Welcome to Minnesota, the home of the juicy lucy hamburger, the milky way candy bar, SPAM, and caribou coffee. A place where you may hear our motto “L’Etoile du Nord” or "Star of the North" spoken in some form of Scandinavian accent while being surrounded by our 10,000 lakes that are frozen over 5 months of the year. A place where ice fishing is a religion, wild rice has its own festival and home-made tater tot hotdish is served up while relaxing up in the Boundary Waters.
Is this a real thing or is "Minnesota Nice" just a fabricated way to describe how nice Minnesotan's really are? Ok, let's not get carried away, Minnesota nice is really a cultural expression with a double-edged sword. Minnesota Nice doesn't necessarily mean that people who reside in Minnesota are really nice, friendly, polite or non-confrontational people. Not all residents in Minnesota are willing to lend a helping hand or go out of their way to help someone in need. But please don't misunderstand this, there are always people that are willing to help, share a meal or help someone get out of a jam, but that goes for just about any place you go. However, this Minnesota nice stereotype is really a smoke screen used to disguise the true nature of many Minnesotans.
Like our hometown professional sports teams, Minnesotan's will give you hope, but more likely lead you down a path of despair. This passive-aggressive nature is what sets Minnesotans apart. It's my belief that "Minnesota Nice" is nothing more than a marketing myth. You walk down the street of Minneapolis, and you will see that most people won't even make eye contact with you. That is however, unless you stand out as "different,' then you might see a head turn. Not to say that Minnesota isn't a nice place to live, that is if you can take 5-6 months of winter, but just be aware that this "Minnesota Nice" stereotype is not all that is seems to be underneath it's surface.
Join us as next week (January 17, 2023) as Kat and I discuss some of the characteristics that we see in everyday Minnesota life and what we call Minnesota Narcissism.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2278267/14015615-left-brain-right-turn-pilot.mp3?download=true
