Sunday, July 22, 2018

Bill Crawford: Mississippi Morality Yielding to Anger and Hatred?

"Hatred is blind and anger deaf" wrote Alexandre Dumas in his classic "The Count of Monte Cristo.”

In February, WalletHub.com ranked Mississippi as the 5th angriest and most hateful state behind Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Alaska. And the Clarion-Ledger reported "Mississippi has the third most hate groups in the country" per capita behind Idaho and Tennessee.

 This comes amidst reports of increases in hate and hate crimes across America.


"Hate in America is on the rise" headlined a Washington Post editorial last November. "A new FBI report on hate crimes tells a sobering story. For the second year in a row, police departments across the country reported a rise in the number of crimes motivated by bias."


Former President George W. Bush slammed Russia for using cyberattacks during the 2016 elections to turn "Americans against each other" and "exploit our country's divisions," reported NBC News last October.


"Bigotry or white supremacy in any form is blasphemy against the American creed," Bush said. "We've seen our discourse degraded by casual cruelty. At times, it can seem like the forces pulling us apart are stronger than the forces binding us together."


Others see President Donald Trump exhorting divisions.


In February Newsweek reported, "A Republican chairman in Michigan denounced the Trump administration and resigned from his position as a local party leader – citing President Donald Trump's contribution to 'more racism in our streets' and 'more hatred between family members' as the final straw."


"I can no longer remain silent," said Brandon DeFrain, former chairman of the Bay County Republican Party.


"We are playing with fire when we use hatred in our midst as a partisan strategy to score points," former Democratic NY Congressman Steve Israel told TheHill.com. "We are not each other’s enemies. The haters are enemies of us all. When we debase bigotry into an exercise of Republicans versus Democrats, we make it just another political issue that numbs the minds of too many people."


In his passionate announcement that he would not seek re-election last October, Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake said, "I rise today with no small measure of regret. Regret, because of the state of our disunion, regret because of the disrepair and destructiveness of our politics, regret because of the indecency of our discourse, regret because of the coarseness of our leadership, regret for the compromise of our moral authority, and by our -- all of our -- complicity in this alarming and dangerous state of affairs."


"Anger and resentment are not a governing philosophy," Flake said. "We were not made great as a country by indulging or even exalting our worst impulses, turning against ourselves, glorying in the things which divide us, and calling fake things true and true things fake." 


Ironically, a 2017 Gallup survey ranked Mississippi as the most religious state in America, followed by Alabama, Utah, Arkansas, and Louisiana. 

How is it that a state that reveres the Bible can have so many hearts infested with the bitter roots of hatred and anger?

A growing number of distinguished Mississippians say we've allowed the politics of hate and anger spewing forth from media, tweets, and politicians to blind us to Scripture and deafen us to moral teachings. 



Crawford (crawfolk@gmail.com) is a syndicated columnist from Meridian.

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

simple---for the first time in like FOREVER MS is a LEADING indicator for the country as a whole!! Due to the GREAT SOCIETY which helped create our unique DEMOGRAPHICS, and stupid, feckless leaders-- the payers have reached a breaking point with the takers!! NOT just a race thing---more of a class thing!!

Anonymous said...

The Clarion-Ledger(Liar) should be classifies as the #1 hate group in Mississippi, seeing how they do everything they can to keep it alive in Mississippi.

None of their so called reporters can write about anything unless it happened 50 to 60 years ago, never mind the bodies stacking up on a daily basis in Jackson, but that isn't news worthy as trying to promote "white privilege/guilt"...

Anonymous said...

We are the most ignorant by far. Doesn’t that go hand in hand with being manipulated by politicians to blame and hate others?

Anonymous said...

The University of Mississippi is the biggest hate in Mississippi. To them, everyone else is beneath them, and for no other reason than, "Because we say so, you wouldn't understand."

Anonymous said...

Crawford, I hope you wag your self-righteous finger at the person you see in the mirror as much as you do at everyone else! There surely is someone more worthwhile to publish in your publication, Kingfish.

Anonymous said...

First of all, exactly WHO are these groups designated as “hate groups”??? Way too often, religious organizations get added to this category for ridiculous reasons like disagreeing with same-sex marriage and abortion. Those who assign “hatred” to these groups simply cannot grasp the concept of disagreeing with but still loving someone.

Anonymous said...

It's time for each individual to take a good, long look in the mirror, rather than blaming someone or something else.

Anonymous said...

I agree with 1:17 pm. Tell us who these so called “hate groups” are and just who decided to categorize them as hate groups.
Probably the SPLC and ACLU, the two biggest leftist hate groups in the country!

Anonymous said...

Quoting a COUNTY CHAIRMAN of a party - of which there are several thousand, mostly insignificant individuals - about his concerns over the development of hate. But don't quote leading members of the US Congress (i.e. Maxine Waters) who profess hate from their taxpayer paid offices; or major television stars who profess hate from their multi-million dollar perches and forums - individuals that have suggested everything from burning down the country to murdering the president.

Yes, there is a lot of hate - but in this case Crawford jumped on the easy to pick on comments while ignoring the more serious hate being expressed by folks that get a microphone anytime they step outside their closed doors.

Unknown said...

All the Hate and Bigotry is a result of bi-polar partisan party politics. Which has been dividing this country for three decades now. The Republicans and Democrats are the cause and everyone that supports the bipolar two party system. It is interesting to read how the people that cause this great rift try to blame the people who follow their lead. For example, this article written by one of the great media writers of the past 30 years. This guy attempts to shame Mississippi as being a religious people full of hate and bigotry. Well Bill Crawford, your one of the one's that has caused this through your writings over the past 3 decades. All it takes is a collection of your whole body of work over the last 30 years, to example exactly why people are discussed by the Republican rule in Mississippi. For example in 2009 you gloat over the great ingenious Kemper power plant. 7 years and 7 Billion dollars later and the truth comes out that Mississippi power customers were shafted by the Republican hierarchy and you expect us to be all lovey dovely. Of course we are angry, Kior, Stion, Twin Creeks, Kemper, Groundworxs, Cream Scheme, timber scheme and all the scams and schemes I've missed. The corruption, lies, and abuse of power by the Federal State and Local governments has made people angry at the leaders of our government and those leaders are using the media (you) to blame the supporters of one political party or the other which result in the rift we have to day. It is a shame for you to cast shade on the good hardworking people of Mississippi as being angry bigots. Truth is the bipolar partisan party politics is the cause of peoples anger.

Anonymous said...

We who were fortunate enough to go to Ole Miss do not believe everyone else is below us - just the people who went to MS State.

Anonymous said...

So much of our religiosity turns people to hate. Jesus plainly stated the two greatest commandments- love God and love each other. Yet
so many use the bible to excuse their hate of others.

Anonymous said...

Google/Wikipedia: "According to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a hate group's "primary purpose is to promote animosity, hostility, and malice against persons belonging to a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin which differs from that of the members of the organization."

Those are the protected classes from "hate".....but to disavow those who perpetrate those types of "hate" is not considered hate, but rather patriotism and diplomacy. Isn't it interesting that "political affiliation" is NOT a protected class....when/if it becomes one, then we have arrived at true tyranny and authoritarianism.

Anonymous said...

I personally suffered and endured the brunt of two Clarion Ledger false stories/editorials regarding racism. They knew the stories were false when they published them. The mileage they got out of publishing false race-rhetoric was the goal - not truth in journalism.

Those asshats thrive on it. It's the only reason they exist. This post will be stuck on their breakroom refrigerator two days from now. This crap literally brings them to orgasm. Not a damned one of them could get a real job in the private sector.

Anonymous said...

2:46PM wrote: "We who were fortunate enough to go to Ole Miss do not believe everyone else is below us - just the people who went to MS State."

Here is a little anecdote for you: About 10 years ago at a pool/game party where lots of people had on "teamwear," I heard a guy I sorta know repeat to an Alabama fan he doesn't know but I know well the oft-repeated line, "I'm wearing an Ole Miss shirt because I went to Ole Miss. You're wearing an Alabama shirt because you went to Walmart." My first thought was "You went to Ole Miss because Walmart doesn't sell degrees." The funny thing is that the guy who said it was at the time a 40 year old 60K a year bank VP and the guy it said it to had gotten his undergrad degree from Alabama, but his MBA and JD in the Ivy League, had already made a pretty good chunk on Wall Street and was basically retired, set for about 4 lifetimes, before he was 40. The Ole Miss guy is now all the up to Exec VP, his 2 kids had to start out at junior colleges while he and his wife struggled to help them while my friend hasn't even noticed the expense of sending his three kids through school with all the extras, including one who recently graduated from his Ivy League alma mater's law school and another who is in med school. And I've never my friend or his kids get cocky about alma maters with anyone.

Anonymous said...

As always the comments prove the point of the article. There is no doubt in my mind Mississippi is the most hate filled state.

Anonymous said...

According to the sources referenced, "hateful" is anyone who believes that no one gets to heaven accept through Christ, anyone who believes a nation's borders should be secured, and anyone who recognizes the link between Islam and terrorism.

If that's hateful, sign me up.

Anonymous said...

There are lots of States with sports rivalries, and I've lived in quite a few of them.

I'm actually more than a little shocked by the fan hatred in the SEC and the way it's so vitriolic the States that have 2 SEC teams that awful personal attributes are hurled at all people who attended the other school.

The worst " haters" are fans who either didn't graduate from either school or who never went to college at all. They don't understand, it seems, that when you go to a state supported university, the decision should be and most often is, based primarily on which school has the best departments in the fields of study you are most interested in pursuing. It has nothing to do with the sports program unless you hope to be a coach or professional player.

The sad fact is that very nice people graduate from all universities and a jerks graduate from all universities.

Sadly, no group is avoid members who are mean, crazy, crooked or hateful.

Hateful people are insecure. If you are secure in who you are, there's no need to look down on others. And, if you are smart, you know that you don't know everything and learn more from those who are not just like you.


Mississippi is a beautiful state with many talented and bright people. It is really sad to see energy and creativity that could be used to accomplish good wasted on anger and hatred and resentment. Use your energy to fix the things that need fixing by coming up with workable solutions that would benefit us all. You don't have to be a VIP to make a difference. A thousand people engaged in one good thing becomes very big indeed.

Anonymous said...

"The Republicans and Democrats are the cause and everyone that supports the bipolar two party system."

It's easy to blame those two party's, however, there is only one party that rules the roost in Mississippi and it has taken on a cult-like following. The saddest part of it all, the single-party rule does not scare anyone in this state.

Although the conservative movement began with the Democrats with the inception of Mississippi, it slowly rolled over into the Republican party at the time of Lyndon Johnson and The New Deal.

Mississippi has always been a "conservative" state, it hates change and hates to admit when mistakes have happened. The churches are segregated, the neighborhoods are segregated. It hurts the economy, it affects the quality of life for the citizens.

I'll keep saying it, Mississippi is a relatively easy fix. The only roadblock to fixing it is the attitudes of the citizens on wanting to improve the image of the state.

Anonymous said...

"Although the conservative movement began with the Democrats with the inception of Mississippi, it slowly rolled over into the Republican party at the time of Lyndon Johnson and The New Deal."

WHAT? It's only 9:00 a.m. and you're looped already.

When was Mississippi 'incepted'?

Johnson was the father of The New Deal?

Anonymous said...

"The churches are segregated, the neighborhoods are segregated. It hurts the economy, it affects the quality of life for the citizens."

You need to get out more, Einstein. Neighborhoods and churches are fairly segregated from one coast of this country to the other. There are neighborhoods all over America (and the world) that are still pretty much segregated...Asian, Russian, Anglo, Black, Italian, Vietnamese, Cuban, Haitian, Mexican....don't mean to leave any group out. Same applies to churches.

Sure, there are some neighborhoods and churches that don't fit that paradigm, but people will always group themselves together on their own terms. Nothing at all negative or wrong with that.

Anonymous said...

"When was Mississippi 'incepted'?"

You do know that "Inception" is another way of saying "established" - but since you want to be technical - When Mississippi became a state in 1817 it started with the Democrats and rolled over to the Republicans, however, the state has always been "conservative"

@ 10:58am - "You need to get out more, Einstein. Neighborhoods and churches are fairly segregated from one coast of this country to the other. There are neighborhoods all over America (and the world) that are still pretty much segregated...Asian, Russian, Anglo, Black, Italian, Vietnamese, Cuban, Haitian, Mexican....don't mean to leave any group out. Same applies to churches."

yeah, but this is Mississippi and we are talking about Mississippi - where a majority of the population are Protestants and follow Western Christian philosophies.

Whereas a number of the aforementioned ethnic groups you named practice Catholicism, such as Asian, Italian, Vietnamese, Cuban, Haitians, Mexicans and will attend Catholic churches with members of various backgrounds.

"Sure, there are some neighborhoods and churches that don't fit that paradigm, but people will always group themselves together on their own terms. Nothing at all negative or wrong with that."

Like I said earlier, wanting to solve the problem will be the biggest roadblock to getting this state turned around.











Anonymous said...

Young people have found the relatively easy fix. They back up a Uhaul truck to their apartment right after college graduation and get the hell out of Mississippi as fast as they can.

Anonymous said...

The observations stated are the same in Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and North Louisiana. The folks along the I 10 corridor in Louisiana and Mississippi are the exception.

Anonymous said...

This state is no more racist than any other, and the CL is just desperate to keep the presses rolling.

Should have done a feature on all those Yankees fleeing the high cost of living, in whatever "over taxed hell hole" they are presently residing. How they take one look at how much they can get for their money in Mississippi and cant move here fast enough. Only to wake up and find out they are offended by everyone and everything around them. Then they set about trying to make it more like "the over taxed hell hole" they moved from.

If you think this state is so damn offensive and racist, get the hell out.

Make sure you take the idiots running Ole Miss and Mississippi State with you. The very idea of being a "State University" but refusing to fly the flag. They wont be getting any more of my damn money, not until that crap changes and fast.

Far to many have been playing both ends against the middle. Bill is coming due.

Unknown said...

8:57
A one party system is worse than the two party system and a no party system is better than any party system.



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Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

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In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

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Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!!

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If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

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