The stereotype about the Northwest is that we are, you know, nice - maybe not always warm, maybe not always effusive, but polite. One could take that as the mark of living in a truly civilized place. But there’s another way to see it too: As a way to avoid uncomfortable truths.
Ijeoma Oluo lives in Seattle, where she writes with gusto about subjects that make a lot of people uncomfortable, such as racism, misogyny and what she sees as the inadequate response to systematic oppression by many white liberals. We invited her to share her opinions about Northwest-style politeness, and what Seattleites really ought to be offended by.
