Minnesota, eh?

I completely agree with the statement that Minnesotans try very hard to avoid confrontation and display reserved emotional behaviors. I have lived in Minnesota my entire life and have definitely noticed differences in how we (Minnesotans) act in comparison to people of other regional backgrounds. I definitely rediscover these differences every time that I travel out of state.

That said, I think that this video is kind of over the top (notice the almost-avoidance of confrontation? eh?). Dave Ryan (the man in the video) - for those that don't know - is a local radio host who played up his accent and his "Minnesota Nice" for the viewers of this video. His job is to entertain people, which is clearly the purpose of this video, not to inform. Although he did some things nicely, I would never show this video to someone from another region of the country to show them how real Minnesotans act.

I know exactly what you mean about the cultural differences! I grew up in Minnesota,but moved to Ohio for high school. The "Minnesota Nice" is something easily taken for granted!

The video might have been slightly over the top, but I laughed through the whole thing. So funny!

I agree that there is definitively a cultural difference between California and Minnesota. I've lived in Minnesota my whole life and vacationed in California twice. One thing I did absolutely notice was that the people I encountered there were not as polite. For example, holding a door open for someone or saying thank you at a restaurant. I usually didn't get any sort of response. This video is ridiculous though. Very over exaggerated.

Our culture in Minnesota definitely has its differences with other parts of the country. Whenever I visit another state, I find that the checkout lines in particular don't have as friendly of workers. In Minnesota, it's not uncommon to strict up a conversation with a cashier, but sometimes in other states, that's not as common of an occurrence. I'd be really interesting in the research of why there is a "Minnesota Nice". Perhaps it is a nurturing effect. Because we grew up in Minnesota, with at times overly friendly citizens, we've come to except that is the way we should interact.

I am from Iowa and when I first moved here last year, I even felt out of place and some culture shock if you will. I continue to get called out for having an accent. It is mind boggling to me to think they don't hear themselves and I live 4 hours away and I am the one who sounds funny. The Minnesota nice thing is somewhat true. I think people play into it more than is realistic.

I grew up in Minnesota all my life and have never lived anywhere else so I have never been able to relate how people act here and how people act elsewhere. But I do have to agree that the whole "Minnesota nice" thing is so true. My mom always lets people in on the highway, even if she shouldn't and if anyone say drops something in the grocery store she always picks it up for the person especially if there the elderly.

Also I've seen this video before and it still makes me laugh everytime. I think it's because I can relate to about everything he says. The statemnent about bringing the family to the black hills for an awesome vacation for example, yeah my family did that.

Although I have never been to Southern California, I have traveled to almost every continent in the world and have realized that you're going to meet "Minnesota nice" people everywhere, and you're gonna meet some not so nice people everywhere, including here in Minnesota. In fact, living in a small town in Mexico for several months, I would have to say that all the things you mentioned are 100 times more relevant for that town, although that could possibly be because I was a visitor. The town I come from was one of those bumhick towns where everyone knows everyone and everyone knew everyones business. Therefore, any conflicts became a town conflict and the passive aggressiveness you mentioned became so relevant that you could cut the tension with a knife, yet no one would be outright mean to you. Over all, I feel like the majority of strangers you meet on the street, almost anywhere, are going to be helpful and friendly as long as you are not impeding upon them too much.

Although I've lived in Minnesota my entire life, I don't always see what everybody is talking about when they mention "Minnesota Nice." Maybe it's because I've only been exposed to mostly Midwestern cultures, but isn't it a common courtesy to avoid confrontational situations and be polite. Besides increased blood pressure and a tense situation, what do you really get out of making a fuss out of something? Does confronting an individual over the way they drive or act really help you in any way? I don't know if it's so much of a culture shock, but rather Minnesotans may be a bit more of a self-aware and reflective community.

This is so interesting, I was just talking to someone else from Cali about this the other day. People from California simply cannot deal with our passive aggressive tendencies. Minnesotans simply will not come out and say they have a problem with someone. We do call it Minnesota nice, and I never thought anything of it until I had a conversation with someone recently in college. It's amazing how our cultures differ even while we're still a part of the same country.

I personally think 'Minnesota Nice' is a wive's tale. I am from Green Bay and people act the same there. When I first came here I did not feel any more welcomed by the locals than I do in other state (like Wisconsin, Illinois, Florida, New York). People's attitudes do not seem to be much different overall either. I think being nice has to do with the environment in a less general sense. For example, there are people in Minnesota who are nice (and this may be because of how they were raised and who they were around growing up) but there are also many people who are mean who may have grown up in a worse off environment like in the crack stacks or under a bridge. Saying people are nice in general from a state-to-state standpoint doesn't seem reasonable.

This topic is very interesting to me especially because I went to Panama City Beach, Florida for spring break this year and noticed that people were very nice there as well. The difference is that they don't care to interact with people they don't know as much as we do. When we would get in a cab, we would try and carry on a conversation with the cab guy and he would want nothing to do with us. We were always able to talk to random people on the beach because we like getting to know people. A lot of the Midwest college kids we met down there were the same way but that wasn't necessarily the way all different parts of the country were viewed.

I love this video and the concept. I'm from the Chicago area, so when I decided to come here I got all this grief from my friends how I'd get an accent, 'd need to learn how to play hockey, and to not look forward to any sports seasons. Most of these things were not true or did not happen. However, from what I’ve observed the "Minnesota nice" attitude is fairly true. Many people from the area are pretty reserved and non-confrontational. In the Chicago suburbs, being nice isn't the top priority but it's important to note that each stereotype has many exceptions. I do love how people always hold the door open for you here though. Great post! :)

Growing up and living in Minnesota my whole life, I am glad we have that "Minnesota Nice" reputation. I think especially in the Midewest, a sense of family and friendship in a community is so important. Yes everyone has problems, but I think Minnesotans tend to brush off minor ones to keep the peace. Yeah some people may say we are non-confrontational or even pushovers, but I think we are just choosing our battles and thinking of others first. P.S. I love Dave Ryan and this video! Check out "Minnesota Gurls" another funny youtube video that is a paraody of Katy Perry's California Gurls.

I was also born in California, and your points about Minnesotans are very true! It is always amazing to observe the differences between Minnesotans and Californians when I travel back and forth to see my family.

I personally have never been to California before, but from what I hear the interactions between people are much different. As you said, Minnesotans for the most part aren't super confrontational and like to find agreement in things. Of course, this is a major generalization and by no means indicates the absence of outspoken people in the state. However, even portrayed on reality television shows and different broadcasts, people living in California seem to have a certain sense of heightened aggression. And who can blame them? I would be the same way if I lived in such a bustling and populous state!

I agree 100% about the "Minnesota nice" thing. I have lived here my whole life and me and my friends always joke about it just being passive aggressive. Every time I travel someone it is so interesting looking at the cultural differences.

I think that this is very interesting. I have lived in Minnesota my whole life but I have been to California before and I did notice that they honk more there, and their culture seems to be very different. So that must have been very interesting to try to adjust to the Minnesota lifestyle. I am curious as to how you have adjusted to living in Minnesota. Would you consider yourself to have the "Minnesota Nice" stereotypes? Or do you still behave as you did in California?

I definitely agree. I come from Wisconsin and I kind of noticed a change when I came to the U. Never have I had so many people go out of their way to hold a door open for someone else or apologize so quickly if they believe they have wronged you in some way.