From Pioneer Press:
Backers of the image makeover for Minneapolis and St. Paul say stereotypes of us - often false - need to be combated with facts. Here are a few examples:
Stereotype: It's freezing.
Rebuttal: It's not that much colder than Chicago, and it doesn't have skyways. Plus, our summers are awesome.
Stereotype: There's nothing to do but go to the Mall of America.
Rebuttal: We have museums, stores and recreation, all within the core cities.
Stereotype: There's no economy up there.
Rebuttal: We've got more corporate headquarters than Chicago, and our economy traditionally outstrips the nation's.
Stereotype: You're not very sophisticated.
Rebuttal: We've got colleges and universities everywhere, we're highly educated compared with other metropolitan areas, and Men's Journal named us "smartest" on their list of "50 Best Places to Live."
In May I was camping with some friends in Oregon. I felt myself getting defensive when describing Minneapolis. For as many issues as I've had socially in Minneapolis, I really do love the city and the state. It was funny to see this rundown of rebuttals. I'll have to remember these next time I'm confronted.
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4 comments:
When I was nine and lived in Coos Bay, Oregon, I constantly got comments from people about "cold North Dakota/Minnesota" when they found out that I had moved out there from Fargo. Grown adults thought that we had tepees or igloos here. They thought it was freezing cold all year round and gave me packages of long underwear, gloves, hats, scarves and I even scored a few coats when we were moving back. They thought we had feet of snow year round. They thought it was entirely just a barren wasteland and that we didn't even have things like Kmart. They thought it was entirely rural and our neighbors were probably at least a mile away. They thought and semblance of a town would just have a little bar and a post office. They thought it was all brown with no trees. They thought the education system was probably lacking and were surprised at how well I spoke. They were surprised at how little of an accent I have. They thought it was strange that I'd eaten seafood before. It was truly unbelievable. I think I've told you this before. I still get comments like this all of the time online.
I'm glad you're feeling defensive of Minneapolis now, meaning you found reason to like the place. I remember when you first came back to California and you hated Minneapolis - you met Katie and spent an hour or two telling her how much you hated Minneapolis and she was the one who had to be on the defensive. Glad you're on the flip side now!
There has always been things I liked about Minnesota. I still stand by many, if not all, of my issues I have with Minnesota. I think there are generalizations you can make about the culture as a whole, just as you can in California.
But I also realize there are individuals who are here that break against the mold. As a whole, MN is not very welcoming to newcomers. I could go on and on with all of the struggles I've been through with individuals here, as I have at times in my LJ.
That being said, MN has a lot of great qualities that ALL other states should attempt to live up to.
yeah, because with those bits of information on hand you're sure to be blazing a trail through all the chicks . . .
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