MSU Red Cedar Message Board

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DavidsonNCCock said...

I had a roommate for a year when I was in Chapel Hill. He was from Illinois. All he talked about was playing in bands. Is playing in a band really popular in the midwest?

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Manhattan Green said...

Awesome question.

Like this poster notes, it depends on where you're from. I grew up on Lake Michigan in a resort town so my experience is probably different than someone who grew up in, say, a Des Moines suburb or downstate Indiana or downtown Cleveland.

I've lived in NYC for 15 years so I have some good perspective on what it's like being from the Midwest. I actually felt hurt the first time I heard someone refer to everywhere between the coasts as "flyover states". I understood what it meant, but was pretty surprised people here weren't interested in anything there, even Chicago. I was also surprised by how few people had actually been to Chicago.

The Midwest is very provincial, but so are most other places. People are fiercely loyal to their hometowns and their region. I think a lot of Midwesterners stay near their childhood homes out of perceived duty or the safety of being close to their families. That's a good thing. Midwesterners are skeptical of other places, though. When I moved here I was certain I would be mugged and/or swindled out of all my money by crafty grifters at some point in the first year.

The Midwest (and prob the south and southwest) is not connected to the rest of the world the same way that coastal cities are. Business in general is much more locally-focused. People travel less, and when they take a big trip, it's often driving to Florida or going on a cruise.

Trends from the coasts trickle into the Midwest a little more slowly. I was surprised on a visit home six or seven years ago that my BlackBerry was really a curiosity. There were still a lot of people back home who refused to get a cell phone.

I like the salt-of-the-earth Midwesterners, who would do anything to help you. This really played a role when my wife's mother died in Wisconsin and everyone there was so, so warm. But again, I've been really impressed with the warmth of many of the people I've met out here.

I think Midwesterners are less accepting of new ideas or out-of-the-ordinary thinking or non-conformity. Maybe a bit more judgmental and quick to criticize those who look different or do something a different way than they're used to. I certainly was.

The women certainly are more laid-back, which is good in many ways and not so good in others. Lots of girls like watching football, which is awesome, but lots of girls are fat and take zero pride their appearance, which is not. Low maintenance is a two-sided coin.

I get the sense that people there often care less about their careers. If you could tell a Midwesterner that he would top out an 30 year career making $90k, he would probably be pretty excited. It's not like that in other places. But that makes people just seem more relaxed and less concerned or focused on material possessions, which is great.

There is a hell of a lot more binge drinking in the Midwest because drinking is more of "an activity" there than other places.

All that said, you can't take the Midwest out of a Midwesterner. I will never consider myself anything but a Midwesterner and still want to move my family back there when the right opportunity comes around. It just feels right.

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numberonealcove said...

This red state/blue state, midwest vs. coasts, the south vs. everyone stuff is absolute bullshit. There is only city, suburbs, and country.

Go into the city center of any major American city, head for an up and coming neighborhood, get really drunk, and I defy you to walk out of the bar and tell me exactly where you are. All American cities are essentially the same.

Similarly, drive 30 miles outside of any major American city and you are in "the midwest." Doesn't matter where the city is; it's the midwest.

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WinnipegSpartan said...

From a relatively small but widespread sample, I've noticed that Southern girls are way more into using "pulling out" as a form of contraceptive, even if it's a random hookup.

"Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul" - Plato

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Heathens '87 said...

Born and raised in Detroit, lived overseas (Belgium and Italy), as well as in California and New Hampshire. A few years back, my wife and I came to the realization that, despite those journeys, we were midwesterners at heart. Yes, it's a bit more provincial, people do tend to stick closer to where they're from, and attitudes aren't always as open as I'd prefer, but there's a certain friendliness, family-focus, appreciation of smaller things in life, etc. Of course that varies, and a midwestern city is different than a small town (in both good and bad ways), but we wanted to move back, picked Traverse City as a midwestern representation of what we wanted (chose it over Portland and Burlington), and no regrets. My wife had to become a Michigander, so a buck pole was a new experience, but she's adjusted and now a bear coming through a campsite in the UP gets a half-awake "is all the food in the tree" grumble.

P.S. FYI, this town is full of people who like winter, as in a lack of snow is what draws complaints. You really have to like winter to live "up north".....

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