The Distinctive Culture Of The Midwest

The culture of the Midwest is something that is often derided and satirized in media. When I say that, I’m thinking of things like the movie Fargo. Now, as far as average people who don’t live near the Midwest, I would more readily assert that it is simply not understood, much in the same way the nuances of west coast, or southern culture are rather strange to those of us living in the Midwest. I grew up in this region, and for all but about four months of my life has been spent here. I’ve known and loved this place and scarcely known other regions. That’s not to say I haven’t been elsewhere, and experienced other parts of this very large country. What it means is this place is, and will remain, my home. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else, and God-willing, I won’t have to.

What am I talking about when I say “Midwest?” I’m talking about the area from the Dakotas to the Upper Peninsula going east to west, and not much further south than Nebraska. This includes the non-Chicago areas of Illinois as well, at least geographically speaking. Naturally these places have their own unique cultural nuances and attitudes which all come from slightly different geography and history, just like one small town is going to be different than the next one over. The primary ethnic group in the Midwest is German. Back in 1848, spurred partly by the European revolutions of the year, Germans began immigrating en masse to the United States. They ended up in the largely unsettled lands of what would become the Midwest. These were hardy, and hard working people. They were industrious, inventive and very community minded. Politically speaking, many of the European immigrants came from the original wave of classically liberal social democracy, and that is plainly evident in the early politics of the Midwest, specifically Wisconsin.

The land is fertile, and it’s lush in all but winter. There’s a wide range of geography in the Midwest too. Much of the Dakotas is open prairie land. From the west to the east, Minnesota will go from soft rolling hills to the breathtaking bluffs that start the western edge of Wisconsin. In the northern reaches of the region, dense forests, both deciduous and coniferous, wait to be explored, and marveled at for their incredible beauty. The recreational life of the Midwest is one that is very deeply rooted in the outdoors. Most of us hunt or fish. The hiking is out of this world, and if you want a more relaxing outdoor experience, there’s beaches on almost every one of out 30,000 lakes, including the Great Lakes. Not to mention the rivers that also have recreational beaches. This probably sounds like the start of a tourist ad, and maybe rightly so. But I want you, dear reader, to understand just how much our land means to so many of us, and how inextricably linked to our culture and our specific way of life it is.

The Midwest is one of the rare areas of the country that neighbors and distant friends will drop everything to bring you food and necessities after a major life event, or snow-blow their way to your driveway to clear it before clearing their own. The cities and towns hold a subtle charm with traces of German architecture and systems of government and organization, owing to the massive amount of German settlement in the region going all the way back to the mid 1800’s. In many ways even the city planning and layout is distinctly and uniquely its own.

The Midwest is one of those areas where people are genuinely friendly and helpful, and no where is this better seen than in the so called “Minnesota Nice,” even though it could be better described, as I will describe it in this article, as “Midwest Nice.” It’s deeply ingrained part of the regional culture, and nearly impossible to escape from, no matter where you might travel. But what is it? “Midwest Nice” is a phrase that implies a polite -almost overly so- friendliness, an aversion to open confrontation, a tendency toward understatement, a strong tendency to avoid to make a direct fuss or stand out, emotional restraint, and self-deprecation. These attitudes can be seen in the grocery store very apparently. Just stand mildly in the way of a midwesterner and you’ll be greeted with the standard “Ope, just going to sneak right past ya.” With all of the drawn out vowels you could imagine. The people of the Midwest are generally agreeable, and it’s not until you get to the very large cities that it starts to subside, and even then, there’s a very noticeable difference when compared to someone from Chicago, which is geographically in the Midwest, but is culturally so removed and different that most of us don’t regard it as part of our region of the country. From this aspect of culture alone, it’s not a large stretch by any imagination to say that the Midwest is uniquely it’s own region, because this “Midwest Nice” attitude is so ubiquitous. That’s not to mention the culinary or recreational culture which makes the region so special to so many of the people who live there.

The Midwest is truly a region all its own, and all of the various aspects, which will be discussed in future articles, are what make the Midwest so special to all of those who live here, and call it home.