I hate Northwest Iowa and here is why.

[kariatari]

This is a prime example of the small mindedness and hyporcrisy that I grew up with in my hometown. This is a town whose weekly paper is always filled with yellow ribbons, red white and blue, pictures of troops, flags, weekly bible verses and interpretations of the Bible. This is a town where lawns are full of Bush/Cheney '04 signs and even worse, King for Congress signs. This is a town that firmly believes that its morals are firmly rooted in Christianity, and that somehow students and members of the community are held to a higher standard of excellence and higher set of morals. This is a town whose closemindedness and hypocrisy make me physically ill.

It's a long article, but I would love to hear your responses.

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2004/12/11/news/regional/7dda86c33fd3e57b86256f6700212548.txt

PIERSON, Iowa -- A week ago Friday night, Dan Bouc of Pierson was tooling around Kingsley, a town he has avoided in recent months.

"A couple of Kingsley kids were tailing me," Dan said. "I stopped at a stop sign, waited there for a while to see if they were going to get out or something."
Larson Motor Center

A couple of teens stepped out, Dan said, "with two tire irons -- a passenger and the driver -- with two tire irons. Me and my friend, we were waiting to see what they would do." He said one of the boys asked him, "What are you doing in town? Are you going to kill more kids?"

Why the confrontation?

On Dec. 12, 2003, Dan was the driver of a pickup that collided with two snowmobiles just north of Pierson. The crash claimed four lives, the most of any snowmobile accident in Iowa history.

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

[DU9598]

1. Northwest Iowa

This has been a very sad story. It happened only three miles from my sisters house. I have known one of the families for years. I am sorry to hear that not all people have open minds to realize that this poor boy did nothing wrong. But often, regardless of where you live, when you lose someone in an accident you have to place blame. It would be difficult for the poor families to blame their young girls for being negligent on the snowmobiles. I know one of the mothers was on a snowmobile directly behind the two which were hit.

What is just as disturbing is that you are correct that western Iowa is so conservative. While eastern and central Iowa is booming, western Iowa is poor, rural, and hemorraghing jobs. The poverty rate in western Iowa is much higher than anywhere else in Iowa. The kids go to Iowa and Iowa State and don't come home. The only industry is meat packing and churches. This area is calling out for a populist politician to lead them. Instead, they have an idiot congressman Steve King who is an ultra rightwing conservative. However, part of that problem is the Democratic party who consistently writes off this district and fails to field a viable candidate. We cannot win in western Iowa if we don't try. I predict the Sioux City area will be a Democratic stronghold within a decade if the party produces a viable candidate.

Thanks for sharing the story.

[kariatari]

4. Or they go to UNI and don't come home. ;)

[progressoid]

6. UNI - Yea!

Of course I go home to visit once in a while. And I know a lot of people that have gone back home to live...permanently. I couldn't do it - it's a little too eerie.

However, I will say that I have seen some changes in the last 20+ years. Ferinstance, I now see minorities in small towns living relatively free of the open prejudice of the last century. Clearly, its not Utopian, but when I was a kid, if a black person showed up, even for a few hours, it was the talk of the town for days. Now, it's no big deal. BUT, if a person were to dare openly declare his/herself a Muslim - oy oy oy.

Realistically, I think that a lot of these narrow minded ideas exist in the rest of the country too. In larger metropolitan areas it remains below the surface more. In some rural areas, there just isn't anyone to challenge them.

[UL_Approved]

2. We don't want yer kind round here, boy

More redneck rampage in the American heartland. I've seen kids screw around with snowmobiles before, and this happens more often than it should. The kids should have known about it, and shouldn't have taken that jump. What is a real shame is the timing of the whole event. If Dan was 20 seconds late or early, he wouldn't have even seen the snowmobiles. The fact that he got two snowmobiles suggests that the girls were trying to do stunts. It just doesn't matter to the people in this town, however. It's like tribal killing. You get a war party on your hands. Just a shame that this stuff happens.

[TN al]

3. This articl sparked a fight in my house...

... My wife is from the area where the accident occurred. She knew about it before I read her the article. She told me there was nothing Dan could have done and how irresponsible the parents were. I went to college in the area too and was making comments as I read the article. The one that started the fight was when I said that tire irons on a lonely road by a large group is how they often settle disputes up there. Do some research on Buena Vista's football team and the "injury" bug that hit them in the early to mid 80's.

Another comment I made as I read was about how Dan must have been a real non-athletic type. But then when I got to the end and saw that they weren't "locals" it was like ,of course they weren't and the hostility towards Dan was explained. Dan did the right thing by explaining to the toughs with the tire irons his side because even with tire irons and superior numbers they are still essentially cowards and will allow an individual who stands up for himself alone. I speak from experience on that one.

Northwest Iowa is just freeper heaven, full of morans

[kariatari]

5. Hmm...my brother goes to Buena Vista...

And yes. You're exactly right when saying that a large part of the reason for the hostility towards Dan is that they moved into the district in '96. They aren't originals. If they had had a last name with deeper roots in Kingsley, everything would be different.

You say he must have been the un-athletic type, and that's why there was so much hostility torwards him, and that's true too. I graduated from Kingsley-Pierson just over three years ago and I know the politics of high school popularity and special treatment in that school. While I never a victim of these small town politics, I still recognized that there was a real problem with acceptance in that school if you weren't athletic, weren't attractive, didn't have money, or didn't have one of four last names.

I just e-mailed a letter of thanks to the writer of the article, who is the son of one of my high school English teachers. I'm sure he'll get a lot of unintelligent and ignorant criticism from people in the area, so hopefully my e-mail helps to balance it out.

[underseasurveyor]

10. That's right, NW Iowa doesn't like

us, "outsiders." We must threaten to burst their idealic life style bubbles somehow :think:

Since we moved here, how many times have I heard somebody say, "REALLY?", when I told them what people and life are like living in other states.
Seems most have no clue at all :shrug:

I prolly shouldn't admit this but :evilgrin: sometimes I enjoy being that "outsiders" burr under someones saddle........heh heh

[hfojvt]

17. I visited Spencer when I was looking for a place to move

I ended up in Mason City. The funny thing that I noticed was that even though I grew up in small town SD and went to college in Mn, and Ne and moved there from small town Wisconsin - I was still an outsider. A number of people told me "you are a long way from home" like I was from East India or something. I think the comedienne who moved to Des Moines hit it on the head when she said: "If you did not make friends with them in Junior High School, it is too late."

[Counciltucky]

23. I like Spencer...

It's a fairly nice town. I must admit I've only been through it on the way to/from visiting a friend in Estherville, but it's somewhere I could live.

[Bluzmann57]

7. Man oh man that is one sad story

and it makes me glad that while I am an Iowan, I am from eastern Iowa, not the "west coast". It is a known fact that west of Des Moines, they are more or less Nebraskans and/or Missourians. And that really stinks, imo. I love this stae and it's sad to see this shit going on here. But alas, it's moving out to Pleasant Valley and more specifically, LeClaire too. Read my post on the PV school district banning a book from being read to elementary school children. Goddam Freepers.

[kariatari]

8. So I just heard from the writer of the piece.

Evidently there are lots of people in Kingsley and Pierson who have been personally attacking the guy for writing the article.

Doesn't surprise me one bit.

[suegeo]

9. I hate NW Iowa too

I think it is the ignorance and the religious insanity that make me loathe that area of the country so much.

[Wapsie B]

11. The predominant mindset in that area

of the state brings us all down in the eyes of the world. Whenever I've been through there I feel like I'm going to an area that's about 40-50 years behind the time and proud of it. I remember Terry Braindead making a rude comment about giving the southern tier of counties to Missouri. As far as I'm concerned they can do the same for parts of western Iowa.

[Hardrada]

12. NW Iowa Redux

Yes, I know that area also. I grew up in conservative North Central IA but NW Iowa really took the cake as far as being behind the times. We just associated with other educators (who were also not from there). For any sort of sophistication we had to drive an hour over to Sioux Falls SD!! Or all the way back up to Minneapolis where we had lived before. Eventually we got out of Lyon and Sioux County area and headed to more serene Eastern Iowa. They had Christian Reformed churches there in NW IA of various denominations, each more "Bible-based" than the other. One wonders after awhile if the Protestant Reformation was such a good idea after all!! (I am agnostic now).

[Wapsie B]

13. North Iowa does have

it's share of konservatives. I talked to a woman who moved here from CA recently. She was amazed at how some take such delight in being stuck in the 50's. Des Moines is an oasis of civilization amongst a sea of angry konservatives in this state. I'd much rather live there or on the "East Coast" of the state. Sometime I just may do that. It's not difficult to see how the negative stereotypes about this state are still very much alive and well.

Oh heck, where's my manners? Welcome to DU!

[Hardrada]

14. From an Iowegian

Thanks for your welcome. I have had a few thus far. I don't chat much with people on the Internet since I usually use it to conduct business etc. but I have enjoyed "lurking" on DU and think it might be useful to exchange ideas with fellow progressives to advance our agenda. So I might use the medium more for discussion. I look at it as a big collective seminar where some good ideas may come up and many good insights. Also the humor in many of the posts has caused me to laugh even during trying political circumstances.

[CatholicEdHead]

15. Quite a bit of the plains are that way

After spending a few years in North Dakota, except for Fargo and maybe parts of Bismarck, it is a flashback to the 50's or before up there also. I would expect it to be similar all the way through Texas.

Even Western and Southern Minnesota are quite red, as it seems to be an isolation thing more than anything.

[cothomps]

25. Not All Of Southern MInnesota

South Central Minnesota (and a bordering stretch of North Central Iowa) still leans - for the most part - somewhat 'blue', particularly the areas around Austin/Albert Lea that were at one point fairly strong union-towns. (Happily, Worth & Cerro Gordo in Iowa went 'blue' in the presidential race. The congressional races, while closer than I thought they would be, need to be more competitive.)

http://electionresults.sos.state.mn.us/20041102/CountyMap.asp

Of course, those areas still hold several family-owned farms: not quite the growing factory farm hell that Western Iowa is turning into.

[progressoid]

16. Ahh, Lyon and Sioux counties....the bane of my existence

Born and raised there. Yikes. Luckily a was raised in a liberal home where inquiry and knowledge were valued. I would block out a lot and laugh off a lot of the stuff outside of our home.

But I return 'home' often and it's just creepy. It's sad to see what has happened to many of my classmates. What a waste.

And, yes, I remember going to Sioux Falls for a little 'culture'!!! It's still like that today!

[Hardrada]

18. Lyon & Sioux Counties

It helped during my sojourn there to drink heavily and also to be a part of an extended though definite counterculture. It was nearly 30 years ago but some of us still keep in contact. Strangers in a strange land. Sirens at 7 AM? Church twice on Sunday? Only one bar in Sioux Center and it was very disguised? Yikes indeed.

[kariatari]

19. Are there really sirens at 7 AM?!!

LMAO!!!!

Wow.

My friend's grandma who lives on Orange City flipped out on my friend when he started washing her car on Sunday afternoon. "Do you know what the neighbors will think of me if they see you doing that?! Sunday is a day for rest!"

Also, I know that an of-age football Northwestern football player bought a six-pack of beer at a convenience store. The clerk told the store owner, who contacted the coach and the player was on the bench for the next two games.

I went up to Orange City over Christmas break to look at bridesmaids dresses and I had the heebie-jeebies the whole time.

[progressoid]

20. In my home town - there is siren at 9 pm too!

When the siren goes off - you better be home!! Actually, the siren thing was just kinda quaint. But, no one EVER washed a car on Sunday. OR mowed the lawn! And all of the stores closed at 5:00 so everyone could get home for supper (actually that's not such a bad thing either).

But Orange City...jeez, that place was/is tied with Sioux Center as the home of Calvinist piety in IA. I remember when a throng of strapping young Dutchmen decided it would be a good idea to beat the hell out of us because we were listening to the B-52's in a park in OC back in '81. Ah, good times, good times.

My Uncle used to have to go to the bowling alley to buy beer. No hard stuff though, no bars or beer sold over the counter back then. Of course, I've been to places even harsher in Tennessee and Arkansas. But, there it's more of a 'redneck republicanism', here its more of 'let's pretend we're still in the old country' kind of conservatism.

OK, back to work now

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Hobarticus]

22. The key phrase is, the family moved to the area in 1996...

I've moved from central Iowa to semi-rural northeast Iowa, and man oh man, if you ain't from here, you NEVER will be, and you'd be hard-pressed to fit in.

I managed fairly well, but many of my friends who also moved to the area have moved on....just not a very welcoming atmosphere up here.

If he'd been born-and-bred there, it probably would've been forgiven and the community would've moved on.

Both the accident and the repercussions to everyone involved are very, very sad.

[cothomps]

24. Versions of "Christianity"

<i>This is a town that firmly believes that its morals are firmly rooted in Christianity, and that somehow students and members of the community are held to a higher standard of excellence and higher set of morals.</i>

To me, it's fascinating to see how the differences in religious denominations that settled Iowa create such wide regional differences.

NW Iowa (particularly 'moral') Sioux County and Pella are dominated by the religiously conservative - and reactionary/isolationist Dutch Reformed that create their own culture of "morality". (There was an article in the DM Register that almost made the climate of Orange City sound just like the more "Good Mormon" towns in Utah.)

I grew up in an area that was a mix of German and Norwiegan Lutherans - whose prime religous directive was "Don't think you're better than anyone else - because you're not." (Ioweigans seem to relish their "averageness" - I do too, to some degree.

I also had relatives that were in a community of rather isolationist Miissouri Synod Lutherans. Maybe not all 'conservative', but if you didn't belong... well, you just didn't belong.

The small ethnic differences can be fascinating - or frightening.

[Moderator]

26. kariatari

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