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Bearskin Lodge
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 Boundary Waters Quetico Forum Listening Point - General Discussion minnesota nice Reply
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| Previous Messages: | |
| Author | Message Text |
| wb4syth |
12/23/2010 07:27AMquote deepwood: "quote ozarkpaddler: . HA! Why wasn't Jesus born in Minnesota? Because there were no wise men to the east. |
| Amok |
12/23/2010 06:44AM bwahaha! |
| inspector13 |
12/22/2010 09:11AM No worries jcavenagh. |
| jcavenagh |
12/22/2010 09:04AM I'm smiling when I say that... |
| inspector13 |
12/21/2010 04:44PM Sorry jcavenagh, I have obsolete software on this contraption. I’ll have to take a look on my sister’s/bro in law’s ‘puter this weekend. |
| jcavenagh |
12/21/2010 04:13PM Inspector13 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B65mtE2TN1w&NR=1 |
| inspector13 |
12/21/2010 12:23PM Wow. Someone has a historical ignorance of Finns being targets of the KKK in Minnesota’s early 20th century. |
| brossa |
12/20/2010 06:29PMquote jcavenagh: "Oh, jeez! I kinda thought the whole Minnestoa Nice issue depended on whedder you wer a Norwegian er a Swede!" Doesn't matter, as long as you aren't a Dirty Finn. |
| BWPaddler |
12/20/2010 05:55PMquote jcavenagh: "Oh, jeez! I kinda thought the whole Minnestoa Nice issue depended on whedder you wer a Norwegian er a Swede!" Then there's those of us that are both! (but rarely admit to it) |
| jcavenagh |
12/20/2010 04:35PM Oh, jeez! I kinda thought the whole Minnestoa Nice issue depended on whedder you wer a Norwegian er a Swede! |
| deepwood |
12/20/2010 04:23PMquote ozarkpaddler: . Its probably because in Wisconsin and Nebraska, you have a good chance of actually being family. |
| mjmkjun |
12/20/2010 03:44PMquote NDCanoe: "Just stay out of North Dakota. We don't like strangers. I actually had some fun with the lady ranger at Tofte Range Station in July 2010. Told her she sounded sorta like they do in Fargo, ND. She denied having such accent and the more she denied it the heavier it came out in her speech. She was a such good sport and she had me chuckling heartily in the end. Minnesota Nice. |
| BWPaddler |
12/20/2010 12:55AM Was at a wedding last night - fancy place in Minneapolis with multiple course meal... Started with french onion soup. Well, my table was served the soup and it was stone cold. No one said a word, just began eating it. Finally one guy said - are you all thinking what I'm thinking? That this soup is cold? At which we all burst out laughing, because yes - it was freezing cold and horrid... and there we were all pretending to enjoy it (we were famished after waiting eons to eat dinner at 8pm or something). I thought of this thread. That guy that spoke up complained to the staff, and after the entire room was served soup - our table got second helpings, warm this time... and the rest of us sheep, just ate the second cup as well. Now, I gotta ask that guy where he was from - probably not Minnesota ;-) If I was planning to be in the market any time soon, I'd have found out the caterers name (to stay away from)...! |
| Amok |
12/09/2010 12:35PMquote NDCanoe: "Hey - North Dakota is a great place to live if you can do without lakes, trees or hills." And enjoy a steady breeze. every. single. day ...... |
| sotaman |
12/09/2010 11:45AMquote NDCanoe: "Just stay out of North Dakota. We don't like strangers. Strangers that are outdoorsman expecally... |
| NDCanoe |
12/09/2010 10:05AM Hey - North Dakota is a great place to live if you can do without lakes, trees or hills. |
| Basspro69 |
12/08/2010 04:16PM Heres my Minnesota nice story. I was ice fishing many years ago and was fairly new to the sport. I had a hand auger and I thought it would be a good idea to sharpen the blades. I went out to the lake got all my stuff set up and started to drill my ice hole, what I didnt know was if your put an edge on an auger it ruins the blades, so here my auger was going around in circles like a spyrograph and wasnt diggin in at all. There was a group of guys a little ways off and instead of helping one of them yells out, Hey you need to read the directions, and they all started laughing, I thought to myself what a prick. So since they werent being nice I decided to respond, with a Minnesota nice comment, I yelled back over to the guy " I did read the directions, but I left them at your moms house " All of his friends fell out on the ice laughing ! P.S. Let me say for the record however that ive met 10 nice people to every 1 mean person in this state, so I do believe in Minnesota nice . |
| ripple |
12/08/2010 02:22PM We stayed at Sawbill's campground this past Memorial Day. Spectacular weather, fishing.... a real dream vacation until we went to use our debit card and it wasn't working. Bill let us into his office to use his computer- a quick check with the bank and it seemed that the card was "turned off" by a third party security system our bank uses. The likely fraudulent charges were averted, but it left us with about $50 to make it from the BWCA to Chicago- in a Ford Excursion with an Airstream trailer in tow- no way would we make it home. Since it was a Sunday on a holiday weekend we were going to be forced to stay for 2+ days until the bank opened and would release cash to us. Big problem for both our jobs situations. Bill offered to loan us cash to get home!!!! Incredibly "MN nice"!!! We were so impressed- but fortunately were able to have one of the kids get to a cash stash in the house and wire it to us in Duluth. I really can't say enough about how great Sawbill's operation is... but Bill is really a special outfitter! |
| arctic |
12/07/2010 07:34PMquote NDCanoe: "Just stay out of North Dakota. We don't like strangers. Heck, you folks don't even like your own type; Most of 'em head over here as soon as they leave high school!! LOL |
| NDCanoe |
12/07/2010 04:18PM Just stay out of North Dakota. We don't like strangers. 
|
| BWPaddler |
12/07/2010 09:34AM I dunno where "Minnesota Nice" came from, but to me it has a double meaning... 1) genuine "nice-ness" as described by kindness, helpfulness, etc. 2) the way that people avoid conflict, smile, focus on positive, never share or show grief or negative feelings, but stick with "ya, sure, you betcha"... I think both are here, somewhat based on traditional Minnesota white immigrant cultures... but certainly Minnesota doesn't have a monopoly on either of them. |
| inspector13 |
12/07/2010 09:30AM Isn’t “Minnesota nice” just a catch phrase made up by some journalist in the early 80’s? I remember an article in the paper which used that phrase having an anthropomorphized graphic of the state of Minnesota, the arrowhead region being a turned up nose. What I can’t figure out is how over 5 million people living in a particular state can be generalized in any such way. Nice is nice, it has a definition everyone agrees on. Nice exists anywhere kindness and hospitality exists; all over the world. Now were did I put my quilted flannel shirt. ; ) |
| tobiedog |
12/05/2010 01:58PM Yeah, we have a tight family and love the cabin culture and are desperately trying to hold on to it. Land was acquired in the 60s, but with the parents in the 70s it might not be long before it's gone. |
| arctic |
12/05/2010 11:52AM As a fourth generation Minnesotan, I can tell you that the cultural mindset here has traditionally been reserved, stoic, and somewhat conservative, as the vast majority of folks here (myself included) are of Nordic or Germanic decent. I know that it's easy to get caught up with stereotypes, but there is a lot of truth to this. Once you are able to break the ice here, most people will give you the shirt off their back, so to speak. There is a lot of pride and generosity among many, if not most, Minnesotans, but I have also noticed that among Montanans and Oregonians when I lived in those places. There have been big changes here during the past thirty years as a flood of people from all over the world have moved here, especially to the Twin Cities, so Minnesota culture is definitely getting more diverse. The "cabin culture", long a Minnesota tradition, has moved out of the reach of the average income folks here and into the hands of the wealthier folks, as demand for lake shore from an increasing population has radically raised the cost of real estate. My family only has a lake cabin because they bought it long ago. |
| gbusk |
12/05/2010 08:01AMquote tremolo: "quote rogerson: "minnesota- where the introverts stare at their shoes and the extroverts stare at your shoes..." I too have noticed the cabin issue. |
| gbusk |
12/05/2010 07:57AMquote kanoes: "the zipper merge. i dont think the DOT does a good job communicating how it should work." And this is good because it allows those of us who do, to get way up in the left lane and then merge in and if the driver we merge in front of flips us off, it just proves they do not understand the "zipper" |
| Captn Tony |
12/05/2010 07:24AM Snakecharmer, we talk normal Iowa it is those Northerners that talk funny. Of course we aren't talking south of Hi. 34 that is the Iowa Mason Dixon line!! |
| Amok |
12/04/2010 09:43AM LOL! At a winery? I'm guessing they may have had one too many samples. |
| Savage Voyageur |
12/04/2010 09:35AM I was just in Colorado last month and I met a couple at a winery that lived close to us in Mennisota. They had a Minn Twins shirt on and that started the conversation. They were very nice/or had too muck to drink :) |
| brossa |
12/04/2010 09:10AM When I hear the term 'Minnesota Nice' I think of a kind of superficial politeness that barely covers deeper resentments and disapproval. Not that I think most Minnesotans are like that, but it's shorthand for a kind of small-town insular mindset. It's not at all restricted to Minnesota -- if you've ever heard a Southern woman say "bless your heart" in that particular tone of voice, you know how she's going to talk about you when you aren't there. A lot of literary hay has been made out of that kind of attitude - Sinclair Lewis, especially, with his fictional state of Winnemac, but a lot of others too. |
| macsvens |
12/03/2010 09:05PM I'm a transplanted Minnesotan in a big city in Caleefornia. When I saw somebody with a Minn. shirt or hat, license plate, whatever, I would go up and start talking to them. My wife was always embarrassed and couldn't understand how I could just do that. I think most people are generally friendly if you are. I do notice that Minnesotans are reluctant to confront somebody when they disagree with them. Not like the people from the east coast. They tell you what they think, which I find rather refreshing. |
| Amok |
12/03/2010 08:42PM Ok, so I was a little grumpy when I first replied. After a little consideration, what I was referring to was directed more toward the kids I went to school with (moved here in 8th grade) and the attitude I received from the "popular" crowd until I was here a few years. I know, kinda random, but hey. I've got an excuse :P Most people here in MN are OK and are helpful. Unless you're driving slower than they want to in "their" lane. *smile* |
| Merlin |
12/03/2010 07:06PM I don't know how the signs could be any more clear. Use both lanes, take turns at merge. I guess a life time habit is hard to break. |
| kanoes |
12/03/2010 07:04PM the zipper merge. i dont think the DOT does a good job communicating how it should work. |
| Merlin |
12/03/2010 06:54PMquote fraxinus: "I think I saw MN Nice this August coming back from a BW trip. We hit Duluth when there was a lot of construction and there was alternate bridge used in going from Duluth to Superior. There was a 1/4 to a 1/2 mile stretch where the road narrowed from two lanes to one. Damned if everyone didn't politely move over to the right lane, line up in an orderly fashion and take their turn in line. In that whole 1/2 mile stretch there wasn't a single #%*&%^@!! who tried to zoom up the left lane and force his way into the right lane. Never seen the likes of it in my life. I attributed it to everyone being considerate of others, never considered the conflict avoidance angle. Still can't believe it, probably never see it agsin. " Unfortunately that practice is why there was a 1/2 mile backup in the first place. The correct way to merge is use both lanes and take turns at the neck down. Even where MN DOT has placed signs that say use both lanes people still make that ridiculous long line and leave one lane open. Those @#$%@#$@ you are refering to are just using the lanes as they are supposed to. |
| fraxinus |
12/03/2010 06:19PM I think I saw MN Nice this August coming back from a BW trip. We hit Duluth when there was a lot of construction and there was alternate bridge used in going from Duluth to Superior. There was a 1/4 to a 1/2 mile stretch where the road narrowed from two lanes to one. Damned if everyone didn't politely move over to the right lane, line up in an orderly fashion and take their turn in line. In that whole 1/2 mile stretch there wasn't a single #%*&%^@!! who tried to zoom up the left lane and force his way into the right lane. Never seen the likes of it in my life. I attributed it to everyone being considerate of others, never considered the conflict avoidance angle. Still can't believe it, probably never see it agsin. |
| izzy |
12/03/2010 05:59PM Greg - That's WI Nice ! Need a beer ? |
| tremolo |
12/03/2010 05:43PMquote rogerson: "minnesota- where the introverts stare at their shoes and the extroverts stare at your shoes..." LOL MN nice (conflict avoidance) stems from people holed up in their homes for the long cold season, seeing neighbors only half the year. You know what it is like on that first warm spring day. everyone comes out of hibernation and reacquaints, careful not to offend, tiptoeing on eggshells trying to remember if neighbor Joe had a Palin or a Obama sign in his yard, if he goes to Church, or flies a rainbow flag. Best to keep it pleasant and on the surface... I am a hoosier and when I go back to Indiana, I am always struck by how friendly the people are. It could be I am from a small town and people tend to all know each other or at least they know your parents. It's two degrees of separation. Or it could be that they speak with a twang, loudly, and they smile more. Most my friends are MN born and raised and I envy how close they are with family and how many of them have family around. many of my friends share cabins with family members, and it is a frequent vacation destination. It's kind of like the cabin keeps them all together, but in a way it keeps the transplants outsiders. I dont have class envy (referring to a previous post) but I do have cabin envy. overall, Minnesotans, native or not, are probably about as nice or as not nice as those who live in other places. They are definitely more reserved though. I really love my friends from the east coast who call it like they see it and dont make your guess what is on their mind. It frees me up to speak my mind too, without beating around the bush. It makes for more vigorous conversations. They dont seem to hold grudges either. I guess grudges are the fuel for the passively aggressive, not the aggressively aggressive. |
| jkahler |
12/03/2010 04:56PM You know why they call it the heartland right? Cuz there's no brains there. lol..jk of course. The Duluth/Superior could use a little MN nice. I swear if you say hi to someone they look at you weird. (i've lived here all my life btw, my parents are transplants). |
| rogerson |
12/03/2010 04:46PM minnesota- where the introverts stare at their shoes and the extroverts stare at your shoes... |
| gbusk |
12/03/2010 03:07PMquote jwartman59: "many times I have observed fellow BWCA travelers who just don't seem to know what the $^%#% they are doing. that's fine with me as long as they aren't damaging stuff, and they stay out of my way, i figure they will learn with time, or probably not come back. I would say that yes, you are being helpful. |
| Divainthewild |
12/03/2010 02:41PM Mark and I were at EP14 - LIS - unloading. Around the corner walks a young lady in her flip flops with a couple of grocery bags of food. I looked at her puzzled and asked her if they were going in. She said that this was their first trip in. I then suggested that she have her boyfriend pull the car around and unload it from there instead of carrying all their gear across the parking lot. I go down with the first load (we were double portaging), came back up and they had all their gear unloaded, which consisted of 5 or 6 plastic bags of food and 6 gallons of water. They had a family sized tent still in it's box with blankets on top of it. The mom in me definitely came out but I knew this was going to be a huge learning experience for them. I warned them about bears and that they do love snack food. We are positive the mice ate well that night. I gave them as much advise as I could, suggested the first campsite on Pauness and booted out of there in giggles, remembering our first time in. She said to me, "Wow - Minnesota people really are nice". That is the ONLY reason why I did not take a picture of their gear and burst out in laughter. Post note: Weather was not cooperative, windy, cold and RAIN. I don't think they had a tarp. We did worry about them quite a bit and I'm sure they left early, unhappy. We also suggested they look into this site for their next trip. If you kids are out there....could you please post a trip report? |
| AndySG |
12/03/2010 02:06PM It seems everywhere I go in this country I meet my share of very nice, somewhat nice, neutral, jerk, and scum bag people. Usually in the same proportions. I've never noticed any difference based on geographical location. The one place I noticed a majority of nice folks is here at BWCA.com. :-) |
| KevinL |
12/03/2010 01:42PMquote snakecharmer: "Some of the nicest people I know are from Minnesota. Never noticed much of a difference between the MN folks and WI folks I've known and met. But Iowa folks talk funny :) " That is only after you get south of I80....... |
| snakecharmer |
12/03/2010 12:53PM Some of the nicest people I know are from Minnesota. Never noticed much of a difference between the MN folks and WI folks I've known and met. But Iowa folks talk funny :) |
| emptynest56 |
12/03/2010 12:13PM I lived in eastern WI the first part of my life and moved to the Twin Cities as a young adult. I remember hearing "MN nice" the first time and thinking WTH. We may be "nice", but don't have a monopoly on it. However, in MN, class envy is so high, it's an art form. All said,most people are reasonable, JMHO. |
| butthead |
12/03/2010 10:47AM I met a "Sikh" couple paddling in from LIS North EP, using bentshaft paddles the wrong way. After saying hello I asked how they liked the paddles. After 10 minutes and profuse thank-yous they paddled happily away much more comfortable in the handling of their paddles and canoe. I used to call it Midwestern Nice, but have subsequently found this attitude in many other places. In particular Cody WY. I have also noticed it changes relative to population density. "Because Minnesota nice really translates to passive aggression IMHO." Or is that a twisted sense of humor(in a benign way)? butthead |
| ozarkpaddler |
12/03/2010 10:20AMquote BWPaddler: Yup, sure is! Only lived in MO, WI, CO, and AZ myself. Never even been to a few eastern and western states, but have met people from all and have formed MY opinions as such. From my first trip up to the BWCAW in '84 and my wife noted from her first in '85, people in MN do tend to be some of the nicest, most helpful people we've met. And "Minnesota Nice" is a term IMHO that certainly "Fits." But, from my experiences, WI and NE edges them out. As for some states, I'll keep THOSE opinions to myself (LOL)! TW |
| ozarkpaddler |
12/03/2010 10:10AM |
| BWPaddler |
12/03/2010 09:21AM Previous post aside, some of the friendliest people I've met in living in 9 states and some other countries... and people I've been friends with since age 12... were from West "by God" Virginia. Then again, my high school band members and I had to duck down inside our bus as we left opposing high schools after a football game, lest we get a brick through the window. Defining "nice" is complicated. |
| BWPaddler |
12/03/2010 09:11AM Sorry, but I don't buy it - the passive aggressive thing. I moved here years ago from DC - my roots are here, but I had only lived in MN from ages 0-2 and 15-17. Within days of starting at my new office, I had volunteers to help me re-roof my new home (including teaching me HOW to do it), my neighbor took charge of my lawn until I could buy a mower, people were inviting me to join volleyball teams, and decorating my cube in black as I turned 30 with fiancee still 18 hours away. Maybe the passive aggressive thing is from the transplants. |
| ozarkpaddler |
12/03/2010 08:33AM Well, I guess I don't see it that way. How DO we learn, "Osmosis?" No, someone has to TEACH us, or at least point us in the right direction. Someone didn't just give you some car keys on your 16th birthday and say "Have a good time." We need to remember that we were all beginners at one time. As for the "Nice," factor, my Non-scientific opinion is that the nicest people in the country are from Nebraska and Wisconsin. Lots of travel in both states and we lived in Wisconsin for 2 years. We would have stayed if not for family down here. IMHO MN people are fine folks, but they are harder to get to know. People from Wisconsin and Nebraska will be treating you like family within 5 minutes of meeting! And the Wisconsinite will have offered you a beer within the first 60 seconds (LOL)! TW |
| 1stSatInMay |
12/03/2010 05:16AM MN NICE to me is that those of you who live so close to the BW and get there often, haven't ruined it, but have helped keep a great resource what it should be. That's all the nice I need out of you. Anything more is icing on the cake. And I have met some very nice people up in MN...... but maybe they were transplants ?? |
| gbusk |
12/03/2010 01:18AM Example, one of many in my life. Windbound on Clearwater last summer, had no choice but to seek refuge in an occupied campsite, occupants were from MN, they were put of, but eventually warmed up to us, wife and I. Wind seemed to die down, we left above campsite, wind came back up, people at next campsite flagged us in, fed us, gave us booze. Partied all night with them. Yup, they were all from WI, they were middle age professional adults, who knew how to cut loose, have a good time, and welcome a couple of newcomers. Three weeks later I received my water purifier in the mail that I left at their site in my hast to get on the calm water the next morning. One of the campers tracked me down through this site and emailed me for my address. |
| jwartman59 |
12/03/2010 12:25AM my daughters boyfriend is planning on moving up here from San Diego. (really?) he is a real wilderness lover, the BWCA was beyond his comprehension. The fact you could just drink water straight out of a lake amazed him. i just hope he can deal with the twisted Minnesota nice thing. |
| Amok |
12/03/2010 12:22AM Ya, I hate to agree with both you guys, but MN Nice = I know something you don't know and I'm not going to tell you about it, but I WILL laugh about you after you are gone. And so will all my friends. Makes me glad I'm a transplant. (Yeah, really..... even though 3/4 of my life has been spent here.) |
| kanoes |
12/03/2010 12:16AM i didnt see this at first greg.... "Because Minnesota nice really translates to passive aggression IMHO." 100% correct. |
| kanoes |
12/03/2010 12:12AMquote BWPaddler: "I once watched two people rent a canoe on a metro lake and proceed to sit facing each other in the seats and they were NOT joking, nor were they paddling effectively that way whatsoever. and that....is MN nice. :) |
| gbusk |
12/03/2010 12:06AM In order for your daughter to be practicing "Minnesota Nice" she would not only have to not be willing to offer them instruction, but when they are out of earshot, either laugh at them or talk smack about them. Because Minnesota nice really translates to passive aggression IMHO. I have found people on both coasts and in large cities to be more helpful when approached by strangers. I think that most Minnesotan's are put off when a stranger approaches them and are really not all that nice. I find WI people to be less uptight and far more approachable as well. Sorry fellow Minnesotans, just my observations. |
| BWPaddler |
12/03/2010 12:05AM I once watched two people rent a canoe on a metro lake and proceed to sit facing each other in the seats and they were NOT joking, nor were they paddling effectively that way whatsoever. I didn't say a word. |
| sloughman |
12/03/2010 12:03AM Nope, I don't think this is a conflict. I figure Minnesota Nice includes helpful suggestions to green horns. |
| jwartman59 |
12/02/2010 11:31PM many times I have observed fellow BWCA travelers who just don't seem to know what the $^%#% they are doing. that's fine with me as long as they aren't damaging stuff, and they stay out of my way, i figure they will learn with time, or probably not come back. it kills me though when I see folks out in their expensive rental canoes, with expensive (kevlar / carbon?) bent-shaft paddles, using their paddles backwards. if i have a chance I kindly point out to them the errors of their ways. My daughter, now a guide at menogyn, is horrified when I do this. she is a true Minnesotan. i am being helpful, i think. our minnesota ethic says to avoid conflict, and all human contact, if possible. has anyone else experienced this conflict? |
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