Lived Here 11 Months - Honest Opinon - The Place Sucks (St. Paul: mover, how much)

[Najran]

SO where do you both live?I'm willing to bet you are both like politicians,living comfortably in a nice white neighborhood,yet you think everyone else should live elsewhere and be "diverse".Do either of you live in a neighborhood filled with Somalis?Have either of you ever been to Africa?Probably not.You just brand people racists because it makes you feel good and superior,and you say it because it is politically correct.Lighten up,and give the guy a break.

[molochai2580]

I have lived in MN a total of 16 years off and on. I can honestly say that if I could sell my house at this moment I would leave and not come back. This last time I moved here was because of my mother living here. I'm not bashing MN itself, it's a very nice place to live, with up north being just beautiful forests and such, but it is just waaaayyyyyy tooo cold for a southern girl like me. I love being able to only drive about an hour to go canoeing in the summer, but the winters are just too long and cold for me to be completely happy here. I'm lucky, because my husband agrees with me and we are both looking forward to moving back to where we don't have to shovel or lay down salt (almost) everyday.

[Fargobob]

It gets cold in Minnesota. Sometimes colder than even I like. It's something everyone in MN has to deal with, like mosquitoes and Packers fans. [/quote]

I can't believe all the talk about the Somali's, illeagal's and legal's and the weather. I am a former Minnesotan, and I think the biggest problem in Minnesota are the Packer fans.

[flindras]

Originally Posted by Kimmeastar

SO where do you both live?I'm willing to bet you are both like politicians,living comfortably in a nice white neighborhood,yet you think everyone else should live elsewhere and be "diverse".Do either of you live in a neighborhood filled with Somalis?Have either of you ever been to Africa?Probably not.You just brand people racists because it makes you feel good and superior,and you say it because it is politically correct.Lighten up,and give the guy a break.

YOu make some wrong assumptions. What's African got to do with anything? When you select a single group (in this case Somalis) you are saying you don't like them because they are Somalian. That is racist. No racist needs a break.

[missannie]

I am from California, been here 18 years so far. I love the fact that there are different immigrants moving to Minnesota (Mexican, Somali,ect.) because when I first moved here there wasn't much diversity. In California it was quite a melting pot and it is starting to feel more like home.
But I hate the weather and when my kids both graduate I will move back west, I just can't take the cold anymore.

[roneb]

Originally Posted by Kimmeastar

SO where do you both live?I'm willing to bet you are both like politicians,living comfortably in a nice white neighborhood,yet you think everyone else should live elsewhere and be "diverse".Do either of you live in a neighborhood filled with Somalis?Have either of you ever been to Africa?Probably not.You just brand people racists because it makes you feel good and superior,and you say it because it is politically correct.Lighten up,and give the guy a break.

For the record, I live in Portland, OR (it says so on all my posts). It's less diverse than the Twin Cities, but far more diverse than most of MN. I taught for fifteen years in a school with a VERY diverse student population (Hispanic, African American, Hmong, Vietnamese, Samoan, Russian, Bosnian, and even a few Somali immagrants!). Working my way through college I had the unfortunate privilege of working under a couple of blatantly racist managers ("You need to keep a close eye on the n*****s who come in the store."). Yes, I'm white and I live in a very white neighborhood, but my life has seen a lot of diversity. Even if I hadn't, a racist remark is still a racist remark. You don't have to have grown up in New York, Detroit, or the deep South in order to be qualified to recognize one when you see it!

[Aqualung]

Originally Posted by flindras

YOu make some wrong assumptions. What's African got to do with anything? When you select a single group (in this case Somalis) you are saying you don't like them because they are Somalian. That is racist. No racist needs a break.

It's actually not technically racist. Somali is not a race, it's a nationality. There are caucasian Somalis.

[taysantanamama]

So you didn't know that Minnesota would be cold? And did you expect mountains? Maybe you should have moved to Arizona, warm and mountains. Oh, wait. Lots of Mexicans.

And as far as Somali's go, I have met many, and have found them to be very hard working, gentle, quiet, kind people, trying to make a life for themselves in a new country. And YOU think it is cold? I asked the security guard in my old building how he liked the cold in MN. He said the cold is fine, he would take cold over violence and fear and death. Good answer. Think about it, these people fled a country with nothing, came here, and get jobs. Not well paying jobs, but they work. Who is driving the cabs? Working security, parking ramp pay booths, pushing a mop and emptying garbage cans at the Mall of America, Xcel and Metrodome? The people who have lived here all there lives, know the language, have had every opportunity to make a life for themselves? No, they just get welfare, it is the Somalis(if we must lump a group) They live in neighborhoods they can afford. Do you expect them to live in Edina or Minnetonka? Compared to what they knew in Somalia, these trashy 'hoods are probably heaven to them. I worked for a phone company, in billing. Somali's, in general, paid their bills on time. They only had basic phone service, not cell phones, not cable, not internet, not even long distance, unlike most of the customers I dealt with, who had every imaginable service with their phone, and never paid on time. They lived within their means, probably saving to get family members here.

So really, what was the purpose of your post? Was it truly to warn people of the horrors of moving to Minnesota? I'm sure most are aware of the cold, and we are the land of 10000 lakes, not mountains. No, Minnesota is not California, and for that, I have always been thankful.

[Najran]

Originally Posted by roneb

For the record, I live in Portland, OR (it says so on all my posts). It's less diverse than the Twin Cities, but far more diverse than most of MN. I taught for fifteen years in a school with a VERY diverse student population (Hispanic, African American, Hmong, Vietnamese, Samoan, Russian, Bosnian, and even a few Somali immagrants!). Working my way through college I had the unfortunate privilege of working under a couple of blatantly racist managers ("You need to keep a close eye on the n*****s who come in the store."). Yes, I'm white and I live in a very white neighborhood, but my life has seen a lot of diversity. Even if I hadn't, a racist remark is still a racist remark. You don't have to have grown up in New York, Detroit, or the deep South in order to be qualified to recognize one when you see it!

So I was right,Diversity is just a politically correct fantasy for you.You've never lived in any of the neighborhoods our friend is talking about.If you want to find out what it is like,come on over and get an apartment in the Cedar-Riverside area.I guarantee it will be an enlightening experience for your politically correct self.If someone does not want to live in a neighborhood filled with Somali immigrants,that is his RIGHT! It does not make him a racist.Last time I checked,Hillary was not president yet so this is still a FREE country.If he chooses not to live in a trashy neighborhood filled with Somali immigrants,he is free to move,and that does not make him a racist.

[Najran]

Originally Posted by flindras

YOu make some wrong assumptions. What's African got to do with anything? When you select a single group (in this case Somalis) you are saying you don't like them because they are Somalian. That is racist. No racist needs a break.

Exactly,what's African,or Somalian,got to do with it?? My point exactly.You all are the racist because you read into what the man said.Your post tells me that.