Honestly, I’ve heard New Jersey sucks, but in researching the state I’m left wondering why. The residents are stereotyped as having big hair, bad attitudes, and obnoxious accents. Aside from that, I couldn’t really find any backward legislation, bad history (I mean, worse than anywhere else), or anything glaringly wrong. I guess New Jersey’s biggest sin is being New York part 2. With none of the money or celebrities and all the urban dilemmas.
BUT–I did find a LOT wrong with the other state in the second half of my blog title: Mississippi. And I’m not exactly sure where or exactly when things started going wrong in this state. But the state as a whole is practically un-salvageable. Honestly, there is a boat load wrong with it: Ignorance and illiteracy, terrible prejudiced pervading attitudes, and the laws to back up those horribly narrow views. Also, poverty, disease, and natural disaster characterize the state. Wow–nothing good comes from Mississippi. And I’m not sure how to fix it–or if the state’s overabundance of problems CAN ever be corrected.
Mississippi has the highest rate of obesity (35.3 percent of total population) in the nation.
{A.} In a survey of each state’s worst claim to infamy, Mississippi ranks last (as in highest number of most terrible attributes) in the most number of categories. These include highest rate of child poverty (31.9 percent), highest rate of infant mortality (10.3 percent) lowest median household income ($35,078), highest teen birth rate (71.9 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19) and highest overall rate of STDs.
Women are still second-rate citizens in the state. And if they can’t garner rights–don’t expect for racial minorities, gay people, or animals to have even half a chance! Anyone who is not a long-time (white, male, straight, Christian) resident is persecuted to the point of abuse.
This is not even looking at the horrible racism still present in the state or the severe homophobia. I watched this documentary called “Small Town Gay Bar” about the LGBT community in MS and it is a bleak situation at best. People are very narrow-minded and religious and the gays live in fear–or die in bigotry. The only places they have to go are gay bars, and then the location has to remain clandestine and even then is subject to vandalism, harassment, and foul-play. The film was bleak–as is the daily existence of the LGBT population living in MS. It’s no wonder so many individuals in that marginalized community are closeted, addicted, or murdered!
Here’s to living in the Western United States–even if the crazy-Californians (and Seattle) are here too!
{A.} http://www.thedmonline.com/article/facts-about-amendment-26
Related articles
- Toucher & Rich’s ‘Know Your Armpits Of America’ (boston.cbslocal.com)
- Scorecard ranks Trenton the least gay-friendly city in N.J., while Jersey City earns perfect score (nj.com)
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