tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post1550226659321183496..comments2024-03-27T18:24:19.683-07:00Comments on Steve Sailer: iSteve: The Minnesota ChallengeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-10694932946874134662011-01-12T17:07:29.111-08:002011-01-12T17:07:29.111-08:00Minnesota has one of the nation's highest corp...Minnesota has one of the nation's highest corporate tax rates.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-19771401480598336542010-06-07T16:56:18.465-07:002010-06-07T16:56:18.465-07:00I live in Minnesota and can attest to the comments...I live in Minnesota and can attest to the comments about obesity and drunk driving. <br /><br />As to obesity, long before I saw any statistics, I had concluded from people-watching at various airports that there seemed to be a greater concentration of fat slobs at MSP than at just about any of the others - especially in the baggage claim area, where there was a greater chance they were local. You will see more physically fit people at western airports, e.g., Denver or Portland; better dressed people at eastern ones, e.g., Washington or New York. Here they are both porcine in bulk and slovenly in apparel. <br /><br />Drunk driving is fostered by a history of lax enforcement of the law against it until comparatively recently. and the custom of drinking in bars rather than at home. Wisconsin's still higher rate is probably an artifact of its even looser licensing of on-sale drinking establishments. <br /><br />An interesting datum about Wisconsin - which one wouldn't expect from a state stereotypically populated with Teutons and Scandinavians, and so widely identified with breweries, is that Wisconsin has repeatedly turned out to have the highest per capita consumption in the U.S. of brandy - a drink more associated with the French than with Germans or Swedes. I have tried to come up with an explanation and the only one I can think of is that cheap brandy (E&J, Christian Brothers) is a blander spirit than bourbon, scotch, or gin, and it does not disagree with the prevailing local taste for sweetness. The natives tend to like it in a cloying concoction with 7-up or ginger ale. This reflects the taste of an amateur drinker, and it is perhaps because they are amateurs that so many end up being arrested for DWI.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-49817664295251696612010-06-05T04:55:53.282-07:002010-06-05T04:55:53.282-07:00@reg cÆsar
Point taken, brother in ligature. But...@reg cÆsar<br /><br />Point taken, brother in ligature. But you did misspell one of the easy letters in my <i>nom de cyber</i>!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05653308181484454720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-1266977522782376402010-06-05T00:31:55.516-07:002010-06-05T00:31:55.516-07:00Perhaps Minnesota's performance on so many fro...<i>Perhaps Minnesota's performance on so many fronts is as much a consequence of it's liberalism as its ethnic makeup.</i><br /><br />Unlikely. New Hampshire and Minnesota regularly finish together near the top, despite wide differences in local policy choices. The same is true of Sweden and Switzerland-- neither side of the bigness-of-government debate can explain why <i>both</i> countries work.<br /><br /> <i>Monty Python, the Simpsons, et al are very popular in Scandinavia.</i><br /><br />One of the Pythons is from Minnetonka. Fancy that. (Though, like fellow gopher Eddie Cochran, he left for California at puberty.)<br /><br /><i>...that seat currently held by Franken has been held by Jewish Minnesotans continuously for over 30 years...</i><br /><br />Not counting 'Looteran' Dean Barkley's short interregnum. But none are natives-- Coleman and Franken were born in New York, Wellstone in Virginia, and Boschwitz somewhere deep in Prussia. At least Franken and Boschwitz arrived as kids. (I think the last native New Yorker elected to the seat Hillary left was Averill Harriman.)<br /> <br />I once overheard someone at the State Fair talking about "Al Franklin". I bet more than a few voters made that mistake, and it put him over the top.<br /><br /><i>a poor measure of polyglotism</i> -Æternitatus<br /><br />My ligaturemate makes a good point. But I think the word he's looking for is <i>polyglossy</i>. And it's much more fun to say!reg cÆsarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-81434074294452456252010-06-04T20:00:53.728-07:002010-06-04T20:00:53.728-07:00"Ten years ago I might have been susceptible ...<i>"Ten years ago I might have been susceptible to it, but I now know exactly what I'm talking about."</i><br /><br />Fill us in, Anon. Is all crime down south unorganized?Frednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-88758609989766244262010-06-04T19:59:22.863-07:002010-06-04T19:59:22.863-07:00"Let us in, Fred. What do you know?"
We...<i>"Let us in, Fred. What do you know?"</i><br /><br />Well, I know there's less organized crime (of the Godfather/Sopranos sort) up here than TV or movies would have you believe. The main reason is that the sort of folks who would be attracted to organized crime, and smart enough to do well at it, can make more money more safely in shifty though legal (or semi-legal) ways. Sopranos-style crime just doesn't really pay anymore (to its credit, that was one of the themes of the last season of the Sopranos).<br /><br />For the super-ambitious, but unconnected, there is a lot of disreputable and unethical -- but still legal -- action on Wall Street. I'm not talking the Goldman Sachs stuff, I'm talking about little firms you've never heard of. Think Boiler Room without the fictitious businesses (that was one gratuitiously unrealistic part of the movie. In reality, shifty brokers make a lot of money selling real but crappy companies). <br /><br />For the ambitious but more connected types, there is the b-to-g sector. Think the companies that are pocketing the Obama stimulus money. <br /><br />For the less ambitious, but still connected types, there is pillage more directly in the government sector -- cops and principals making six figures and retiring with six figure pensions in their 50s.Frednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-78538159617161044012010-06-04T15:47:10.124-07:002010-06-04T15:47:10.124-07:00There is probably less organized crime in the Nort...<i>There is probably less organized crime in the North, and more in the South, than you think.</i> <br /><br />Don't even start that historical revisionism B.S. with me.<br /><br />Ten years ago I might have been susceptible to it, but I now know exactly what I'm talking about.<br /><br />As do you, I imagine.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-51642064837700408562010-06-04T15:22:53.084-07:002010-06-04T15:22:53.084-07:00@CB
You misread my comments. I did not simply q...@CB <br /><br />You misread my comments. I did not simply quote the raw percentage of people speaking a language other than English at home. I agree that that would be a poor measure of polyglotism as it would capture large numbers of mostly poor, mostly Hispanic immigrants who do not speak English very well (or at all).<br /><br />That is why I subtracted out the entire percentage of the population not classified as also speaking English very well. That gives you a fairly conservative floor of genuine polyglotism. <br /><br />There are at least that many people in the state who speak a language other than English at home (presumably very well) <b><i>AND</i></b> are classified as speaking English very well too.<br /><br />Those individuals are genuine polyglots which is, as you concede, a sign of educational distinction--perhaps not the most important one, but a perfectly valid one.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05653308181484454720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-58035381990242995222010-06-04T13:01:11.389-07:002010-06-04T13:01:11.389-07:00>There is probably less organized crime in the ...>There is probably less organized crime in the North, and more in the South, than you think.<<br /><br />Let us in, Fred. What do you know?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-10222454159171167222010-06-04T12:35:49.292-07:002010-06-04T12:35:49.292-07:00"[The other one I spent a long time thinking ...<i>"[The other one I spent a long time thinking about: Why was it that they had organized crime up North, but we didn't seem to have it down South? It was only very recently, in just the last few years - after I got really interested in "HBD" - that I was able to put two and two together and figure out that one.]"</i><br /><br />There is probably less organized crime in the North, and more in the South, than you think.Frednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-51941249182864170802010-06-04T09:15:31.121-07:002010-06-04T09:15:31.121-07:00For an interesting look at small town German-desce...For an interesting look at small town German-descended Minnesota circa 1980 check out Louis Malle's documentary "God's Country". The home interiors are atrocious, but that's of course partly a function of the era.Janusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-23618388653818793072010-06-04T09:09:17.832-07:002010-06-04T09:09:17.832-07:00Truth said...blahblahblah
I must invoke Anonymous...Truth said...blahblahblah<br /><br />I must invoke Anonymous' Rule Of Americans Talking About Canada: they get it wrong every single time. No American in world history has ever uttered anything factual about Canada, ever.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-19251049598648456102010-06-04T09:02:22.361-07:002010-06-04T09:02:22.361-07:00...it seems to me indisputable that being able to ...<i>...it seems to me indisputable that being able to speak English *and* another language well is a sign of greater intellectual and educational achievement that only being able to speak English.</i><br /><br /><i>Assuming that everybody who doesn't speak English very well speaks a language other than English at home ...and everybody who speaks English at home does not speak any other language very well... we get that only 4.85% of Minnesotans are polyglot.</i><br /><br />I agree with your basic claim, but your metric is wrong. In the U.S., native English speakers who learn foreign languages are intellectually distinguished to some extent. Immigrants who learn English poorly are not. Your metric misses the former and captures the latter. All you're measuring is the number of non-English-speaking immigrants.<br /><br />CBAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-45193098029400640362010-06-04T06:54:56.783-07:002010-06-04T06:54:56.783-07:00The South is where taste goes to die.
I used to ...<i>The South is where taste goes to die.</i> <br /><br />I used to wonder about that when I went off to graduate school up north - why it was that the Papists built these magnificent, glorious, soaring cathedrals, filled with all the very best in statuary and stained glass and fine woodwork and marble, but the southerners attended services in decrepit old strip-mall storefront churches.<br /><br />And why the Papists' cathedrals were invariably empty, and why the storefront churches were bursting at the seams.<br /><br />Spent a long, long time pondering that one when I was younger.<br /><br />[The other one I spent a long time thinking about: Why was it that they had organized crime up North, but we didn't seem to have it down South? It was only very recently, in just the last few years - after I got really interested in "HBD" - that I was able to put two and two together and figure out that one.]Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-29855914719333115122010-06-04T06:42:34.802-07:002010-06-04T06:42:34.802-07:00Funny, considering that Minnesota has sent at leas...<i>Funny, considering that Minnesota has sent at least two Jewish Senators and one black Muslim Congressman to D.C.</i><br /><br />Four by my count--that seat currently held by Franken has been held by Jewish Minnesotans continuously for over 30 years: Franken (D, 2008-now), Coleman (R, 2002-2008), Wellman (D, 1990-2002), Boschwitz (R, 1978-1990).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-39938626859671395892010-06-04T06:36:06.092-07:002010-06-04T06:36:06.092-07:00Pravda spoke the truth, Quebecers don't speak ...Pravda spoke the truth, Quebecers don't speak English. That whole "bilingual Quebec" thing is untrue. If you want to meet bilingual French-Canadians, speak to the old timers in Houma. <br /><br />Now that the wonders of capitalism have grounded their shrimping boats they have plenty of time for it. <br /><br />As for the comment that sparked this whole discussion, I appreciate the self-congradulatory nature of it (and indeed, your trilingual fluency is impressive) but that was a very very cheap attempt. Being fluent in more than one language demonstrates a past benefit and potential for future benefit in certain populations, Hispanic-American very blatantly not being one of them. Their ability to speak Spanish bespeaks no beneficial past (unlike having been an ESL teacher in Korea, a Mormon Missionary in Guatemala or the daughter of an Ambassador) and the future benefit to them is negligable too (they aren't going abroad to Spain for their junior year of college or engaging in a merger with Carlos Slim).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-31090102222088730162010-06-04T06:29:33.048-07:002010-06-04T06:29:33.048-07:00"Here are the states with the worst records [..."Here are the states with the worst records [of drunk driving]:<br /><br />1. Wisconsin, 26.4 percent<br /><br />2. North Dakota, 26.4 percent<br /><br />3. Minnesota, 23.5 percent<br /><br />4. Nebraska, 22.9 percent<br /><br />5. South Dakota, 21.6 percent"<br />Well, Sweden's drinking culture traditionally goes like this: you only drink at weekends, but when you drink you get as wasted as possibly and that's nice (I believe in this too, I suppose). This is clearly different from the drinking culture of, say, France. <br /><br />That might be a reason to why Wisconsin and Minnesota are so high on the list? <br /><br />The South probably have more warrior spirit in their culture than Minnesota. Obviously. I wouldn't say that Scandinavians lack humour though, but I might be biased. Monty Python, the Simpsons, et al are very popular in Scandinavia.Howard Hughesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-52567652050541764782010-06-04T00:42:37.177-07:002010-06-04T00:42:37.177-07:00"Basically you can have a conversation with M..."Basically you can have a conversation with Minnesotans after you spend a few months getting to know them."<br /><br />Although no intelligent person would profit from this hypothetical discussion.<br /><br />Minnesota is one of the hickiest parts of the Midwest, including the Twin Cities which is what a hick would imagine an urban center to be.<br /><br />Someone mentioned tackiness, though, and while it's hard to beat Midwesterners on that score (I'm convinced they get sexually aroused by ceramic), Southerners somehow manage. Texas is the king of tacky, from Big Tex at the state fair to the gentleman's clubs to the hideously tasteless religious displays. The South is where taste goes to die.Udolpho.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12976984423336975944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-57179004535040159002010-06-03T23:31:10.118-07:002010-06-03T23:31:10.118-07:00"Fred, the difference is that Scandinavian le...<i>"Fred, the difference is that Scandinavian leftism is sincere. They apply it to themselves too. They don't advocate leftism for America but ethno-nationalism for Scandinavia."</i><br /><br />Israel has more non-Jewish citizens -- and has had more of them in high government positions -- than Sweden (though Sweden did recently put a muzzie on its cabinet). And Israel has a far more hostile minority population. So I don't think Sweden is in a position to accuse Israel of being ethnocentric.Frednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-17489118341763425062010-06-03T21:55:32.376-07:002010-06-03T21:55:32.376-07:00Professional athletes per capita??Professional athletes per capita??The Negro Timoteonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-77071346993549601242010-06-03T21:52:13.817-07:002010-06-03T21:52:13.817-07:00"My guess would be that Minnesota would rank ..."My guess would be that Minnesota would rank low in average sense of humor. Germans and Scandinavians are kind of deficient that way, and apparently they even think Garrison Keillor is funny."<br /><br />We would also rank low in strangers-talking-to-people-beyond-monosyllables. Basically you can have a conversation with Minnesotans after you spend a few months getting to know them.<br /><br />Or in being-able-to-find-one-goddamn-restaurant-in-downtown-Minneapolis. We aren't a bunch of brawling alcoholics like in Wisconsin, but basically where other people serve food, we serve liquor. I remember the first time I went to Chicago and wandered around realizing "my God, I'm in the middle of downtown and I can actually eat somewhere!"<br /><br />"This set of qualifications misses the most important of all for a non-conscripted military, which is the warrior spirit. And that's where the Deep South has all the advantage. Minnesota's fine health and IQ are irrelevant if they also carry a (rational) instinct to put self-preservation above all."<br /><br />Hahaha. Don't kid yourself Southerners, Minnesotans may lack the social graces, but their ancestors were raiding your ancestors back in the Middle Ages, not the other way around. Most of the pure-blooded Scandinavians I know are as oblivious to physical danger as to a good joke or the fine art of small talk. Just because they aren't Confederate-flag-waving yahoos (except some of them are, strangely enough) doesn't mean they're not fighters.<br /><br />But speaking of Chicago, they seem to be sending most of their black people here, also about half of Somalia is moving in, so in a few years you can say goodbye to those above-average test scores, incomes, health, crime rates etc.Charliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10902226214303678036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-16781628935716190572010-06-03T21:49:43.218-07:002010-06-03T21:49:43.218-07:00"Cui bono?"
Maybe you can copy Tom Fran...<i>"Cui bono?"</i><br /><br />Maybe you can copy Tom Frank and write a book called "What's the Matter with Minnesota?".Frednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-65432369650844867002010-06-03T21:47:03.489-07:002010-06-03T21:47:03.489-07:00"No way, explain Quebec, super low highschool..."No way, explain Quebec, super low highschool rate, high degree of bilingualism."<br /><br />Outside of Montreal, you'd be surprised, even in Quebec City, at how poorly English is spoken. I would say (having been both places) that your average Swede speaks better English than your average Quebecois.Truthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17286755693955361308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-627115524596187412010-06-03T21:06:43.390-07:002010-06-03T21:06:43.390-07:00Errr, I wonder if there is a little grade inflatio...Errr, I wonder if there is a little grade inflation (or rather deflation) going on here. Recruiters in the Southeast ALWAYS beat their quotas, the Georgia National Guard was turning away recruits while Guard units in other states were starving for manpower.<br /><br />If a recruiter in Georgia has his pick of solid kids (white and black) with acceptable ASVAB scores, why would he waste his time to: put an obese prospect on deferred entry to give him time to lose weight; help a high school dropout get a seat in the Army's in-house GED program or spend one minute getting waivers for recruits with criminal records? <br /><br />He wouldn't. Besides if he was actually sweating his quotas, easier than any of that is making a few phone calls to the local courthouse to sign up the judges and the DA to be talent scouts for Uncle Sam (jail and a record vs. the Army and the GI Bill-- now that's a unique selling proposition!). In theory, the Army doesn't accept recruits in that situation, but there are a lot of theories that die when exposed to the real world.beowulfnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-45521336420654559432010-06-03T21:06:43.391-07:002010-06-03T21:06:43.391-07:00Of course, most of the lefty/inclusive politics HB...<i>Of course, most of the lefty/inclusive politics HBDer's blame Jews for are shared by the Minnesotans.</i><br /><br />Cui bono?Svigorhttp://majorityrights.comnoreply@blogger.com