Free Web Hosting Provider - Web Hosting - E-commerce - High Speed Internet - Free Web Page

I am not a native Minnesotan. Although I am blond-haired, blue-eyed, and part Norwegian, I am a product of small town central Massachusetts. I have lived in many places in the midwest, along the east coast, even in England, but moved to Minnesota in 1995 for a job opportunity. I was told at the time, by those familiar with the Land of 10,000 Lakes, that I would "fit right in". You see, I am blessed with a fairly mellow personality. Although a battle rages just beneath my surface between Norwegian stolidity and Irish rambunctiousness, the Norwegian usually wins.

It was therefore with considerable anticipation that I moved here, fully expecting to be right at home, envisioning thousands of nordic clones with whom I would fit in. And for the most part it has been wonderful. Minnesota is a terrific state. Minnesotans are fine people. True, true, Lutheran Liberalism runs amok. A state that gave us Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale and Paul Wellstone is clearly misdirecting its energies. But on the whole it is a fine place.

As with any area, Minnesota is burdened by untrue stereotypes. For example, the much vaunted 10,000 lakes turns out to be 20,000. Unless you refuse to count mudpuddles, marshes, swamps and kivver ponds as lakes, in which case we have about 200, on a good wet day.

The motion picture "Fargo" simply wallowed in Minnesota Stereotypes. Take my word for it, nobody in Minnesota really talks with that goofy accent. Well, not too much. At least not if anyone from out of state is listening. You betcha.

But the single most ridiculously wrong stereotype of Minnesota is that Minnesotans are "nice". Minnesota Nice has become synonymous with the Heartland, the Midwest, Apple Pie, Decent people with their heads on straight. Ah, baloney! Anyone who has ever been grocery shopping with Minnesotans can straighten out this misperception in a hurry. Minnesotans in a grocery store are the single most self-absorbed and spineless bunch of people I have ever met. What passes for "nice" is usually an unnatural reluctance to engage in person-to-person confrontation of the tiniest sort. In the express lane, where the sign clearly says 10 items or less, I routinely see folks pile on 15 or 20 or 30 items. Nobody says a word. Not the timid cashiers, not the frustrated patrons standing in line behind the culprit. Nobody. It wouldn't be nice. The flip side of this timidity is self-absorption. If you know you will not be taken to task for rudeness, it becomes easy to be rude, in a nice sort of way.

Therefore the average Minnesotan has no problem blocking the entire aisle with their cart and kids while they go wandering off to look for black olives or ludefisk or whatever. They know that their fellow average Minnesotans will stack up patiently in line behind the cart while they ever-so-slowly pick and choose what they want. When they come back to get the cart you can count on a nice, half-embarrassed smile and a "sorry". That's not nice! Nice is thinking enough of your fellow shoppers to keep your kids and cart out of their way.

If Minnesotans in a grocery store are a burden, Minnesotans at a four way stop sign are simply mind numbing. In most states the rules are pretty clear: The first car to the sign goes first. If there is a "tie", the car to the right goes first. In Minnesota the rule appears to be to do everything in your power to be the last person on earth to go. Four cars appear at the intersection. Four drivers sit and stare and don't move an inch. They look at each other for what appears to be an eternity, but don't even have the real courtesy to direct each other through the stop. The "After You" hand wave is apparently beyond them. In their obsession to not appear rude by going out of turn they become aggravatingly rude by not moving at all. To the native East Coaster stacked ten cars back this is insanity.

It is clear to me that the folks in Minnesota are much friendlier that the folks in New England. They will say Hi. They will wave to you. They will help you when you need it. But the native Yankees, if less outgoing and friendly, are far more respectful to strangers. They won't come up and pat you on the back, but they will stay out of your way.

Minnesota is a land of many wonderful things. If her people could just learn to be less wimpy and a little more forthright the people might just live up to the stereotype.