My friend, Elizabeth, tipped me off to this tidbit of info about my home state’s recent shenanigans:
One week after complaints were made about an unclear highway sign, state transportation officials have made it easier to understand by adding one punctuation mark. Recently, members of a veteran’s group said they had received complaints about the highway sign advertising the Mississippi Vietnam Memorial in Ocean Springs. The sign originally read “Miss Vietnam Memorial,” causing some to wonder if there’s a woman named “Miss Vietnam” and why the city has a memorial for her.
Note, however, that I had to go all the way to yankee territory to get the full story: there was nothing to be found on any of the major Mississippi-based websites. Could this mean that my fellow Mississippians are finally shedding their cavalier, “Hell, that’s the way we do things around here” ways and developing a sense of shame? Or is it merely another example of folks not being able to laugh at themselves?
Side note: if I were ever to become a full-time professional drag queen, I’ve always thought I’d assume the name of “Miss River Bridge.” Here in New Orleans at least, I’d get lots of free publicity.
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