Page 156 - "Mississippi in the 1st Person" - Michael James Stone (Demo/Free)

The generosity of state citizens has gained respect; the heavily-reported influenza vac-
cine shortage of fall 2004 did not strike the state as hard as elsewhere since many people will-
[4]
ingly gave up injections for others. The concept has also received some support from the aca-
demic 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 extroverted state in
[5]
the nation, traits associated with "nice".

The tradition of social progressivism in Minnesota politics has been linked to the Minnesota
[6]
Nice culture.
[7]
The services of the Mayo Clinic has also been linked to Minnesota Nice.

Minnesota nice was an influence on the Coen Brothers movie Fargo, set in both Minnesota

and neighboring North Dakota; a documentary about the making of the movie was enti-
[8]
tled Minnesota Nice.

Being that I lived for ten years in Alaska I knew what Bush people were like with each other as
I was one of them, but this “ polite friendliness, an aversion to confrontation, a tendency to-
ward understatement, a disinclination to make a fuss or stand out, emotional restraint, and self-

deprecation. “ I would find pervasive through out Northern Minnesota.

I was suddenly fascinated now more in people than the River.

I know I had written down the mans name and probably a lot of data but as would happen later
pieces of my journal would be sacrificed to the River Gods for safe passage, or something like

that.

I told him I would be gone the next day and he said ok and he would come back during the
week and mow it for the next week end fish opener…..