“Kill ‘em with Kindness”: Midwest Nice as a Mechanism of Whiteness

Abstract

“Midwest Nice” is a phrase used to capture the Nice, friendly, and courteous demeanor often associated with people who live or were raised in the Midwest region of the United States. Though Midwest Nice is often presented as a beneficial and benevolent practice with positive connotations, the implementation and experience of Midwest Nice practices can also be characterized as problematic, engendering unhealthy and harmful behavior. Drawing upon autoethnographic methods, this study critically examines personal practices and experiences of Midwest Nice across spaces. Through this examination, this paper illuminates the ways in which Midwest Nice is a function of Whiteness that thwarts critical anti-racist dialogue, (un)learning, and action.