at least not as much as I am on these forums because I didn't want to be an a-hole, but as soon as a native would go on about how they've only lived within 10 miles from where they grew up, and then would start preaching about how great of a state MN is (WITHOUT ever having lived anywhere else) yes, I would call them on it. Which I came to find out was not socially acceptable.

Anyways, there's a lot of good in MSP/St. Paul, some things I miss a lot. But not enough to ever move back. Mainly because of the people.
You can label me a "hater", but I'm not the only transplant to ever bring these issues up and I most definitely won't be the last.

[BPtransplant]

Originally Posted by mr roboto

It is a microcosm. I have my theory on the driving dynamic.

So first of all aggressiveness on the roads is way less than other areas. I rarely feel that someone else is being unsafe/reckless (compared to when I lived in the Chicago area). But...

Minnesota culture is that no one is better/more important than anyone else. We should all carry ourselves roughly pleasantly. The two things no Minnesotan wants to hear when they ask you ‘how are things?’ is bragging about how great your life is or how tough things are going.

Extrapolated to the road - no noticeable difference in speed across the traffic lanes makes sense. Why do you need to go faster that everyone else? Are you more important? Showing off?

Difficulty w/zipper merge or trying to block people out who use the whole lane - why do you think you should get to cut ahead of all those people who patiently waited in line? Who do you think you are?

And yet - if they think it is your turn I’ve noticed a vast majority let you in. Very polite taking turns leaving a crowded parking lot for example. Very quick to help out stranded motorists. Also seem to drive with less aggression. So there’s positives to a high social pressure to conform as well.

This I can agree with. Good points.

[elnina]

Originally Posted by Glenfield

It’s settled— Minnesota has some of the worst drivers in the country!
https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2019/...worst-drivers/

Wait! No, Minnesota has the best drivers in the country!
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota...ions-minnesota

Glad we could finally settle that question.

You guys are silly. Complaints about bad drivers are on every single state forum. And everyone thinks that drivers in their state are the worst in the country.
The fact is:
There are bad drivers everywhere in the US. Thanks to the mediocre quality of our Driving Schools/courses and general tendency to disregard driving laws and regulations. Why bother to follow the rules if you can get a lawyer who will help you dismiss any ticket received from a cop or traffic camera?

[loverinthecold]

Originally Posted by mr roboto

It is a microcosm. I have my theory on the driving dynamic.

So first of all aggressiveness on the roads is way less than other areas. I rarely feel that someone else is being unsafe/reckless (compared to when I lived in the Chicago area). But...

Minnesota culture is that no one is better/more important than anyone else. We should all carry ourselves roughly pleasantly. The two things no Minnesotan wants to hear when they ask you ‘how are things?’ is bragging about how great your life is or how tough things are going.

Extrapolated to the road - no noticeable difference in speed across the traffic lanes makes sense. Why do you need to go faster that everyone else? Are you more important? Showing off?

Difficulty w/zipper merge or trying to block people out who use the whole lane - why do you think you should get to cut ahead of all those people who patiently waited in line? Who do you think you are?

And yet - if they think it is your turn I’ve noticed a vast majority let you in. Very polite taking turns leaving a crowded parking lot for example. Very quick to help out stranded motorists. Also seem to drive with less aggression. So there’s positives to a high social pressure to conform as well.

This is quite interestingly put. There is a real stubbornness here that comes with the passive aggressiveness and manifests itself when driving. When Minnesota drivers feel like somebody isn't doing something fair, or right, or the way they would do it, they feel like they should teach the other driver a lesson. Which is foolish at best. If we think we're going fast enough in the left lane, no way we'll go faster and you shouldn't either. If it's not exactly one car forward, one car merges, taking turns, no way you'll let that extra car zipper. Maybe it's the Scandinavian thing. I dunno. But if it's not completely equitable, which is impossible when driving in a major city, Minnesotans seem more than comfortable potentially causing accidents just to prove a point.

That being said, there's no way I'd leave here for Atlanta.