Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 14 replies, 15 voices, and was last updated 18 years, 8 months ago by
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- What do people on the coasts think about the Midwest and its inhabitants? Do you think we're all unsophisticated, easygoing farm folk? And if you've ever visited the Midwest, where did you go and what were your impressions? And why do (some) people from the coasts think that where they live is so much better?
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Name : Molly, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 23, City : Saint Louis, State : MO Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,Having been born and raised in New York City, I'd be happy to give you my impressions of the Midwest. I have never visited any part of it, but I see it (aside from Chicago) as a somewhat conservative, perhaps prejudiced, homogeneous, church-going, laid-back place. There are a lot of farms, populations are spread out and there are a lot of undisturbed natural areas. National stores and eateries are the primary shopping choices. I think a significant minority of people are bored there. Now those are just my impressions, they of course could be very wrong. Also, the way I described it need not be viewed as either positive or negative. Personally, I'm too accustomed to getting around without a car and having a wide variety of restaurants, stores and even movie selections, which even here in the Lehigh Valley is lacking. Those reasons may be part of why some people on the coasts think where they live is better. Of course I think that 'excitement' means sensory overload, 'convenience' means expense, and 'high-energy' means stress. It just depends on one's outlook.User Detail :
Name : Pedro, Gender : M, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Age : 33, City : Easton, State : PA Country : United States, Occupation : Telecommunications, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I've traveled through the Midwest and the South quite a bit lately. I found a lot to like in those areas. In many ways, I prefer them to my own large and culturally rich city. The people are unbelievably nice and courteous. They are far more down-to-earth and far less cynical, which was refreshing coming from a city where nobody seems real. I was amazed how little money-status seemed to matter. Even the richest people sat alongside the poorest. There is precious little class integration here. Even the race angle, which I expected, wasn't as bad as I thought. Blacks, Mexicans and whites are far more likely to actually live and work together over there than in our own segregated cities and suburbs. Nothing's perfect, though. I think the Midwest has a self-esteem problem regarding big city people. They are also quite naive in some ways, and the political conservatism there bothers me. But I definitely think it would be a great place to retire to and raise kids in.User Detail :
Name : Seamus28261, Gender : M, Age : 23, City : Charlestown, State : MA Country : United States, Occupation : Construction, Social class : Lower class,I'm a San Franciscan who will admit to having prejudices about the Midwest - until I fell in love with a Midwesterner. Now I am thinking of moving there. Many people living on the coasts moved here from the Midwest and talk trash about the middle of the country, and those of us who are native to the coasts tend to hear a lot of it. Basically the reputation of the Midwest is that it is full of very religious people who have little tolerance for racial differences, or gays, or liberals, or for people who are just eccentric and different, or for intelligent people who like new ideas. Sort of like in the movie 'Footloose.'I have lived in California most of my life and know lots of native Californians, and there really isn't as much difference between us as these transplants tend to think (although I believed the stereotypes until I got to know more Midwesterners). So I think a lot of the negative comments are sour grapes from people who didn't fit in back home. A lot of the time they don't fit in out here, either, and mostly they hang out with other people like them who ran away to the coast in search of some kind of acceptance or personal freedom, and when they are together they tend to complain about the horrible places they left behind (and brag about how talented and special they are because they left).
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Name : Lani26207, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 40, City : San Francisco, State : CA Country : United States, Social class : Middle class,I just attended my 10th year high school class reunion in southwestern Indiana. About a dozen or so of my classmates have moved to the D.C./Baltimore area, as did my younger brother. None of them really like it much now and are looking to move back. I think everybody felt like our hometown was somewhere to 'get out of' when we were kids, and the East Coast seemed like the height of success. But now we all realize that higher salaries are coupled with outrageously expensive housing and transportation costs. Plus, there are the same kinds of idiots living out there that were in our town. Anyway, I have no intentions of moving out East. Between Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Columbus, Cincinatti, Detroit, etc... there's enough 'big city' in the Midwest.User Detail :
Name : Brian23046, Gender : Male, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 28, City : Peru, State : IN Country : United States, Occupation : management, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,All my life I've been a part of the military community. I've lived lots of places on two coasts, Hawaii, and London. I love to travel and I like to see the way different people live. I have relative in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Kansas that I've visited for short trips. My great aunt (east Nebraska) told me once that the farthest she'd ever travelled was the time she went to Omaha for her honeymoon! I visit Wisconsin every year and it's a scary place! The people I've met are afraid to leave their state. The men and women live like it's the 1880's - women are treated like second class citizens and men seem to do as they please - especially as regards their women (read property). The drinking is epidemic and graduating from high school is relatively new. My experiences in the Midwest are so different from the way I grew up - and the cultures that I've lived in, that visiting is enough for me. I think everyone needs to travel and see how other people live. If all we ever know is the town/state that we grew up in, then it isn't really a choice to live there - we are just trapped. Why do I think the coasts are better? Maybe it's because there are so many immigrants here that the culture is always changing, people can grow because they are exposed to new things. There is more diversity, and that diversity means choice/freedom.User Detail :
Name : Colleen32006, Gender : F, Age : 42, City : Brunswick, State : ME Country : United States, Occupation : Teacher's Aide, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I live in central CA. I don't actually live on the coast. I have been to several midwest cities, including Chicago, South Bend,IN., Toledo, Ohio, as well as many of the small towns along the highways I have driven. My personal feeling towards Midwestern people as compared to Californians is simple; just like us. The folks I met were wonderful. I saw some 'not so savory types' but we've got those here too. Central California is just as rural as some midwest towns and has some very large cities too. I tend to like California for its diversity. A 45 minute drive east puts me at the foot of the nations largest trees, the Giant Sequoias. Drive 2 hours west and my feet are in the Pacific Ocean. Big cities, rural farm towns, lakes, National parks, rivers, recreation of all type abound here. For clarification, I come from a farming family. Sure we can be easy going but we're some of the hardest working people in the world. Not to mention there is nothing 'unsophisticated' about farming these days.User Detail :
Name : Kevin L., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 29, City : Porterville, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Firefighter / EMT, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,I found this question very interesting, and the responses even more so. I grew up on the East Coast and currently live in a suburb of Cleveland, OH. I think 'coasters' look down on the Midwest because the Midwest doesn't have the 'go-go' mentality; there is no need for it. Geographically, there's large distances between undynamic cities, the roads are straight and flat, and compared to NYC or LA, food, shopping, etc. is rather generic. I also think that being hundreds of miles from the ocean is rather unsettling (personal observation). Apart from the weather (tornadoes, blizzards) coasters don't see the Midwest as a challenge to live here. That being said, Midwesterners are a generous, helpful, community-oriented, surprisingly open-minded,ethnically-mixed, hardworking bunch. They do have an inferiority complex, because no one ever visits their cities to get rid of some stereotypes! (Have you ever been to a Midwestern Rib cook-off?)Sure, I miss the mountains and the Atlantic; but if anyone ever gets a chance to be on any of the Great Lakes (Lake Erie in our case) being on a body of fresh water where you can't see the far side is incredible.User Detail :
Name : Allison31440, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 34, City : Solon, State : OH Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,I think a lot of this has to do with having more exposure to other countries simply because places like California and Oregon and New York and New Jersey have ports and are physically closer to other countries. Being close to other countries meant (before the internet and television became so huge) that you were the first to be exposed to ideas, fashions, foods, etc from other countries. I don't think this is so much the case anymore, but much of it still seems to hold true. Two of my best friends are originally from the midwest, but have both moved to extreme east and west coasts, and both tend to use the term 'midwestern' in a self-depricating yet amusing way. I've travelled to various parts of the midwest (Chicago, Boise, Denver, St. Louis, and Salt Lake City if the latter counts), and while I have to say that the people I've met there have been overall much more polite than those I've interacted with on the west coast, the population and mentality just seems too homogenous for me to ever want to live there.User Detail :
Name : Sarah28137, Race : Asian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 25, City : San Francisco area, State : CA Country : United States, Social class : Upper middle class,I grew up in the Atlanta area, then went to Cleveland to attend college. My overall impression is that the Midwest is quite similar to the South in its character - the biggest differences being that Cleveland has more Italians, Polish, and snow. There's also a lot of playing a card game I'd never heard of called Eucher, and of course the accents are different, but there seems to be more similarities than differences. The people in the Midwest seem quite friendly and cheerful, and for the most part practical. The phrase 'culturally backward' doesn't come to mind, but then again, I did spend most of my time there in college. If it weren't for the cold winters and late springs, I could easily have wound up settling there permanently.User Detail :
Name : Matt, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 25, City : Oxford, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,As someone who has only lived on the coasts (in Seattle, San Francisco, and Boston), my gut reaction when thinking about people in the Midwest is to think that they will probably be prejudiced or ignorant about a lot of things and have very different values from me. I'm getting over this. I've certainly known lots of cool individuals from the Midwest -- and prejudiced, ignorant coastal folks. But I'm guessing that it probably is true that as a bisexual and an atheist, I am more likely to find people with similar values in urban areas on the coasts than in the Midwest. Also, I think people surrounded by lots of gay people and a very multiracial mix of people are likely to be less ignorant of other kinds of people -- and possibly less prejudiced -- than others, but that's probably more an issue of urban vs. rural, rather than coast vs. Midwest. I've only driven through the Midwest. The people that I met were usually very friendly. A bunch of the Midwesterners I met seemed never to have been anywhere outside of their small towns where they live. While I know people who've never been anywhere besides the urban coastal cities where they live, at least a lot of things come through town, so they perhaps get more "sophisticated" experiences that way. I would prefer not to live in the Midwest, but that has far more to do with my friends living on the coasts than with anything else.User Detail :
Name : Lauren, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 25, City : Cambridge, State : MA Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Well, I'm originally from New Jersey, but live in California now. I'm kind of biased but I consider the Midwest to be anything west of Philadelphia and east of LA. I don't even count Pittsburgh. I spent a summer up in Saginaw, Michigan, which I don't know if you consider it to be the Midwest, but I do. Like anywhere else, you've got a mix of personality types (not just 'easy going farm folk'), but comparing the population in general with folks from the east and west coasts, I have to say Midwesterners are generally nicer, more honest people. I got chat up by strangers pretty often, which never happens in New Jersey and rarely in California where I live. People are more trusting and a little easier going. St. Louis may be different, considering it's a larger city. But on the other hand, being Asian I often got a lot of funny looks walking into restaurants and shops. People didn't know how to approach me, as if I didn't speak English. And of course, the first question they ask is 'What are you? Chinese? Japanese?'. It's all innocent, but makes me think they are culturally sheltered. Oh, and the food is kind of bland and lacks variety. I think I prefer cities more, just because I need a certain amount of chaos to feel at home. Call me crazy. But the Midwest gets props because I think it just has a better overall sense of ethics.User Detail :
Name : Ed, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Religion : Christian, Age : 26, City : Milpitas, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Being from the midwest myself, I've met some people who grew up on the east or west coast that have some comical and/or insulting views about the midwest that are completely out-of-touch with reality. Some people think that most everyone lives on a farm, which we know is not true. Although I actually grew up on a farm... Some people are surprised when I tell them that while where I grew up people were socially liberal - well, not compared to California of course, but compared to other places I've lived. I've lived in small towns and big towns (St. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee, San Francisco and now L.A.) and while I still enjoy visiting my old home-town, I couldn't live there any more, at least right now. What's important to _me_ can't be found in small-town America, but that isn't the case for most of my family who lives right around where we all grew up. That doesn't make either of use better, just different.User Detail :
Name : Katrina26723, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 43, City : Bevelry Hills, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Computers, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,Here's what I think - I'm originally from California and moved to Castle Rock Co in 1995. I think most mid-westerners are close minded, insular in their thinking, slow witted and sometimes I wonder is it because of the elevation and the fact that they need to take a deep breath of oxgen and thus let it travel to their brains !!! I had my own business in Castle Rock and believe me I got a good taste of pig farming mentality, that's why I moved to Parker (Upper Middle Class). The impression I get from people here is that they'll write you off on a dime and wouldn't hesitate to shit down your neck if they got the chance. Another thing that gets me is everything's a secret here. After living here for 9 years I've learned to become distrustful of others and I pretty much keep to myself.User Detail :
Name : Andrew, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 47, City : Parker, State : CO Country : United States, Occupation : Information Technology, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,The reason I think where I live is so much better is because I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Mill Valley, California. I grew up in St. Louis, so I know what it's like. You have to come out here to Marin County and see it. It is NOT beautiful in St. Louis and Missouri in general. It is breathtakingly beautfiful here, and it is just out my back door. St. Louis is dull and grey.User Detail :
Name : Annie Eliot, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 45, City : Mill Valley, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : ER Physician, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,
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