Perception Isn't Reality

I finished reading "The Help" a couple of weeks ago. If you haven't read it, you should go right on over to Amazon right now and pick it up! Just a little background, it is set in Jackson and was written by a Mississippi native. Kathryn Stockett's father is one of my dad's close friends. I must say that I did like the book. The writing was great and it kept me coming back for more!

But I did have one problem with the book. The book is basically about how maids were treated in Jackson in the 60's. Most of the book is pretty negative about how the maids were treated even though a couple of the characters treated their help with respect. I feel like the book put another bad light on my home state. The truth is my great-grandmother had two ladies who came every day until she died. I'm pretty sure she didn't make them use the bathroom outside. I'm not saying that everyone in Mississippi treated their maids with respect. I'm sure that some of the "ladies of the house" were downright rude. What I'm saying is that I know that people in Birmingham, Al, Houston, Tx, and New Orleans, La, had maids just like Jackson, Ms. They weren't any different than the people in Jackson at that time. I feel like every time anything is said negative about the south during that time it's geared towards Mississippi.

The other night when I was working at the restaurant, we had a middle-aged man from Canada come in and have a drink. He was sitting there and he said, "I never would have thought this type of restaurant would survive in Mississippi." Two Rivers is a white tablecloth restaurant. The average entree is $25-$30. We've survived since I was in the 3rd grade. He said that he couldn't believe all of the young people in their eating; his words were "I would have never imagined people were prosperous enough down here to be able to afford this place." Yeah, I was beyond pissed.

Whenever I travel, people always ask where I'm from. The answer of course is Mississippi. If they have never been here their response is usually, "Oh." They have the look that says, "Wow, I didn't know people there ever left the boonies."

A good part of being from Mississippi is when people come visit. They realize that no, we don't walk around barefoot. AND, the best part is they realize that we are the most welcoming people around. I mean, we aren't The Hospitality State for nothing!

I really wish that I had told the customer from Canada to check out this website. In case you didn't know, Mississippi is home to the first-ever heart transplant AND lung transplant!

So, next time someone says something negative about Mississippi, send them on over to Mississippi Believe It!