the commons in Minnesota needs to be expanded

English translation: the civic-minded 'citizenry' of Minnesota must be grown & diversified

14:00 Aug 5, 2019

English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Government / Politics

English term or phrase: the commons in Minnesota needs to be expanded

Hello everyone,

From the book Thank You for Being Late by Thomas Friedman.

Minnesota right now is wrestling with that trick—as are other communities in America. Michael Gorman, who heads Split Rock Partners, an investment fund, and is a founding member of the Itasca Working Team, eloquently shared with me how he sees the challenges and tensions around this issue in Minnesota today. (It is not as if Minnesota hasn’t faced this challenge before: as Hewitt joked, until the 1960s the Lutheran Germans would not sell to the Lutheran Norwegians!)

“Most of us who grew up here identify with the tribe of Minnesota,” said Gorman.

There is something special about our civic culture that has de-veloped over time. Minnesotans and Minnesota companies are distinctive in their level of engagement and commitment to the community, and their willingness to devote financial and human capital toward the public good. There is a sense that we can’t let up. Minnesota still retains the elements of community and connectivity that have served the region well since pioneer days. With the arrival of recent immigrants from backgrounds very different than their predecessors from Northern Europe, however, the cultural pH is changing. Figuring out how to in-clude Minnesota’s new voices and perspectives while retaining the best attributes of the majority culture that has worked for a long time is a challenge.

From one side, he argued, ***the commons in Minnesota*** needs to be expanded and become more inclusive—the definition of being Minnesotan needs to broaden so that every person, regardless of their background, sees Minnesota as fertile topsoil in which to grow and prosper. But it cannot just be a one-way conversation.

“There also has to be assimilation from the new arrivals,” said Gorman. “Our message has to be: ‘We are glad that you are here and can’t wait to see the contributions you will make to our community. That asks something of us. But it also has to ask something of you. What are you doing to embrace the existing culture, to be a part of this place you have chosen as your new home?’ ”

What does "the commons in Minnesota needs to be expanded" mean in general and "commons" in particular?

I also asked this question on Wordreference (but there you can oly quote 4sentences when asking questions).
https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/the-commons-in-minne...

Some people answered and commented but, unfortunately, no one is sure enough.

Thank you.

Mikhail Korolev KudoZ activity Questions: 2414 (none open) (10 closed without grading) Answers: 130
Local time: 06:26

Selected answer:the civic-minded 'citizenry' of Minnesota must be grown & diversified

Explanation:
The author has already provided a paraphrase:
"the commons in Minnesota" needs to be expanded and become more inclusive — the definition of being Minnesotan needs to broaden so that every person, regardless of their background, ..."

From the dictionary
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commons
Noun:
1 commons plural : the common people
3 commons or Commons plural in form but singular or plural in construction a : the political group or estate comprising the commoners
b : the parliamentary representatives of the commoners

Hence I read the text as most likely referring loosely to the common people / commoners, which we might rephrase as "the ordinary citizen(s)".

Thus I originally had "the concept/reality of being a 'citizen' of Minnesota must be broadened".

I think 'citizenry' may be a better — more concise — alternative, because I believe "commons" refers to the group/class/category of people.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/citizenry
I don't think any connection with legal papers is intended: it is just about the people who settle (or have settled) in that place, with perhaps emphasis on the notion of being a "good citizen".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_citizenship
To capture this idea I inserted "civic-minded".
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/civic-minded

Selected response from:

D. I. Verrelli
Australia
Local time: 13:26

Grading comment

Many thanks to everyone.
Thank you, David.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

3 +1

the common cultural basis has to be enriched

Larissa Hanko

the civic-minded 'citizenry' of Minnesota must be grown & diversified

D. I. Verrelli

forum for public debate/discussion

Arabic & More

Discussion entries: 7

Answers

16 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

the commons in minnesota needs to be expanded the common cultural basis has to be enriched

Explanation:
The text uses agricultural metaphors to describe the cultural environment - "fertile topsoil", "cultural pH" - and the analogy of the "commons", in other words the lands open to use by everyone, is a part of that. The point is that those parts of the culture that are open to all have to become richer and more inclusive, just like pastures that are open to use by everyone have to be rich enough that everyone's sheep get fed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commons

Larissa Hanko
Germany
Local time: 05:26
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

German

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you, Larissa.

4 hrs confidence:

the commons in minnesota needs to be expanded forum for public debate/discussion

Explanation:
It was a little difficult to find information about this, but it looks like it is/was an initiative to bring people together (online?) to discuss various issues affecting communities in Minnesota.

Mentioned briefly on page 33:
https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/2016121...

Page 124 here:
https://books.google.jo/books?id=OEx7UQyA96UC&pg=PA124&lpg=P...

Scroll all the way down to "Minnesota Commons and Minnesota Open Forum" here:
http://stevenclift.com/author/steven-clift/page/4/

Maybe you will be able to dig a little deeper using the above as leads.

Arabic & More
Jordan
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you, Amel.

3 days 28 mins confidence:

the civic-minded 'citizenry' of Minnesota must be grown & diversified

D. I. Verrelli
Australia
Local time: 13:26
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

Many thanks to everyone.
Thank you, David.

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you, D.I.

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