What is the Chicago personality? (Naperville, Oregon: schools, live in, rated)

[TecWmn]

Chicagoan's are bluntly curious and honest in a good natured kind of way, they don't care for bull****, and they do what they say. Walk the walk, so to speak. I have a couple of those SNL characters in my family.....

One note on New Yorkers and New York in general. It is a great city as well (although not as great as Chicago in my humble opinion) and the people were never rude to me. They were hurried, but always helped me when I asked.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

You have not yet. Maybe you never will. But hundreds of thousands of them exist in the area.

I didn't mean about not knowing anyone who speaks with the accent. I actually met and had a long converstaion with a cop here that could have been in that skit. I meant this part:

"I think the Chicago personality is a bit of NYC (hurried, rushed) with some midwestern values (kind, courteous, plainly speaking) mixed in. Of course not everyone is that way, but most Ive met fit that bill."

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

I have met plenty of guys that acted and sounded just like the SNL skit

Ok, let me put it this way: of the millions of Chicagoans in the city, how many of those millions actually talk like that. Im sure there might be a ultra-tiny faction that might talk like that, but your chances of meeting one is miniscule. Of course I didnt grow up in Chicago, but Ive met thousands of Chicagoans whove moved to the burbs (south siders, north siders, west siders, etc) and not a single one even talked remotely like that. Its a stupid stereotype, one that has been burned into the minds of other Americans, no thanks to SNL.

[j33]

I agree it is a small part of the city, just like if you go to nyc not everyone has one of the myriad of new york accents that are out there and if you go to boston, not everyone has that accent either ... but some people do (and I've met them too). It has been my experience that usually it is older people who have the strongest regional city accents. Of course there are plenty of exceptions, my cousin from Boston being one of them

[Chiguy1957]

I used to think Chicagoans were among the few people in the country without accents. Afterall, don't the talking heads on TV news sound just like us? AAMOF, many of the broadcasters who went national either started or spent significant time here. I was comfortable in my thought that we provided the model for broadcast speech.

All I'd ever have to do to be proven wrong was visit with friends from other parts of the country. There was once a time, admittedly after a few cocktails, where I was asked to say "bag", "Wisconsin", "*******". Apparently they thought the heavy nasal and drawn out short "a" and "ah" sounds were hysterical.

Of cousre, now we seem to be a much more mobile society and regional accents and expressions are blending, however I refuse to call a can of pop anything but a can of pop. Chicagoese is still here in strong form, and not just from the old farts. Next time a cop or fireman is interviewed on the news, you'll hear it. If you get out of the trendy neighborhoods where all the folks are from everywhere else but here, you'll hear it.

I hope it never dies.

That said, I'll agree with others that our urban personality is somewhat polite, edgy, and honest. We tend to tell it like it is here.

[aragx6]

The reason national broadcasters speak in the Midwestern accent doesn't have that much to do with them starting out here. And you certainly don't hear them talking like the SNL skit. Can you imagine?? The "Midwestern accent" is the generally accepted American English accent and as such it is taught in broadcast journalism schools. It certainly gives Midwesterners a leg up on the competition.

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Ok, let me put it this way: of the millions of Chicagoans in the city, how many of those millions actually talk like that. Im sure there might be a ultra-tiny faction that might talk like that, but your chances of meeting one is miniscule. Of course I didnt grow up in Chicago, but Ive met thousands of Chicagoans whove moved to the burbs (south siders, north siders, west siders, etc) and not a single one even talked remotely like that. Its a stupid stereotype, one that has been burned into the minds of other Americans, no thanks to SNL.

Trust me, there are still plenty of "dese, dem, dose" guys in the city.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

I dont think any real Chicagoans want to be a mini NYC. Maybe you hope that, but I never will. Even when Chicago was the 2nd city, people never thought Chicago was 2nd and never wanted to be like NYC. Chicago has always been proud of being better than NYC and LA for other reasons than total population and pretense.

Hopefully Chicago never will never lose its roots. If it does, I will leave.

I agree.

Although the one thing that is most definitely not changing in Chicago culture despite the huge influx of "hipsters and yuppies" at least as far as I can tell is that

1. the HUGE emphasis on sports (both college and pro) still makes Chicago different from the coasts.

2. Despite our huge cultural diversity in cuisine, theres still a large emphasis on beer, meat and potatoes. Also, the midwestern influence.

3. Small talk/chit-chat with strangers, as people have noted, is also something you find more in Chicago, than New York, L.A., etc.

[MassVt]

...agree with Tex on all 3 points. ( although the Northeast is very passionate about pro sports, and it's still a strong outpost of baseball lovers, whereas much of the country has turned to football as its more popular cousin)..

After having visited Chicago numerous times within the last 3 years, I'd say that the "des, dem, dos" guys are still much in evidence, along with the faded high school/softball jackets...the latter are pretty much non-existant in Boston, and New England. Stop in any fast food place, and you'll see, and hear, all of the above...along with the heavy consumption of meat and beer..

I would agree with the notion of Chicago being "New York hustle with Midwestern manners thrown in"...a Chicagoan will at least listen to someone first, while a New Yorker might just nod his head, and walk away..

Finally, using the word "Wisconsin", and listening to its pronunciation, is a good tipoff as to whether someone is from the Chicagoland area.. it sounds like "Wis-caaaaan-son"....if pronounced in Madison, WI, it sounds like 'scaaan-son"...

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by MassVt

Stop in any fast food place, and you'll see, and hear, all of the above...

Yup, just got back from a place like that. Crammed to the walls with construction workers on their lunch break. The dude calling out orders to the grill had a hard accent as well. Obviously, if you go to touristy or "trendy" places, you're not typically going to find natives there