Why I don't like Mississippi (Jackson, Gulfport: apartment, renting, low crime)
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I've been in the state 9 months, and honestly hate it. This is the worst place I've ever been, and when my tour here is complete I'll eagerly leave. I've lived in Washington state, Hawaii, Florida and Japan. I'll be so grateful to never set foot in the state again. I was raised in a small town and have no issue with the relaxed way of life or missing the "big city" stuff. My complaints:
1. Crime rates that are unbelievable for the area. Mississippi is very rural, yet the small towns have crime rates that rival most cities. While the natives here in Meridian celebrate that the crime rate is not like NYC, they are too ignorant to realize NYC has a massively lower crime rate.
2. I hate welfare junkies and the career unemployed. But that's a way of life around here. Everyone has an excuse, and I really don't care to hear any of them.
3. I'm not a fan of hypocrites, but I meet a ton here here. The state is full of Christians yet they seem to think divorce, single parenting and crime is acceptable, or that abortion is wrong, but unprotected premarital sex is right. I didn't realize the bible had become a choose your own adventure story.
4. Lack of activities. I like biking, scuba, nightlife, hiking, national parks and sightseeing. Biking is possible, but sketchy since the drivers are the worst I've seen. How much Civil War sightseeing can a person do before it's boring?
5. All of the "keeping it real" or "thug life" culture. It's garbage, and it's everywhere.
6. The lack of intelligent people. It isn't so much that the people lack knowledge, I can understand and accept that. But they believe things that are not true, and are dead set it is a fact. There are a lot of people that seem to lack the ability to learn.
7. I sincerely hate paying $720 a month for an apartment just so I don't have to be in a slum. I paid $700 for a place in Hawaii and $680/month for a place in Japan. Both places were better located to work, shopping and fun without having to be surrounded by slums.
8. I enjoy fishing, just wish I could find some better places. Hawaii and Japan had great fishing, but it's saltwater and isn't really fair to compare to freshwater fishing.
9. Are there any non-muddy lakes that allow swimming?
10. I feel that free speech and free thought is severely stifled in this state. Mention the garbage cultures and people cry racism, mention the crime and you get outright denial. Wake up MS, if you want investors to come here you'll need to fix the problems here.
11. The South in general is lacking. MS, AL, LA and GA don't seem to have much to offer. All the cities with populations over 30,000 are so rundown and have crime rates that should make everyone ashamed. There are little areas of niceness, but if someone offers me a steak full of maggots and points to a corner and say "that part is good" I'd still throw the steak out.
For the people that believe the lies (it's low crime and wonderful communities) and have always been in this region I'm sure it's fine. But for the people that have lived in other places with a lot of things to do, low crime and intelligent people MS is pretty horrible.
So please bash away, call me a troll and try to say my comments are all lies. But sleep well knowing that in 2 years you'll be rid of me recognizing how messed up this place really is.
Oh, and before you go off on crime stats:
America 3465/100k people
MS 4004/100k people
Hawaii 3936/100k people
WA 3998/100k people
Japan 1917/100k people
Yes, MS is just a tad higher than the other states I've lived in. But when you compare a city in WA with 30k people vs. one in MS you see the massive difference. Small towns and cities usually have lower crime, but in MS the crime rates are baffling.
Here are some of the individual cities:
Meridian 5582/100k
Jackson 8405/100k
Gulfport 6420/100k
Vicksburg 7855/100k
Biloxi 6279/100k
Hattiesburg 4832/100k
Tupelo 5351/100k
Greenville 6192/100k
And the crime is just a fraction of my complaints about this state.
Last edited by randy8876; 12-14-2010 at 11:50 AM..
Maybe you could ask for an early transfer? We won't miss you. But thanks for stopping by.
It may not be your slice of pie but it's home and we love it.
I'm well aware of the locals feelings towards people that work hard and aren't ignorant burdens to the country. This state has the "if you won't be part of group think, live off welfare and unemployment and support your local felon then we don't want you" mentality.
You are a great example. I provide a simple list of complaints about the state (which are fairly common complaints) and you get your thong in a knot. A large majority of citizens are in denial about how bad the place is, but on the other hand they are often eager to keep moving to more and more remote areas due to the problems here (hence the declining population of cities while state population grows).
And I looked into the early transfer already, but it won't be supported as it would leave a gap. I even requested to go to Iraq, but was denied due to the need to have a person here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gr8 r8z
Sincerely,
Those who could care less what you think
It's nice to hear you care what I have to say. Or did you mean "Those who couldn't care less what you think"?
Either way your post should the person that you truly are, and you're not of any value.
I was born in Mississippi. Most of my family lives in North Mississippi.
I love a lot of things about Mississippi. And I always look forward to going "home" to visit my family. But I wouldn't move back if you bought me a house and paid me to live in it.
I'm not really sure how to respond to your post randy - it leaves me wondering what branch of the military you are in, because most US troops that I come across are respectful to others and responsible in how they carry themselves in public, since they are representing an entire country.
Comments like the ones you have made that generalize an entire state will cause some who read them to generalize the entire US military based on what you have written. Is that fair? No, but it will happen.
I've lived in Mississippi my whole life by choice, not by lack of education, income or culture. I've traveled to Mexico and Europe and I've visited 22 states. I have a college degree, a full-time job (even survived the recession layoffs), a house (not a trailor), and a wife who also has the same things mentioned. I am not wealthy, nor do I believe that you are either. I am an American just as you. I work hard just like you. I pay my taxes just like you. I take responsibility for my actions just like you.
Mississippi has its problems, just like every other state. That is not an excuse that we should do nothing about them, but the reality is that you can't fix every issue at once. Crime exists in Mississippi just like everywhere else, and I don't think that Mississippi is anymore dangerous than any other state. According to the FBI's 2006 stats, Mississippi ranks 31 in violent crimes compared to Washington at 28, Florida at 4, and Hawaii at 36 (the lower the rank, the higher the crime) <State Rankings--Statistical Abstract of the United States--Violent Crime Rate>. According to this 2010 Most Dangerous States: Crime Rankings which lists the top 15, Florida is 6 on the list while Mississippi is not even listed <http://www.walletpop.com/2010/04/05/...ings-for-2010/>.
I'm not claiming that there is no crime in Mississippi nor will I claim that poverty is not a serious issue in Mississippi, but I will say that for every one negative you can find about Mississippi, I can provide two positives. Do conditions need to be addressed? Yes. Do attitudes need to be addressed? Yes, and in all social/economic levels, not just the poor and low-income. Does Mississippi provide a culture that can be found nowhere else? Yes. Is Mississippi home to some of the world's most genuine, friendly people? Yes.
I encourage you to try to find some of the positives in Mississippi while you're here. It would be a shame for you to leave the state and one day look back and realize that you wasted your time here. From experience with some of my family members in the military, I know that you are trained to make the best with the little that you have at times - maybe that training could come in use in your social life as well.
I'm not really sure how to respond to your post randy - it leaves me wondering what branch of the military you are in, because most US troops that I come across are respectful to others and responsible in how they carry themselves in public, since they are representing an entire country.
Comments like the ones you have made that generalize an entire state will cause some who read them to generalize the entire US military based on what you have written. Is that fair? No, but it will happen.
I've lived in Mississippi my whole life by choice, not by lack of education, income or culture. I've traveled to Mexico and Europe and I've visited 22 states. I have a college degree, a full-time job (even survived the recession layoffs), a house (not a trailor), and a wife who also has the same things mentioned. I am not wealthy, nor do I believe that you are either. I am an American just as you. I work hard just like you. I pay my taxes just like you. I take responsibility for my actions just like you.
Mississippi has its problems, just like every other state. That is not an excuse that we should do nothing about them, but the reality is that you can't fix every issue at once. Crime exists in Mississippi just like everywhere else, and I don't think that Mississippi is anymore dangerous than any other state. According to the FBI's 2006 stats, Mississippi ranks 31 in violent crimes compared to Washington at 28, Florida at 4, and Hawaii at 36 (the lower the rank, the higher the crime) <State Rankings--Statistical Abstract of the United States--Violent Crime Rate>. According to this 2010 Most Dangerous States: Crime Rankings which lists the top 15, Florida is 6 on the list while Mississippi is not even listed <Most dangerous states: Crime rankings for 2010>.
I'm not claiming that there is no crime in Mississippi nor will I claim that poverty is not a serious issue in Mississippi, but I will say that for every one negative you can find about Mississippi, I can provide two positives. Do conditions need to be addressed? Yes. Do attitudes need to be addressed? Yes, and in all social/economic levels, not just the poor and low-income. Does Mississippi provide a culture that can be found nowhere else? Yes. Is Mississippi home to some of the world's most genuine, friendly people? Yes.
I encourage you to try to find some of the positives in Mississippi while you're here. It would be a shame for you to leave the state and one day look back and realize that you wasted your time here. From experience with some of my family members in the military, I know that you are trained to make the best with the little that you have at times - maybe that training could come in use in your social life as well.
Thanks for all that you do for our country.
- Just a fellow American from Mississippi
Thanks for that post. I have sat here and read all the negativity and generalizations about Mississippi and thought to myself "This isn't the Mississippi I live in".
If you listen to some of the people who have posted in this thread then you may think Mississippi is a 3rd world country surrounded by 49 states, where we are all social cripples who draw welfare benefits and hate everyone not from our state. In reality, Mississippi is just like any other state, with negatives and positives. Welfare wasn't created for just Mississippi, and crime is not a Mississippi exclusive.
Mississippi is not a hellhole of horrible people who are so much different than the other 49 states.
Why is it ok to judge and generalize people from Mississippi based on a small minority and not other states? How is it morally and ethically different than judging an ethnic group or race by the minority?
I'm not really sure how to respond to your post randy - it leaves me wondering what branch of the military you are in, because most US troops that I come across are respectful to others and responsible in how they carry themselves in public, since they are representing an entire country.
Comments like the ones you have made that generalize an entire state will cause some who read them to generalize the entire US military based on what you have written. Is that fair? No, but it will happen.
I've lived in Mississippi my whole life by choice, not by lack of education, income or culture. I've traveled to Mexico and Europe and I've visited 22 states. I have a college degree, a full-time job (even survived the recession layoffs), a house (not a trailor), and a wife who also has the same things mentioned. I am not wealthy, nor do I believe that you are either. I am an American just as you. I work hard just like you. I pay my taxes just like you. I take responsibility for my actions just like you.
Mississippi has its problems, just like every other state. That is not an excuse that we should do nothing about them, but the reality is that you can't fix every issue at once. Crime exists in Mississippi just like everywhere else, and I don't think that Mississippi is anymore dangerous than any other state. According to the FBI's 2006 stats, Mississippi ranks 31 in violent crimes compared to Washington at 28, Florida at 4, and Hawaii at 36 (the lower the rank, the higher the crime) <State Rankings--Statistical Abstract of the United States--Violent Crime Rate>. According to this 2010 Most Dangerous States: Crime Rankings which lists the top 15, Florida is 6 on the list while Mississippi is not even listed <Most dangerous states: Crime rankings for 2010>.
I'm not claiming that there is no crime in Mississippi nor will I claim that poverty is not a serious issue in Mississippi, but I will say that for every one negative you can find about Mississippi, I can provide two positives. Do conditions need to be addressed? Yes. Do attitudes need to be addressed? Yes, and in all social/economic levels, not just the poor and low-income. Does Mississippi provide a culture that can be found nowhere else? Yes. Is Mississippi home to some of the world's most genuine, friendly people? Yes.
I encourage you to try to find some of the positives in Mississippi while you're here. It would be a shame for you to leave the state and one day look back and realize that you wasted your time here. From experience with some of my family members in the military, I know that you are trained to make the best with the little that you have at times - maybe that training could come in use in your social life as well.
Thanks for all that you do for our country.
- Just a fellow American from Mississippi
Now this, on the other hand, is a very good post. Kudos to you.
If a person posted a positive generalization you wouldn't break out the argument that the statement is unfair and incorrect.
Those are my experiences. This state has offered the worst people I've met in all of my travel (I've been to 45 states and 9 countries). I meet so many people that are completely unaware of facts, yet they run their mouth like they have knowledge. If you think the people of Mississippi are "genuine" then you're one lucky person, because I meet a lot hypocrites and fools. And as far as being "friendly"- Hawaii, Philippines, Washington and Japan walk all over MS when comparing these. MS folks are friendly, if you show no signs of intelligence and agree with every ignorant thing they say. The only place I've seen with worse living conditions was the Philippines- but the people there were friendlier and there was still more activities to do.
Yes, all states have crime. But the numbers I posted are from the 2009 FBI Unform Crime Reports and show that MS has a lot more than it's fair share. Also I grouped all the crime together, instead of nit picking to get the results I wanted.
Here, would you like a stat on IQ? Many Eyes : IQ by state, US
Looks like MS, AL and LA are in the lowest 6. Of course MS is last. Be proud!!
Of course MS has so much to do that people must really be active and healthy: http://calorielab.com/news/2010/06/2...t-states-2010/
Oh, MS is fattest. Is that AL and LA in the top 6 again? Mmmm, I can smell the deep fried pride!!
And the comment about "what branch are you in" and "respectful to others and responsible in how they carry themselves in public"- that would apply to #10 on my list. You may feel that I have to keep my mouth shut and not offend anyone, yet I feel I have a right to free speech. I also feel that Right is right, and wrong is wrong. This state has too many problems, and there aren't nearly enough positive trade offs to make it worth while.
Also, you don't have a clue how I carry myself in public. The most offensive thing I do is wear a T shirt on occasion with some negative statistics (it's an easy way to separate the idiots for the people that have the ability to think). And if you think I will treat a person with respect that doesn't deserve it you've lost your mind. The criminal, welfare junkie and career unemployed don't deserve to be treated with respect- they are treated to part of of my paycheck instead. In return they treat me to higher bills and lower quaity of life.
Be grateful, in 5 years I retire and move to earn a new residency in another country. The US loses a piece of tax base, $20k a year in the economy and a law abiding intelligent individual. But you can rest easy knowing that you won't have to hear me talk about all the things screwed up about your state.
Be grateful, in 5 years I retire and move to earn a new residency in another country. The US loses a piece of tax base, $20k a year in the economy and a law abiding intelligent individual. But you can rest easy knowing that you won't have to hear me talk about all the things screwed up about your state.
Something tells me that you'll be back here voicing your opinions regardless of where you live in the future. Just ask GrandviewGloria.
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