Real Montanans (Helena: rent, home, buy)

[Space Cowboy]

Alright, time for a semi controversial post.

All throughout our long winded election season, we saw ads declaring such and such as not acting like "Real" Montanans or breaking the semi legendary, mystical "Montanan Way." My question to everyone is: What exactly should a "Real Montanan" act like? And what is the "Montanan Way?"

Is this encompassed by:

1. Where you were born?

2. Politics (Or lack thereof)?

3. General attitude/disposition?

4. An ability to handle cold weather? (If so, Minnesotans would be the most "true" Montanas! )

5. Belief in individual rights/liberties?

6. Affinity for the Environment and Nature?


Discuss!!

[DontLookPhoto]

Simple answer:
5 & 6
And getting chitfaced at the bars !

[talldarkone]

No showing up here and telling everyone...." Here's how we did things where I come from..."

[Montguy]

1. If a "real" Montanan is one who was born (and raised, I assume) here for at least some part of their rearing, then having been born/raised here is probably important criteria to meet. I've noticed that native Montanans (myself included) are quite proud of their "native" status, but I definitely don't think that the vast majority of us would deny anyone the "Montanan" label on the basis of them not having been born here.

2. Montana is home to political conservatives, liberals, libertarians, Republicans, Democrats, etc., and, in my personal experience, Montana politics is, to say the least, quite perplexing. Just look at the state's 2012 election results...

All in all, I don't think there's really any particular ideological/political creed in which a "real Montanan" does/must adhere to (well, that's aside from, I guess, very gun-friendly political/ideological sentiment, but that's certainly not true of all Montanans, either).

3. General attitude/disposition is actually kind of a tough one for me. I wouldn't say that Montana's population is at all uniform in this area, even for those who are native to the state--this is a very large place where certain segments of our small population are quite distant and/or isolated from one another.

Going by common outsider (and insider) opinion, though, I suppose I could say that "real" Montanans are generally a very friendly, helpful, "live-and-let-live" sort of people overall, but admittedly, not all outsider/insider opinion is so flattering. Nonetheless, the aforementioned characteristics are, in my opinion, ones that a Montanan should display. In fact, I think that, if anything, this is what being a
"real" Montanan is fundamentally about.

4. A hearty tolerance for cold weather is arguably important for a "real" Montanan, even though I've definitely noticed a mildness in our winters over the last several years (personally, I hate the cold and always have--I'll take our dry August heat over any given day in January or February). The seasonally low, biting temperatures we've endured in the past don't really seem to last as long anymore. So I don't know...

5. A fairly healthy strain of individualism still exists in this state from, I think, corner to corner, and it's something that I've always viewed as sort of transcending left-right politics around here. Montanans generally seem to like this, but, unfortunately, we still have our share of uncompromising right-wing and left-wing hard-liners serving in elected offices (and we certainly have a number of anti-individualist laws to show for it). "Real" Montanans can be divided, too.

6. Affinity for nature (you know, like citizens actually having access to it) amongst Montanans seems to trump affinity for the environment (a sentiment that, in my view, separates people from nature).

However, if you're an elected justice to the Montana Supreme Court, your affinities probably bend toward the environment. It's those funny Montana politics again...

[Mt-7]

Not afraid to do 70 over an icy highway while singing this!

Craig Morgan - International Harvester - YouTube

[DontLookPhoto]

It makes no difference where one was born or where they moved from.
In my humble opinion a "Real Montanan" is a person who lives in Montana, gets along with most other Montanans, pays the rent or their property taxes and bills when due and doesn't expect handouts. ~♥~

A real Montanan helps other folks in need, doesn't look the other way when a person is in trouble such as feeding an out of work neighbor. Most folks in Montana are good people and if you are a good person and happen to live in our state you are a "True Montanan". ~☻~
Note: (the small black smiles come from holding the ALT key while typing 770 on the 10 key pad.)
♫ ~♥~ ♫

[rugratref]

Originally Posted by dontlookphoto

it makes no difference where one was born or where they moved from.
In my humble opinion a "real montanan" is a person who lives in montana, gets along with most other montanans, pays the rent or their property taxes and bills when due and doesn't expect handouts. ~♥~

a real montanan helps other folks in need, doesn't look the other way when a person is in trouble such as feeding an out of work neighbor. Most folks in montana are good people and if you are a good person and happen to live in our state you are a "true montanan". ~☻~
note: (the small black smiles come from holding the alt key while typing 770 on the 10 key pad.)
♫ ~♥~ ♫ :d

love it! Agreed!

[Threerun]

I was born in Maryland but lived most of my life in West Virginia. I was and still am considered a 'West Virginian' to all my friends and peers. I now live here and I still consider myself a 'West Virginian', especially when asked where I am from. My children also consider themselves 'West Virginian'. They say yes ma'am, no ma'am and all that stuff.

I doubt that I will ever really consider myself a true 'Montanan' because my formative years were spent in WV. My idioms, my accent, my customs and my allegiance to the Mountaineers does define who I have become. I am an Appalachian expatriot who loves living in Montana as a resident of Montana. At every chance I get I tempt my hillbilly bretheren to join me in Montana to share our infectous love of life and the outdoors with the Montanans out here.. I tell them to haul all their old tractors, cars and rusty barn tools with them. Let's set up shop in Helena.


What are those words.... oh yeah- "Can't we all just get along?"

[Space Cowboy]

Great answers everyone! I see this post has many of you thinking. I've always been fascinated by the way different states and regions define themselves, accurately or not. It's part of what makes our country so diverse and interesting...

[jasper12]

Where you were born? Not in Montana

2. Politics (Or lack thereof)? I don't really pay much attention, all the same to me. I suppose I should pay more attention, but in the end, it does not really matter much to me who is in charge.

3. General attitude/disposition? I don't like to wear pointy shoes. In Montana, "dress up" can mean fairly new jeans, and a pair of boots, even for business. I had a meeting in Chicago a few weeks ago, and actually, had to dig around for some stuff to wear.
4. An ability to handle cold weather? (If so, Minnesotans would be the most "true" Montanas! ) Just buy some boots, and a Carhartt jacket. Good to go.

5. Belief in individual rights/liberties? Who cares what other folks do? Just let them be.

6. Affinity for the Environment and Nature? Well, I suppose deer are okay, but I am not gonna feed them like they are pets or anything. And if oil was found in Yellowstone, I would support a few discrete drills, after all, those folks need some good paying jobs down there. Same with Glacier.