Reply #2: It's discouraging, but what's the answer? [View All]

If you took a vote of the entire country as to which state of the 50 would be missed least if it disappeared, I'm afraid the overwhelming answer would be "Mississippi." Who cares about us? Not the Repukes...they take us for granted and probably feel they've done more than enough anyway. Not the Democrats...why feed the hound that bites you? I get a big yawn when I tell my family members in other states how truly horrible the devastation is here. "Well, why stay in that awful place anyway?" is the usual answer. "You could earn more money elsewhere and not have to associate with 'those people.'" (Meaning: racists, bigots, rednecks, Ku Klux Klan members, etc.) The general MISperception of Mississippi is of a place just a little short of hell, and nobody wants to hear anything different. I LOVE it here. Mississippi is my home, and my heart breaks daily for my fellow citizens. But we can't force everyone else to care. People have a soft spot for New Orleans. The best that can be said for how they feel about Mississippi is indifference; the worst is loathing and contempt. Tell someone from almost anywhere else in the country you're from Mississippi, and the reaction is "ewwww..." How do you overcome that? I haven't a clue.