Attention Internet, Please Stop Calling our Missouri Towns ‘Dumb’

I could be delusional, but I believe I'm a pretty tolerant person. It takes a lot to get me angry. That being said, I've had enough of the internet calling our Missouri towns "dumb". Enough is enough and I'll explain why they're not only rude, but they're inaccurate.

I do think that the website Roadsnacks can be funny and enjoy a lot of their content most of the time. This isn't one of those times. A few weeks ago, they listed what they consider to be the "dumbest towns in Missouri". I don't care about their results, but would prefer to focus on their methodology and why I think it's flawed and these type of lists about Missouri need to stop.

The "dumbest" Missouri towns is determined by high school dropout rate and college education. To their credit, that's more fair than most internet "lists", but it's still lacking and I'll give you an example of why.

One of my best friends in Missouri years ago was going to school to become an engineer. He had to drop out when his dad left their family and he had to return home to get a job to support his mom. Was he a dropout? Yes. Was he dumb? No freaking way. Life happened and he did what he had to do to help his family survive.

I'll give you another example. I have other friends who graduated high school and immediately started their own businesses because they had a specific trade talent and college would have done them no good. Did they get a college education? Nope. Are they dumb? HARDLY. Many started and built very successful businesses.

One final reason why the internet needs to shut its mouth about how "dumb" it thinks some Missouri towns are. It's rude. That's right. Whatever happened to manners? Would you walk up to someone on the street and call them dumb? I doubt it. So, why don't you stop doing it online. I promise to reciprocate.

Enough with all the Missouri dumbness talk. Next time I won't be so polite myself.