It's getting (as we say) interesting

I read with interest a recent article on the difficulties that public-relations people are having with Minnesota's image. Apparently, people see us as "stodgy" and "old-fashioned." I can report that the state is making progress.

When I moved to Minnesota in 1983, having grown up near Philadelphia, I found little here that was worthy of headlines. State and local governments, for the most part, were honest, upright, and well-supported by an informed and conscientious citizenry. The Twin Cities, Minneapolis in particular, were noted for an outstanding system of public parks -- a legacy of farsighted city planners who set aside land for the public good long before the need for public spaces even existed.

In a state with a population (then) of about 2.5 million, there were more than 60 state parks. Many of these were the gift of citizens who had no greater desire than to share the land they loved with their neighbors.

The form of Protestant Christianity I encountered was equally boring. Other people's misfortunes, economic and otherwise, were seen as a call to generosity and compassion. Minnesota politicians who appeared on the national scene -- men like Eugene McCarthy, Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale -- displayed the same virtues.

The business climate was also boring. Minnesota corporate leaders were dedicated to the principle that charity begins at home. Many were part of a group that pledged 5 percent of their pretax profits to charity. These men were hardheaded competitors, and I'm sure it occurred to them to focus their giving to support their marketing objectives. They did not do so.

Ordinary people behaved in ways that make for poor headlines. Most seemed to live by the rule that it was better to say nothing at all than to say something unpleasant or unkind. The result was "Minnesota nice," an attitude of decency and tolerance that was almost as much of a joke 30 years ago as it is now.

I should remind casual readers what makes for good headlines. Nice is boring. Decency and kindness are boring. Wars, riots and disasters make good copy. So too political corruption, rampant crime, civil unrest. Armed confrontations between individuals, widespread domestic abuse and vehement racial prejudice generate eye-catching stories.

Having lived in Minnesota for 30 years, I can report that we're making good progress toward becoming a more interesting state. Old-fashioned "Minnesota nice" is giving way to divisive political debate. As a state that worked, we attracted little attention. Now internal feuds are dividing those who want to see us as a "blue" state and those who prefer to see us "red."

Businesses, once locally owned, are increasingly targeting their giving so it better supports the bottom line. The old "liberal" form of Protestant Christianity, under which people responded to misfortune with compassion, is also losing favor. In its place is a more militant faith that sees hardship as a divine judgment.

But we can do more. At this very moment, mining companies are chomping at the bit, ready to strip-mine northern Minnesota in search of gold, copper and other precious metals. And that's not all. In America's southwest, cities like Phoenix and Las Vegas are using water resources faster than they can be replaced. Attention is increasingly drawn to our 10,000 lakes and to the ultimate motherlode, Lake Superior.

All we need to do is throw open northern Minnesota to strip mining and start making plans to sell the water. People will pour in; money will fill private and public coffers, and what little remains of what was unique about Minnesota's heritage will be diluted.

The only catch is that these resources, which make Minnesota the envy of the nation, are finite. It took just one generation to clear-cut Minnesota's white pine forest. If we relax the environmental restrictions, we should be able to finish strip-mining northern Minnesota in about a decade.

Minnesota will be a much less boring place -- and there will be hardly any among us who won't pray for the day when they can leave.