"Minnesota Nice" for Non-Minnesotans
For non-Minnesotans reading this blog, first a definition:
"Minnesota Nice" refers to the locals' custom of being preternaturally pleasant on the surface . . . and seeming to be chilly and unavailable just below.
Non-natives, especially from bigger cities (like New York) invariably find the practice off-putting if not outright annoying; the most common complaint I hear is, "you never know where you stand."
The runner-up? 'it's passive-aggressive.'
Meanwhile, natives like myself understand "Minnesota Nice" for what it is: a collective agreement to . . . be polite, at least on the surface.
How different in principle is that, really, than 100 strangers jammed into a subway car all tacitly agreeing not to make eye contact?
Ultimately, "Minnesota Nice" is really just a regional preference -- a "default mechanism" -- for managing social interaction on a mass scale.
As such, it's no better, no worse (and certainly much less confrontational) than social styles in other parts of the country . . . or world.
What would you expect from a couple million, *stoic Scandinavians?? (still the most dominant ethnic heritage locally).
Minnesota Nice & Showing Feedback
So how does "Minnesota Nice" play out between Realtors?
A good example is the showing feedback form that Buyer's agents are asked to complete after taking a client through a home.
I would say that some variation of the following easily represents 25% of the responses I get from Buyer's agents on homes that I'm listing (representing the Seller):
How did your Buyer like the home overall? "Good."
On a scale of 1-10, what was your opinion of the home's condition? "7"
Floor plan? "8"
What did you think of the home's price (pick one): Above market/at market/below market (this one always cracks me up) "at market"
Any future interest? "No"
Social Conventions
Obviously, anyone who had continuing interest in my client's home would be communicating that, in a variety of ways.
So, I don't take umbrage at the above, or email or call the other agent hostilely asking for more.
I understand it for what it is: a "no thank you" -- politely conveyed, to be sure.
*the joke about the long-time local Congressman (and quintessential Scandinavian) Martin Olav Sabo was that he once got so worked up over an issue that . . he almost spoke up about it!
Showing posts with label Martin Sabo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Martin Sabo. Show all posts
Monday, February 15, 2010
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Washington's Financial Savvy vs. Wall St: No Contest
Keith Ellison vs. Lloyd Blankfein
Even if Congress was scrupulously independent of Wall Street -- which is hardly the case -- it would be no match for Wall Street when it came to drafting legislation that made the financial system fairer and more transparent.
The problem is a combination of priorities and expertise.
To take just one example, consider Congressman Keith Ellison, who is now serving his second term representing Minneapolis. (He's better known nationally as the first Muslim member of Congress.)
I don't know Mr. Ellison well, but since he and I were in the same law school class (University of Minnesota, 1990), I think it's fair to say that I know him better than most voters.
Law School Recollections
Almost two decades(!) later, what I remember of Mr. Ellison from law school was his passion for civil rights, and unwavering identification with the underdog. His frequent comments in class almost always spoke to the various ways minorities face discrimination in our society -- undoubtedly still true even today.
Coming from a large family in urban Detroit, he knows those issues not just in a theoretical, academic way -- but personally and intimately.
After law school, Mr. Ellison continued to make social justice the cornerstone of his career, both as a state legislator representing Minneapolis' north side, and as a lawyer in private practice.
In fact, his passion -- and those of his supporters -- was a decided advantage in the big, fragmented field that inevitably materialized to replace Martin Sabo, Minneapolis' long-time Congressman, when Sabo suddenly announced his retirement in Spring, 2006.
Campaign Finance Stumble
Ironically, the one issue that threatened Mr. Ellison's march to the primary -- the only contest that matters in heavily democratic Minneapolis -- was campaign finance.
Specifically, Mr. Ellison's practice of filing tardy, incomplete and/or incorrect finance disclosures.
As I recall, the amounts were trivial: one report showed something like $35,000 of contributions when the correct amount was $40,000 -- or vice versa.
Mr. Ellison made the requisite apologies, promised to do better -- and proceeded to win election to what is universally regarded to be one of the nation's safest House seats.
He was easily re-elected in 2008.
Financial Background: Zip
So what's wrong with this picture?
Getting a $40,000 (or was it $35,000) campaign finance disclosure wrong is not exactly confidence-inspiring when it come to tackling TARP-size numbers, with literally eight(!) more zeroes.
Putting the best possible face on this matter, I think it's fair to say that for Mr. Ellison -- much like Barack Obama -- finance is very far afield from what excites and motivates him politically.
So, to the extent that he has to deal with those issues at all, his instinct is to delegate.
There's nothing wrong, per se, with delegating to people more knowledgeable than yourself; after all, no one can be an expert on everything.
However, what happens when the "experts" you've chosen disagree?
For that matter, how do you know which "experts" to pick?
If Congressman Ellison knew what the future held in store for him 20 years ago, I bet I would have seen more of him in my Antitrust Law, Uniform Commercial Code, and other business law classes way back in law school.
Even if Congress was scrupulously independent of Wall Street -- which is hardly the case -- it would be no match for Wall Street when it came to drafting legislation that made the financial system fairer and more transparent.
The problem is a combination of priorities and expertise.
To take just one example, consider Congressman Keith Ellison, who is now serving his second term representing Minneapolis. (He's better known nationally as the first Muslim member of Congress.)
I don't know Mr. Ellison well, but since he and I were in the same law school class (University of Minnesota, 1990), I think it's fair to say that I know him better than most voters.
Law School Recollections
Almost two decades(!) later, what I remember of Mr. Ellison from law school was his passion for civil rights, and unwavering identification with the underdog. His frequent comments in class almost always spoke to the various ways minorities face discrimination in our society -- undoubtedly still true even today.
Coming from a large family in urban Detroit, he knows those issues not just in a theoretical, academic way -- but personally and intimately.
After law school, Mr. Ellison continued to make social justice the cornerstone of his career, both as a state legislator representing Minneapolis' north side, and as a lawyer in private practice.
In fact, his passion -- and those of his supporters -- was a decided advantage in the big, fragmented field that inevitably materialized to replace Martin Sabo, Minneapolis' long-time Congressman, when Sabo suddenly announced his retirement in Spring, 2006.
Campaign Finance Stumble
Ironically, the one issue that threatened Mr. Ellison's march to the primary -- the only contest that matters in heavily democratic Minneapolis -- was campaign finance.
Specifically, Mr. Ellison's practice of filing tardy, incomplete and/or incorrect finance disclosures.
As I recall, the amounts were trivial: one report showed something like $35,000 of contributions when the correct amount was $40,000 -- or vice versa.
Mr. Ellison made the requisite apologies, promised to do better -- and proceeded to win election to what is universally regarded to be one of the nation's safest House seats.
He was easily re-elected in 2008.
Financial Background: Zip
So what's wrong with this picture?
Getting a $40,000 (or was it $35,000) campaign finance disclosure wrong is not exactly confidence-inspiring when it come to tackling TARP-size numbers, with literally eight(!) more zeroes.
Putting the best possible face on this matter, I think it's fair to say that for Mr. Ellison -- much like Barack Obama -- finance is very far afield from what excites and motivates him politically.
So, to the extent that he has to deal with those issues at all, his instinct is to delegate.
There's nothing wrong, per se, with delegating to people more knowledgeable than yourself; after all, no one can be an expert on everything.
However, what happens when the "experts" you've chosen disagree?
For that matter, how do you know which "experts" to pick?
If Congressman Ellison knew what the future held in store for him 20 years ago, I bet I would have seen more of him in my Antitrust Law, Uniform Commercial Code, and other business law classes way back in law school.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
