is mississippi really as bad as they say? (Jackson: loans, how much)

[tropolis]

seems like its portrayed as a 3rd world country compared to the rest of the us.

Moderator cut: insulting remarks removed
i know all of it isnt true. i know there is some good.

i know all of it isnt incorrect either.

so whats the biggest thing holding miss back?

[spaghetti_squash]

haha...well, you know, some ppl will really hate me for what i have to say, but i'll give my honest opinion.
i have lived here for all 24 years of my life (so i KNOW what im talking about), & for the last 7 i have been trying to leave.
i used to kinda love it here.
the reason i want to get away is mainly the general attitude of ppl here.

here are my personal experiences & why i want to leave:

1. yesterday my boyfriend (who looks completely normal like any other person around, dressed in a tshirt & khaki shorts & baseball cap) was riding his bike to campus (Mississippi State University), & 2 guys in a big, gas-guzzling pickup truck revved the engine trying to scare him, leaned out & yelled "There you go, you

Moderator cut: language only b/c he was RIDING a BICYCLE. (he is at school on loans & cannot afford a car or the gas).. i am so embarrassed that ppl here would actually behave that way. but it happened just yesterday. that is the second time he has been harrassed like that, just for riding a bike on the bike path. i KNOW that does not happen in most places around the country.
2. i get sick of hearing about how FoxNews/sean hannity/bill o'reilly is the greatest thing in the world. i like to watch about 5 different news networks to hear all sides.
3. at our family's 4th of july lunch, we were all sitting at the table eating, & one of my relatives asks, "What are you trying to get a job in now?" b/c i graduated recently & have been applying to jobs. i want to do something with photojournalism & human rights. when i said that, they all just looked at me like i was from mars. i explained how i am applying for positions through AmeriCorps to work with under-privileged communities, etc, & that really got them going. they pretty much yelled at me, saying that by volunteering with AmeriCorps, i would be helping our "socialist government" undermine this "great Christian nation" (as if we are the only great nation that is & ever was)... there were also comments like "what are you gonna do, teach some poor little *insert racist term here* how to click the button on a camera?"...

.........
that said, somehow i dont necessarily HATE it here. ok..... maybe i do a little, but i can still appreciate it. obviously not everyone is like that. i think the problem is that there are more ppl like that here than any other region, & the ppl who are like that feel more comfortable acting that way. i tell my dad all the time, who uses racist or just-plain-wrong terms around me just b/c he knows it pisses me off, that he is just making himself look ignorant by saying things like that. he is just proving the rest of the country right. the worst part is, a lot of the ppl who act like that ARE educated. it's as if some people just WANT to be that way.
i've traveled a lot, out of the country & all around this country, & i know that it is worse in the south than anywhere else. i dont know if any particular southern state is the worst, but i do know that the general un-progressive attitude is not for me.
i'm heading out west in 1 month & i CANT WAIT.

[spaghetti_squash]

i do want to make it known that there ARE people here trying to make it a better place, there ARE some ppl who actually want to improve the environment, accept all ppl, that sort of thing...
but the more outspoken ones, who come off as the majority b/c of their ranting, are those i spoke of earlier, & they are the ones who give MS a bad name.

i guess what i'm trying to say (& i'm also trying not to insult everyone) is that Yes, there are definitely reasons why MS has its reputation. BUT there are some very good ppl here as well.

[spaghetti_squash]

& the whole "third world country" thing is not right, of course. we have plumbing, electricity, & all other necessities.
we also don't (at least my family doesn't) eat roadkill either

[oldenfatt]

Everyplace has its malcontents.

Youth rebels against authority/family/whatever- this is normal. Its nature's way of getting you out of your parent's home and into your own. Please go out and save the world. After a few years you will find those conservative principles you thought so confining aren't so bad anymore. Have kids of your own and one day, you'll hear one the same stupid statement that sent you running coming from your own mouth.

The second group is a bit different. You're part of the ones who never got it together, for whatever reason, but you always have a great excuse. Health, natural disasters, etc. have all conspired to make sure you aren't economically successful. Your greatest asset is the index finger you have pointed at the latest reason you aren't happy. Its a great deal easier to blame a state full of people than a mirror.

So start yet another thread bashing the state. Half of you will eventually grow up and change your mind. The other half will still be victimizing themselves and looking for a scapegoat.

[DaniMae1]

Didn't the moderators just delete a whole thread like this but it said something about MS being fat ugly and stupid?

[jhadorn]

Originally Posted by red_0329

haha...well, you know, some ppl will really hate me for what i have to say, but i'll give my honest opinion.
i have lived here for all 24 years of my life (so i KNOW what im talking about), & for the last 7 i have been trying to leave.
i used to kinda love it here.
the reason i want to get away is mainly the general attitude of ppl here.

here are my personal experiences & why i want to leave:

1. yesterday my boyfriend (who looks completely normal like any other person around, dressed in a tshirt & khaki shorts & baseball cap) was riding his bike to campus (Mississippi State University), & 2 guys in a big, gas-guzzling pickup truck revved the engine trying to scare him, leaned out & yelled "There you go, you hippie only b/c he was RIDING a BICYCLE. (he is at school on loans & cannot afford a car or the gas).. i am so embarrassed that ppl here would actually behave that way. but it happened just yesterday. that is the second time he has been harrassed like that, just for riding a bike on the bike path. i KNOW that does not happen in most places around the country.
2. i get sick of hearing about how FoxNews/sean hannity/bill o'reilly is the greatest thing in the world. i like to watch about 5 different news networks to hear all sides.
3. at our family's 4th of july lunch, we were all sitting at the table eating, & one of my relatives asks, "What are you trying to get a job in now?" b/c i graduated recently & have been applying to jobs. i want to do something with photojournalism & human rights. when i said that, they all just looked at me like i was from mars. i explained how i am applying for positions through AmeriCorps to work with under-privileged communities, etc, & that really got them going. they pretty much yelled at me, saying that by volunteering with AmeriCorps, i would be helping our "socialist government" undermine this "great Christian nation" (as if we are the only great nation that is & ever was)... there were also comments like "what are you gonna do, teach some poor little *insert racist term here* how to click the button on a camera?"...

.........
that said, somehow i dont necessarily HATE it here. ok..... maybe i do a little, but i can still appreciate it. obviously not everyone is like that. i think the problem is that there are more ppl like that here than any other region, & the ppl who are like that feel more comfortable acting that way. i tell my dad all the time, who uses racist or just-plain-wrong terms around me just b/c he knows it pisses me off, that he is just making himself look ignorant by saying things like that. he is just proving the rest of the country right. the worst part is, a lot of the ppl who act like that ARE educated. it's as if some people just WANT to be that way.
i've traveled a lot, out of the country & all around this country, & i know that it is worse in the south than anywhere else. i dont know if any particular southern state is the worst, but i do know that the general un-progressive attitude is not for me.
i'm heading out west in 1 month & i CANT WAIT.

You would actually be surprised what happens in other places around the country. You aren't very well traveled are you?

There are ignorant, racist, mean people in every state. Mississippi doesn't corner the market on that.

Regardless of how much Mississippi has changed and is still changing, we will never shake the stereotype.

[jacksonian]

Originally Posted by oldenfatt

Everyplace has its malcontents.

Youth rebels against authority/family/whatever- this is normal. Its nature's way of getting you out of your parent's home and into your own. Please go out and save the world. After a few years you will find those conservative principles you thought so confining aren't so bad anymore. Have kids of your own and one day, you'll hear one the same stupid statement that sent you running coming from your own mouth.

The second group is a bit different. You're part of the ones who never got it together, for whatever reason, but you always have a great excuse. Health, natural disasters, etc. have all conspired to make sure you aren't economically successful. Your greatest asset is the index finger you have pointed at the latest reason you aren't happy. Its a great deal easier to blame a state full of people than a mirror.

So start yet another thread bashing the state. Half of you will eventually grow up and change your mind. The other half will still be victimizing themselves and looking for a scapegoat.

I have to disagree that there are only 2 types of young progressives. Those descriptions may be true for the majority of your generation, but for the future ones... not so much. I've grown up in a conservative state with a conservative family with conservative values - except for the fact that my parents split when I was 10 (not sure if that's a conservative value or just a byproduct or neither). I am not an extremist by any means, but I do know that there are always better solutions and alternatives to what is present. It has been proven for hundreds of years, yet many in our state and the South live by the quote, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." That may work for your truck or tractor, but when conducting research and creating innovative technology for future development, that type of mentality doesn't cut it. I'm not saying we need universal healthcare, but we as Mississippians, as a whole, need to strive for better or we will never rid our state or our people of the stereotypes. If being mediocre is ok for you, that's fine - but it's not ok for the rest of us.

[grasshopper_60619]

I agree that Mississippi needs to be improved. I have been reading online and seeing on Youtube about the poverty and other "horror" stories that the people of Mississippi faces. Therefore, I hope that these issues will be addressed and the people will receive better and be blessed. Although I agree that Mississippi is a beautiful state because of the fresh air, forests, and wildlife; I like to see that the people in the state know that there is more than Mississippi on the planet to be enjoyed.

Have fun and faith in God.

P.S. As to a "Christian" nation and hertiage, Jesus said , "My kingdom is not of this world". Also, I hope that the city of Jackson,MS will receive movie theaters in the future.

[spaghetti_squash]

well.. just because i would like to help people in my job does not mean i am of liberal views, or that i don't agree with conservative views. & just because i have an open mind does not make me a "youth rebel" to anyone except people with that attitude you've just expressed (in many other regions, the majority of people actually appreciate the younger generation that wants to make this a better place, & encourages them to do - those are the places that will thrive). it's that attitude that makes young people like me who do want to improve things leave this state rather than live here.
& i did not want this to be a thread bashing the state, i was really hoping more people would answer the question with their own BETTER experiences in mississippi.

& no, oldenfat, i will NEVER yell at & make fun of someone for riding a bike, & i will definitely not demean someone for wanting to help people simply because i have a different opinion on the matter (those are the things that sent me running, & they most certainly wont be comnig from my mouth).

i am fully aware that things like this do happen everywhere. i am actually very well-traveled. i've been to every state except alaska, hawaii, & i've lived in 2 states other than ms for over 2 months each. i also lived in south america for 3 months & have visited two other times. i know there are bad things everywhere, nowhere is perfect, every state/country has its problems. the thing that i've noticed around here is that there is a good reason why mississippi got its rep. i used to wonder why it hadn't shaken it's rep yet, then i saw why. i've grown up here, & i used to love it, but i've had too many experiences like those i listed. i'm much happier where there is a more open-minded attitude, & no one gets yelled at for riding a bike. i do have a love-hate relationship with ms, but it's just not the place for me, & those are some of the reasons.

yeah, i hope there aren't only those 2 types of young "progressives" that oldenfat believes everyone who has an open mind fits in. i would HOPE that our whole generation would see that in order to survive & continue to coexist on this Earth, we are gong to have to be more progressive. but there are people that hear the word "progressive" & just stop listening right there, thinking "socialist! liberal! etc. etc...."

i'm really sorry if i offended anyone w/the first post, i was just answering the question as honestly as i could from my point of view.