Minnesota nice
Encyclopedia
Minnesota nice is the stereotypical behavior of long-time Minnesota
residents, to be courteous, reserved, and mild-mannered. The cultural characteristics of Minnesota nice include a polite friendliness, an aversion to confrontation, a tendency toward understatement, a disinclination to make a fuss or stand out, emotional restraint, and self-deprecation. It can also refer to traffic behavior, such as slowing down to allow another driver to enter a lane in front of the other person. Critics have pointed out negative qualities, such as passive aggressiveness and resistance to change.
, and more generally, Scandinavian culture. Garrison Keillor
uses the concept of Minnesota nice on his radio program, A Prairie Home Companion
. One show discusses "Wobegonics", the supposed language of Minnesotans which includes "no confrontational verbs or statements of strong personal preference, you know."
s for others. The concept has also received some support from the academic community; a national study by Peter Rentfrow, Samuel Gosling, and Jeff Potter done in 2008 found that Minnesota was the second most agreeable
and fifth most extraverted state in the nation, traits associated with "nice".
about the Coen brothers
' movie Fargo
, a movie that displays some of the stereotypical behavior. Other popular culture that featured this behavior is an episode from The Simpsons called Coming to Homerica
. Marshall Eriksen's family in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother
display niceness exceeding even natural Minnesota nice, to the amusement or occasional frustration of Marshall's friends. How to Talk Minnesotan
is a book lampooning stereotypical Minnesotan speech and mannerisms written by Howard Mohr, a former writer for A Prairie Home Companion
.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
residents, to be courteous, reserved, and mild-mannered. The cultural characteristics of Minnesota nice include a polite friendliness, an aversion to confrontation, a tendency toward understatement, a disinclination to make a fuss or stand out, emotional restraint, and self-deprecation. It can also refer to traffic behavior, such as slowing down to allow another driver to enter a lane in front of the other person. Critics have pointed out negative qualities, such as passive aggressiveness and resistance to change.
Social norms
Playwright and corporate communications consultant Syl Jones suggests that Minnesota nice isn't really about being "nice" at all. It's more about keeping up appearances, maintaining the social order, and keeping people in their place. He relates these social norms to the literary work of Danish-Norwegian novelist, Aksel Sandemose, Jante LawJante Law
The Jante Law is a pattern of group behaviour towards individuals within Scandinavian communities, which negatively portrays and criticises individual success and achievement as unworthy and inappropriate.The Danish-Norwegian author Aksel Sandemose...
, and more generally, Scandinavian culture. Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor
Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio personality. He is known as host of the Minnesota Public Radio show A Prairie Home Companion Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (born August 7, 1942) is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio...
uses the concept of Minnesota nice on his radio program, A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. The show runs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, and usually originates from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it is frequently taken on the road...
. One show discusses "Wobegonics", the supposed language of Minnesotans which includes "no confrontational verbs or statements of strong personal preference, you know."
Examples
Sometimes area residents who move away, or otherwise come in contact with others who don't subscribe to the ideal, say that they have to shed their "Minnesota nice" in order to interact properly with others or get out of troublesome situations. The generosity of state citizens has gained respect—the heavily-reported influenza vaccine shortage of fall 2004 did not strike the state as hard as elsewhere since many people willingly gave up injectionInjection (medicine)
An injection is an infusion method of putting fluid into the body, usually with a hollow needle and a syringe which is pierced through the skin to a sufficient depth for the material to be forced into the body...
s for others. The concept has also received some support from the academic community; a national study by Peter Rentfrow, Samuel Gosling, and Jeff Potter done in 2008 found that Minnesota was the second most agreeable
Agreeableness
Agreeableness is a tendency to be pleasant and accommodating in social situations. In contemporary personality psychology, agreeableness is one of the five major dimensions of personality structure, reflecting individual differences in concern for cooperation and social harmony. People who score...
and fifth most extraverted state in the nation, traits associated with "nice".
Other uses
As the term is generally considered to be Americentric in nature, the traits typical of this stereotype are also generally applied to neighboring Canadians.In popular culture
Minnesota Nice is also the title of a 2003 28-minute documentary by Jeffrey SchwarzJeffrey Schwarz
Jeffrey Schwarz is President & CEO of Automat Pictures, a Los Angeles based entertainment company specializing in the production of studio EPKs , Blu-ray and DVD content, original television programming, and feature films....
about the Coen brothers
Coen Brothers
Joel David Coen and Ethan Jesse Coen known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are American filmmakers...
' movie Fargo
Fargo (film)
Fargo is a 1996 American dark comedy-crime film produced, directed and written by brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. It stars Frances McDormand as a pregnant police chief who investigates a series of homicides, William H...
, a movie that displays some of the stereotypical behavior. Other popular culture that featured this behavior is an episode from The Simpsons called Coming to Homerica
Coming to Homerica
"Coming to Homerica" is the twenty-first episode and season finale of the twentieth season of The Simpsons. It aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 17, 2009. Its name is a parody of the 1988 film Coming to America. The storyline is a pick on illegal immigration to the United States,...
. Marshall Eriksen's family in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...
display niceness exceeding even natural Minnesota nice, to the amusement or occasional frustration of Marshall's friends. How to Talk Minnesotan
How to Talk Minnesotan
How to Talk Minnesotan is a book lampooning stereotypical Minnesotan speech and mannerisms written by Howard Mohr, a former writer for A Prairie Home Companion...
is a book lampooning stereotypical Minnesotan speech and mannerisms written by Howard Mohr, a former writer for A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. The show runs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, and usually originates from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it is frequently taken on the road...
.