How To Make A Montanan Seethe, Do One Of The Following

Tourism is a big part of the Montana economy so we are a generally a pretty welcoming state. But there are a few things that if we catch you doing in our state, we're going to mutter under our breathe about you.

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I came to Montana from college in Minnesota where they have the label "Minnesota Nice." It isn't that residents in Minnesota are nicer than any other state, its the subtle shade in which they are mean.  They have passive aggressive down to a science.

Montana residents also are masters when it comes to being passive aggressive. If your plan is to upset a Montana resident there is no way to do it faster than to do the following.

Drive like you're on a California freeway

We don't care if you drive fast in Montana.  Heck we used to not have a speed limit. But if you're driving fast and weaving in and out of traffic or passing on corners, that's a good way to no longer get a two fingered wave.

Litter

Pack it in, pack it out. If you come to our state cause it's beautiful we expect you to leave it beautiful.  Ideally it should be as if you were never there.

Assume We Ride Horses Everywhere

Yeah there are plenty of Montana residents that still ride horses, but we have cars too, and have had them for a long time.  I can't tell you how many times someone has asked if we all ride horses or drive tractors everywhere when I say I live in Montana.

Ignore Private Property Signs

That sign is for you, not someone else. Nothing will anger a property owner faster than to find someone on their land without permission. You aren't special and the rules apply to you as well.

Complain about what we don't have

Guess what, we also know what we don't have.  The difference is we don't want to hear you complaining about it. It's kind of like talking bad about our family, we can do it, but you can't.

Brag

Montana folks don't like to brag, even when they've done something they should brag about. So people that brag or are "one uppers" will get on the bad side of us pretty quickly.

Tell us how cold it is here

Nothing will get a Montanan seeing red faster than telling us just how cold it is here. We know it's cold, and we like it that way. There is a reason we say "Montana is for badasses." The cold just helps keep the Riff-Raff out.

Tourists

As you can tell this article has had a bit of tone to it.  I think the thing that makes a majority of Montanans angry are tourists.

Sure we rely on them for our economy, but like fish, they start to smell pretty bad after three days.

If you are coming to Montana and want to fit in check out how to talk the talk below.