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Besides the obvious divide between urban and rural areas, there are definitely very different cultures present in the area typically called the Midwest. For ex
by bovermyer 5y ago
Besides the obvious divide between urban and rural areas, there are definitely very different cultures present in the area typically called the Midwest.
For example, Missouri and Minnesota are both in the Midwest. However, Minnesota is influenced heavily by Scandinavian culture, and Missouri is born of French and German roots. Minnesota is more interested in social engineering and a trust in government, and Missouri is more interested in social independence and religious authorities.
I'm not saying that the original commenter's experiences are invalid, but blanket statements like theirs get under my skin.
Also: nowhere did I say that the Midwest is more diverse than the rest of the United States. I'm saying that the Midwest is more than one culture and cannot be considered a single entity.
- TameAntelope 5y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Nations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Nations It isn't a new idea, to group large parts of what you're calling "the midwest" together culturally. The "culture" here is called "midlands" by Colin Woodard.
- pseudalopex 5y agoThe other comments didn't say large parts. That article said Minnesota is Yankeedom and Missouri is Greater Appalachia and Midlands.
- bart_spoon 5y agoThat book is one of the most unpleasant experiences I’ve ever subjected myself to. It has no historical bases or evidence to support its assertions, or really any value of any kind. Woodard isn’t a historian or academic, he’s a writer for a small newspaper in Maine. The book is closer to astrology or those quizzes that tell you what Hogwarts House you belong to than anything that should be taken seriously in any capacity.
- TameAntelope 5y agoNah, it's pretty a pretty accurate representation of how American culture is really many cultures that tend to get clumped together for convenience, but actually have not very much in common. Maybe the lines don't go where he drew them, but the lines absolutely exist, and cultural anthropologists have been plumbing these depths for wisdom for decades, well before Woodard arrived. Anyone who's travelled to two places in the US will be able to immediately observe the differences.