Minnesota Nice, the mythic attribute that famously characterizes how Minnesotans relate to others, might be a symptom of cultural restraint that holds our state back.
Our reputation for being neighborly is well deserved—as far as it goes. But ask transplants to our state what they think about Minnesota Nice and they are as likely as not to call it Minnesota Ice.
Our surface friendliness embraces the Robert Frost adage that good fences make good neighbors. When it comes to engagement with our neighbors we don't reach across the fence, we sit on it.
It is a curious attribute.
The niceness gene that weakens the bond of true commitment can also be felt in other institutions in the form of institutional reticence, even in sports.
Where is the killer instinct that vanishes in the on-field performance of our athletes? Our sports teams' meltdowns is almost as famous as our niceness moniker.
The same reluctance to legislate long-term solutions also undermines public policy.
Political campaigns are nasty and some political agendas are audacious, but outsized political promises usually become bite-sized efforts to fulfill them.
