Mississippi is on track
Published 6:00 am Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Consistently since the 1960s things in our state have been evolving. It might have been slow going in parts for a while, but Mississippi has become a state of highly educated, shoe-wearing, money-making, giving, loving people.
The only thing about Mississippi that hasn’t changed is the perception non-residents often have.
We know the truth, but sometimes there’s something to be said for shedding a little light on things countrywide.
Enter Rick Looser, a Jackson man who doesn’t understand the meaning of the word apathy.
A few years ago Looser got sick of the stereotypes. Since then he’s spent $300,000 of his own money on a national advertising campaign aimed at enlightening the country.
Ads like “Yes, we can read and a few of us can even write,” which features pictures of William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Tennessee Williams and John Grisham, are a part of the “Mississippi, Believe It!” campaign.
His slogans are funny, catchy and powerful. They come in print advertisements, on Web sites and on T-shirts.
Looser has done his part for our state and created a model for the rest of us.
Perception is a tricky thing though. The people doing the perceiving are the ones who really need to open their minds to Mississippi and to the 21st century.