"Bad things don't happen in Pella. People keep their keys in their cars; homes are left unlocked. They have a picturesque downtown with an authentic Dutch canal that is over 100,000 square feet. There is an annual tulip festival that celebrates Pella's Dutch heritage. In 2010, Pella set the world record for the largest clog dance, with 2,600 people showing up to dance in wooden shoes."
"Everyone keeps things nice here, no matter the cost. All mess is immediately swept up. No trash in the park or in the streets. I saw someone drop their keys, and when I picked them up, three other people rushed to help me find the owner. Everything and everyone has their place in Pella. Things are done a certain way. And they will keep it nice, even against your will."
"There is a certain kind of violence to this kind of niceness-a ferocity to the smiles and a brutal dedication to keeping all disagreement and unpleasantness hidden away. And that kind of niceness-the wide smiles, the generosity-it can hide deeper resentments that go back generations, that will snap at you like a stick to keep you in line. This means no one talks about politics. Not if they can help it. That is how things stay nice. Whether you want them to or not."
Pella, Iowa is depicted as exceptionally safe and orderly, with unlocked homes, keys left in cars, and a picturesque downtown anchored by an authentic Dutch canal. The town celebrates Dutch heritage through an annual tulip festival and community events, including a 2010 world-record clog dance. Public displays of niceness and generosity are common, and residents quickly eliminate visible disorder. Municipal rules enforce yard maintenance, with the city mowing neglected lawns and billing residents. That enforced niceness operates with a ferocity that hides deep, multigenerational resentments and enforces conformity. Political discussion is avoided to maintain outward harmony.
Read at Slate Magazine
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