Opinions on an Ideal Rivalry

[NIC.sixpack]

Disclaimer: I don't want anyone to think I have any ulterior motives, so I want to put it out front that I was born and raised as an Ole Miss fan. I'm a second-generation alumnus. My Dad went to Ole Miss on the G.I. Bill after he got out of the Army. He was a high-school history teacher and a head baseball coach. Neither he nor I were in a fraternity. Everyone in my family comes from a blue-collar background.

I never heard my Dad say anything bad about MSU. I suspect that since he grew up in Memphis, he just wasn't exposed to the more bitter aspects of the rivalry among people from Mississippi. I never outright asked him how he felt about MSU, because he passed away when I was in the ninth grade, and I just never thought to ask him about his opinion.

I remember him saying that when he was a kid in Memphis, his friends were most often fans of Ole Miss (which was the closest college around besides Memphis, and people just didn't get excited about them), Tennessee, or bandwagon fans of Alabama (if he disliked any school, it was Alabama). I'm sure there were fans of lots of other schools, but that seems to be what he thought as a kid.

Anyways, I absolutely wasn't raised to hate MSU. And I don't. I have family and friends who went there, and I recognize that there are many, many good things about the school. I get along fine with all of them. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want Ole Miss to win when they go head-to-head. At the same time, I don't have any problem at all when MSU fans are proud of their alma mater's achievements. I know that tearing down MSU wouldn't do anything to build up Ole Miss. Plus, every fanbase has its lunatic fringe. It's pointless to argue with an idiot, regardless of which side of the fence he sits on. I admit that it's tempting sometimes, though.

With all of that said, I'm interested to know how some people feel on the other side of the aisle. Do you prefer to have an absolutely bitter rivalry, or would you like it if people could be more civil about the whole thing?

I don't expect anyone to sing kumbaya. That's not why I'm here. There are no wrong answers. I'm not even going to try to change anyone's mind about how he feels. I won't get into a pissing contest about which school or the people who go there are "better." I want it to be absolutely clear that I don't want to argue. I'm just curious about whether people prefer for it to be bitter or civil.

I apologize for the long post. I just wanted my intentions to be clear, and it took a lot of prefacing to get my point across.

 

[dawgstudent]

I am friends with Ole Miss people. I'm married into an Ole Miss family. My wife is an Ole Miss fan. But I absolutely loathe Ole miss athletics. Hope you lose every sporting event imaginable.

My Ole Miss father-in-law feels the same way. I have to bite my tongue sometimes.

With that being said, I like the venom. Doesn't mean I can't live amongst Ole Miss people.

 

[NIC.sixpack]

I absolutely loathe Ole miss athletics. Hope you lose every game imaginable.

Fair enough. I appreciate your response.

 

[OzarkaNSW]

I don't wish good will to any ole miss team

I know ole miss people that think the same way for state. It has become the cool thing to do to say that State is more "obsessed"
with ole miss than the other way around. Couldn't be more false. It's pretty equal among both like it or not. I saw an ole miss fan say he
couldn't care less about us then slam his fist on the bar when they beat us by 19 instead of 20. OK.

Disclaimer: I don't want anyone to think I have any ulterior motives, so I want to put it out front that I was born and raised as an Ole Miss fan. I'm a second-generation alumnus. My Dad went to Ole Miss on the G.I. Bill after he got out of the Army. He was a high-school history teacher and a head baseball coach. Neither he nor I were in a fraternity. Everyone in my family comes from a blue-collar background.

I never heard my Dad say anything bad about MSU. I suspect that since he grew up in Memphis, he just wasn't exposed to the more bitter aspects of the rivalry among people from Mississippi. I never outright asked him how he felt about MSU, because he passed away when I was in the ninth grade, and I just never thought to ask him about his opinion.

I remember him saying that when he was a kid in Memphis, his friends were most often fans of Ole Miss (which was the closest college around besides Memphis, and people just didn't get excited about them), Tennessee, or bandwagon fans of Alabama (if he disliked any school, it was Alabama). I'm sure there were fans of lots of other schools, but that seems to be what he thought as a kid.

Anyways, I absolutely wasn't raised to hate MSU. And I don't. I have family and friends who went there, and I recognize that there are many, many good things about the school. I get along fine with all of them. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want Ole Miss to win when they go head-to-head. At the same time, I don't have any problem at all when MSU fans are proud of their alma mater's achievements. I know that tearing down MSU wouldn't do anything to build up Ole Miss. Plus, every fanbase has its lunatic fringe. It's pointless to argue with an idiot, regardless of which side of the fence he sits on. I admit that it's tempting sometimes, though.

With all of that said, I'm interested to know how some people feel on the other side of the aisle. Do you prefer to have an absolutely bitter rivalry, or would you like it if people could be more civil about the whole thing?

I don't expect anyone to sing kumbaya. That's not why I'm here. There are no wrong answers. I'm not even going to try to change anyone's mind about how he feels. I won't get into a pissing contest about which school or the people who go there are "better." I want it to be absolutely clear that I don't want to argue. I'm just curious about whether people prefer for it to be bitter or civil.

I apologize for the long post. I just wanted my intentions to be clear, and it took a lot of prefacing to get my point across.

 

[godlluB]

A healthy amount of hate is what makes it fun. I didn't grow up in Mississippi, and I have lived in Starkville the whole time I've been here, so I don't have many Ole Miss friends. The few I do know, I get along with fine, but I'm not inviting them to my tailgate on Egg Bowl Weekend (or this year's Super Bulldog Weekend).

When I say "hate", I'm not talking about Harvey Updyke, poisoning trees in the grove sort of hate. It's more like if I meet you somewhere and you're wearing an Ole Miss hat, I immediately assume we're not going to be friends. I like a little trash talking, but I prefer to keep it of the good-natured ribbing sort of stuff.

 

[NIC.sixpack]

Is that how you like for things to be? That's really what I'm interested in.

I realize that it is how it is regardless of what we like, but I'm still curious whether that's how people prefer for it to be.

 

[NIC.sixpack]

The few I do know, I get along with fine, but I'm not inviting them to my tailgate on Egg Bowl Weekend (or this year's Super Bulldog Weekend).

That's completely understandable.

 

[futaba.79]

have nothing against the school............

but hate the Rebels. It wasn't always like that for me. I lived in Georgia for several years in the pre internet days. My UGA friends would tell me "whipped that *** again!!" every time they beat Ole Miss. Didn't matter how many times I told them where I went to school. Finally, Ole Miss beat UGA in '89 and I found myself in the odd position of rubbing it in. Very strange.

 

[esplanade91]

I live in New York, and any time I get into a conversation with any of our customers about my personal life and where I went to school (i.e. how does a southern kid end up here) they always ask if "Oh, is that Ole Miss?" after I tell them Mississippi State. Every time. Or "That's where Eli went right?"

So I have a mission in life to educate any and all of my friends on differences and how they should hate Ole Miss. Of course I'm not entirely serious and more-so than anything I'm being funny... but I had half the guys really into MSU football this year, and their comments following the Egg Bowl were classic, straight-out-of-the-Junction responses.

I've got a guy born and raised and has never left the Bronx and a guy from Boise, ID with a degree in being a park ranger coming with me to SBW and still any time a person with a southern accent comes in they tell them that a guy from Ole Miss works there and they go and get me... ~3 times this has happened and the person had actually gone to Ole Miss... after several back-and-forths about how the other's school sucks I usually have given this person preferential treatment even throwing in discounts I just don't give. I hate Ole Miss athletics, but I enjoy the relationship. I was the only one of my high school friends that didn't go to Ole Miss, and as long as we're not trying to exert our university's athletic superiority we're the best of buds. It's that way with the girls from Ole Miss I've dated and any kind of co-worker I ever had in Mississippi.

 

[uptowndawg]

I've got a hand full of Ole Miss friends and family that I hang out pretty regularly. And I will often times hang out with them to watch Ole Miss football on a Thursday night, or when State has a bye. Sometimes I pull for Ole Miss in football, depends on what kind of year they're having, how close we are in SEC standings, and whether or not my Ole Miss friends have been acting too 'Ole Missish' lately. And every State fan with Ole Miss friends know what I mean by 'Ole Missish'. I never pull for Ole Miss in basketball. And I usually don't mind pulling for Ole Miss in baseball (except against us or LSU); I want to see y'all do well enough there but I'm not ready for the Omaha acronym to become extinct either.

I'll trade a good bit of venom with my friends, but it's mostly out of fun. And I guess I just want ya'll to do well enough to keep them off suicide watch.

 

[HardyStreetAlumniClub]

For me, and I think most MSU people....

it's the elitist attitudes that fill us with hate. Especially since we believe that there is no reason or justification for that attitude. If you really want to understand the rivalry, you need to go all the way back to when the schools were founded.

There is no problem with pride and rivalries, but the rivalry we have with yall has become disgusting. That's just my opinion. It's not to the numbers that other "larger" states have, but it's just as bitter.

To me, it's not the fact that you are in the same state and we are supposed to be "rivals" with an in state school. It's all about your demeanor and attitude that you are somehow better than us. That's what pisses us off. My Ole Miss friends and family all have that same attitude. Maybe it's stronger with people that were born and raised in Mississippi.

 

[NIC.sixpack]

I guess I just want ya'll to do well enough to keep them off suicide watch.

I have to admit that this cracked me up.

 

[Shamoan]

i dont hate the university of mississippi, i hate ole miss and the dickhead fans that perpetuate the petty **** that constantly goes on between the schools. i have a feeling the feeling is mutual. if it wasnt for the people we all know individually, i wouldnt have a problem with ole miss. i have a subset of more intelligent friends that exchange a word about the rivalry here or there, then there is another subset of some friends some loose acquaintances that are the lunatic fringe that push the needle in my level of hate.

your comments were rational and largely reciprocated on my part. i have attended both universities, so i have a somewhat unique perspective, but its largely an issue of who you know and how intelligent those people are. if you are exposed to a bunch of om homers, you are likely to be a bit more hostile concerning the rivalry.

its kinda sad too because we all come from similar middle-class circumstances, but many form a negative opinion simply as a coping mechanism to how much idiocy they are exposed to. that goes both ways in this rivalry im sure. the whole thing is kinda ridiculous because its all over a bunch of 18-22 year-olds playing a game in front of a packed stadium, a baseball diamond, or a basketball court. its totally silly. look at the hooligans in england...people get killed over this **** and its pretty stupid, but passion does not run low in college athletics...to a fault sometimes.

 

[NIC.sixpack]

It's all about your demeanor and attitude that you are somehow better than us. That's what pisses us off.

I get that you're generalizing, but I completely understand why that would piss people off.

 

[NIC.sixpack]

kinda sad too because we all come from similar middle-class circumstances, but many form a negative opinion simply as a coping mechanism to how much idiocy they are exposed to.

Man, this was really well said. Kudos.

 

[rem101]

I won't even buy tires from a shop owned by Ole Miss alums.**

But seriously, I have no ill will towards the school or the people who aren't complete douchebags that go/went there. I have the same lack of tolerance for the douchebags there that I do the douchebags at any school, including MSU.

Athletics, I want to win and be the best. What you do certainly doesn't effect me, win or lose, except when the douchebag fans annoy me letting me know you beat LSU. I don't really give a ****. I assume you'd feel the same way.

Just to be clear, I believe that alums from both can be great people but douchebag fans. They don't have to go together, although sometimes they do.

 

[CookieMonster.sixpack]

Ideally, Ole Miss would start losing badly in the major three sports and this downward spiral would coincide with State winning at unprecedented levels in those sports. If that were to happen consistently for a few decades, I think I'd be pretty happy. It'd be really easy to be civil then.

Of course, I find it easy to be civil now. I just don't watch State play with Ole Miss friends. No need to stir up animosity.

 

[Goat at MSU]

I am in my early 50's and live in Memphis . I have not met a Ole Miss person that I truly care for ,most tend to be real ******** . Look no further than Yancy and Marshall Henderson . I have a daughter who had a high ACT score this past year Ole Miss came to her high school and wanted to see her ,I told her if she did I cut her off no money ,no car. So I can say I have no ill will toward your school.

Disclaimer: I don't want anyone to think I have any ulterior motives, so I want to put it out front that I was born and raised as an Ole Miss fan. I'm a second-generation alumnus. My Dad went to Ole Miss on the G.I. Bill after he got out of the Army. He was a high-school history teacher and a head baseball coach. Neither he nor I were in a fraternity. Everyone in my family comes from a blue-collar background.

I never heard my Dad say anything bad about MSU. I suspect that since he grew up in Memphis, he just wasn't exposed to the more bitter aspects of the rivalry among people from Mississippi. I never outright asked him how he felt about MSU, because he passed away when I was in the ninth grade, and I just never thought to ask him about his opinion.

I remember him saying that when he was a kid in Memphis, his friends were most often fans of Ole Miss (which was the closest college around besides Memphis, and people just didn't get excited about them), Tennessee, or bandwagon fans of Alabama (if he disliked any school, it was Alabama). I'm sure there were fans of lots of other schools, but that seems to be what he thought as a kid.

Anyways, I absolutely wasn't raised to hate MSU. And I don't. I have family and friends who went there, and I recognize that there are many, many good things about the school. I get along fine with all of them. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want Ole Miss to win when they go head-to-head. At the same time, I don't have any problem at all when MSU fans are proud of their alma mater's achievements. I know that tearing down MSU wouldn't do anything to build up Ole Miss. Plus, every fanbase has its lunatic fringe. It's pointless to argue with an idiot, regardless of which side of the fence he sits on. I admit that it's tempting sometimes, though.

With all of that said, I'm interested to know how some people feel on the other side of the aisle. Do you prefer to have an absolutely bitter rivalry, or would you like it if people could be more civil about the whole thing?

I don't expect anyone to sing kumbaya. That's not why I'm here. There are no wrong answers. I'm not even going to try to change anyone's mind about how he feels. I won't get into a pissing contest about which school or the people who go there are "better." I want it to be absolutely clear that I don't want to argue. I'm just curious about whether people prefer for it to be bitter or civil.

I apologize for the long post. I just wanted my intentions to be clear, and it took a lot of prefacing to get my point across.

 

[HardyStreetAlumniClub]

But seriously, I have no ill will towards the school or the people who aren't complete douchebags that go/went there. I have the same lack of tolerance for the douchebags there that I do the douchebags at any school, including MSU.

Athletics, I want to win and be the best. What you do certainly doesn't effect me, win or lose, except when the douchebag fans annoy me letting me know you beat LSU. I don't really give a ****. I assume you'd feel the same way.

Just to be clear, I believe that alums from both can be great people but douchebag fans. They don't have to go together, although sometimes they do.

I agree. But there is a much higher number of douchebags on their side. Its unreal.

 

[NIC.sixpack]

there is a much higher number of douchebags on their side. Its unreal.

Is it possible that this depends on where someone is standing? I don't doubt that there are Ole Miss douchebags. At the same time, regardless of how many MSU douchebags there are (I'm not saying MSU has more or less than Ole Miss), they wouldn't seem like such severe douchebags to you. So, with respect, that might skew someone's perspective about how many douchebags belong to either school.

Again, I'm not arguing. I believe in being respectful while visiting someone else's house - so to speak. I'm just pointing out how perspective could influence someone's viewpoint on the matter.

 

[NIC.sixpack]

I have not met a Ole Miss person that I truly care for ,most tend to be real ********. Look no further than Yancy and Marshall Henderson.

Oh, wow. Please let me buy you lunch sometime, so you don't have to lump most of us all together with Yancy and Marshall. (And congrats on your daughter's great ACT scores!)

 

[Dawg1976]

My best beer drinking friend is a bear. We go back a long way. And I have a few other bear friends. But we do not see eye to eye when it comes to sports between the two schools. Never will.

And yes......OM has a lot more dochebags on their side of the fence.

 

[tommyboy1520]

I prefer it more on the bitter side without it going full ugly. Two of my dearest friends that I've known for over 30 years went to Ole Miss. For us, it's fun to jaw on each other during the seasons, but that's as far as it goes. There is no rivalry between us outside of sports. Like most on here, I've never had a problem with the school/students; just the sports teams. Most of the alum I know are good, honest people. It's the message board heroes the likes of which you'll find on the spirit and genes page that go crazy with it. I do work with an OM alum that fits the elitist stereotype pretty well, but I imagine he'd be that way even if he didn't go to school in Oxford, so I just steer clear of him.

To correlate to your history and upbringing, I will say that my childhood involved a decent amount of Ole Miss hate due to family influence. I'm the fourth generation in my family to go to State. My grandfather did NOT like Ole Miss at all, and while I never knew him, i understand my great-grandfather felt even stronger about the rebels. But this is due to the fact that they lived during and attended State in the early part of the 1900s. Back then the animosity was greater between the two schools because of the class distinction found in MS at that time. it was much more reflective of the history and how the two schools came to be. Like someone said above, research the founding of MSU and you'll get a better idea of why there is so much hate between the two fan bases. this is more of what it was like for my grandad and his dad growing up in Mississippi.

 

[BulldogBlitz]

I grew up in memphis. when i was in junior high and high school (pre-decision to come to state), i was more or less a memphis state fan. i don't recall that much "hate", but i definitely recall there being absolutely no love for OM.

currently, i live 600 miles away from the golden triangle. oddly, OM fans still seem to be the same as i remember.... even when they have no clue that i went to state. i've never witnessed another group of fans willingly cheer for injury to random other teams that they were playing... well, other than the philadelphia eagle fans.

as for me, i'd rather drive on down the road if you were stopped with a flat tire. call it bitter, call it whatever.

 

[DerHntr]

I don't live in MS anymore and basically think most of the rivalry is high quality comedy. I don't take it seriously but maybe once in a blue moon.

It is really funny when I see the elitism attitude from OM posters on here, Twitter, my wife's friends on Facebook, etc. When I go home I just laugh when I hear any OM fan say the same type crap. The best incidents are when it comes from family members or their spouses. We grew up in the same type neighborhoods, are from very similar backgrounds, and like the same type things very often. Hell, OM fans have an absolute TON of duck and deer hunters.

So don't give me the "we are classier/better than you" attitude. If someone does, then my best response currently is "Marshall Henderson."

In the end, when I tell people I am from MS and went to MSU they give me the same type responses they would have given me if I said OM. Most think we are dumb, fat, talk funny, and look like the Duck Dynasty clan. I know that may really hurt the OM high society types though.

To answer your question: I have hate in my heart for the holier than thou moron types at OM and I can understand why they may have the same level of hate for the fringe at MSU. I like being bitter towards that type of stupidity. For the rest, I don't see any need in it.

 

[NIC.sixpack]

i'd rather drive on down the road if you were stopped with a flat tire. call it bitter, call it whatever.

I won't call it anything. I'm not here to judge you at all. I asked for people's opinions, and that's what you gave me. I appreciate your response.

 

[dogmatic]

Once upon a time I took college football for a religion and regarded State's games as the regular high holy day, to paraphrase Marino Casem. All other sports followed closely behind. Some part of me would have mourned a loss to the Rebels in club rugby or lawn darts. The older I get, though, the more reasonable I become. Two of my best friends in adulthood are Ole Miss folk. I've had occasion to visit Oxford and the UM campus quite frequently in the past several years. I find a lot to admire in both locations and can easily ignore that which is disagreeable. Those factors along with other, truly serious, things in life have put it all into perspective for me.

It would be dishonest for me to say I pull for Ole Miss when they're not playing State, so I don't say it, and I'm suspicious of anyone on either side who does. It's my impression such people 1) are lying or 2) don't care much about college athletics anyway. My attitudes here align with those expressed by dawgstudent. I'm not going to pull for the Rebels to win, anytime, anywhere, period. My Rebel friends feel the same way about State and, when asked, say so, and this kind of honesty goes a long way in a friendship across the aisle. I can tailgate before and after the Egg Bowl with my Rebel friends because neither they nor I are ********, but we don't sit together to watch the game. Any diplomacy has its limits.

To concisely answer your actual question then, after some prefacing of my own, I prefer the rivalry be confined to athletics, civil or otherwise. If I needed an attorney or an engineer I would want the best qualified I could find regardless of their alma mater.

 

[Goat at MSU]

Thank you but buy dawgstudent the lunch. He has to live around them.

Oh, wow. Please let me buy you lunch sometime, so you don't have to lump most of us all together with Yancy and Marshall. (And congrats on your daughter's great ACT scores!)

 

[dawgstudent]

He better take a withdrawal from his retirement acct.

 

[dawgstudent]

We grew up in the same type neighborhoods...

Let's be honest Der.

 

[dawgatUSM]

I'm almost in the same situation DS with the exception of the fact that my wife converted for the health of our marriage.

I have many ole miss fans that I consider dear friends, but if they were sent to southern miss levels of depression in relation to their sporting teams, I would be thrilled

 

[starkvegasdawg]

Been mentioned before but what makes me really hate UM fans is the level of elitist hypocrasy. They spend all of their energy telling anybody within ear shot that we mean nothing to them, completely irrelevant, and then they go do something like print shirts with "Beat State" on them. Y'all hate us? Fine. That's what a rivalry is about. Just be honest about it and admit it. When we beat y'all in a sport have the cajones to admit we were the better team. Don't blame it on the 3rd string waterboy on having a hang nail or saying that game just doesn't matter. Lose an egg bowl and the game doesn't matter. Win an egg bowl and the fans rush the field.

 

[ckDOG]

That's it for me.

it's the elitist attitudes that fill us with hate. Especially since we believe that there is no reason or justification for that attitude. If you really want to understand the rivalry, you need to go all the way back to when the schools were founded.

There is no problem with pride and rivalries, but the rivalry we have with yall has become disgusting. That's just my opinion. It's not to the numbers that other "larger" states have, but it's just as bitter.

To me, it's not the fact that you are in the same state and we are supposed to be "rivals" with an in state school. It's all about your demeanor and attitude that you are somehow better than us. That's what pisses us off. My Ole Miss friends and family all have that same attitude. Maybe it's stronger with people that were born and raised in Mississippi.

I love rivalry smack talk and being irrational fans. That part is great. It doesn't bother me when OM fans call Rick Ray classless when Marshall Henderson is on their team and Andy Kennedy coaches him. We would do the same thing if roles were reversed. Good rivalries are always the pot calling the kettle black.

I get pissed at the undeserved elitism. I guess it's somehow an attitude left over from the MS aristocrat society 100+ years ago, but there really isn't anything to back that up today. We are essentially comparable academic institutions with similar reputations just different strengths and weaknesses. Same carries to athletics. The worst part is you can't be rational with a person who holds that attitude. Facts be damned, Ole Miss is better because they are Ole Miss. That's what gets me the most.

 

[DerHntr]

was talking about the average not the abnormal

our school had the abnormal. Was also talking more specifically about my family. We were all broke.

 

[BiscuitEater]

I live in Virginia ...

and there are only a few Miss'ippians around. I work with two rebels; one follows each and every rebel site and the other follows but its not a passion. Both are close friends but we give each other grief over sports.

I also work with several 'other' SEC fans and we all get along except for one, single Bama 'sidewalk' fan that is too obnoxious to even talk to. We have all kinda of teamed up against him since the Bama - Auburn game and he is in for a really long year.

It kills my rebel friends when I keep repeating ... I went to both State & OM ... so I definitely know 'which' is the best!

 

[paindonthurt_]

My dad didn't raise me to hate Ole Miss. He strategically took me to every football game in Oxford starting when Sherrill took over. He also took me to a couple of basketball games in the early to mid nineties.

It only took a couple of experiences in the Vaught to hate Ole Miss.

I too have friends who are Ole Miss fans. Some are acquaintances, some are good friends, some are great friends. I don't hate them.

Some of the people in Oxford and Ole Miss are good people, but overall, the university seems to have an air of entitlement or superiority complex.

Examples are all over. I have gf who drives a Lexus SUV. Heard a guy ask her how she went to MSU and drove that car. The jokes about cow college. Rednecks. Etc. Etc. Etc. Its laughable.

 

[Rayburn8]

Disclaimer: I don't want anyone to think I have any ulterior motives, so I want to put it out front that I was born and raised as an Ole Miss fan. I'm a second-generation alumnus. My Dad went to Ole Miss on the G.I. Bill after he got out of the Army. He was a high-school history teacher and a head baseball coach. Neither he nor I were in a fraternity. Everyone in my family comes from a blue-collar background.

I never heard my Dad say anything bad about MSU. I suspect that since he grew up in Memphis, he just wasn't exposed to the more bitter aspects of the rivalry among people from Mississippi. I never outright asked him how he felt about MSU, because he passed away when I was in the ninth grade, and I just never thought to ask him about his opinion.

I remember him saying that when he was a kid in Memphis, his friends were most often fans of Ole Miss (which was the closest college around besides Memphis, and people just didn't get excited about them), Tennessee, or bandwagon fans of Alabama (if he disliked any school, it was Alabama). I'm sure there were fans of lots of other schools, but that seems to be what he thought as a kid.

Anyways, I absolutely wasn't raised to hate MSU. And I don't. I have family and friends who went there, and I recognize that there are many, many good things about the school. I get along fine with all of them. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want Ole Miss to win when they go head-to-head. At the same time, I don't have any problem at all when MSU fans are proud of their alma mater's achievements. I know that tearing down MSU wouldn't do anything to build up Ole Miss. Plus, every fanbase has its lunatic fringe. It's pointless to argue with an idiot, regardless of which side of the fence he sits on. I admit that it's tempting sometimes, though.

With all of that said, I'm interested to know how some people feel on the other side of the aisle. Do you prefer to have an absolutely bitter rivalry, or would you like it if people could be more civil about the whole thing?

I don't expect anyone to sing kumbaya. That's not why I'm here. There are no wrong answers. I'm not even going to try to change anyone's mind about how he feels. I won't get into a pissing contest about which school or the people who go there are "better." I want it to be absolutely clear that I don't want to argue. I'm just curious about whether people prefer for it to be bitter or civil.

I apologize for the long post. I just wanted my intentions to be clear, and it took a lot of prefacing to get my point across.

My hatred comes from in was raised and live currently in Oxford and when in was three years old adult ole miss fans would give me a three yea old a hard time. I was raised in an environment being told that my opinion doesn't matter becuase I'm a state fan and they ment it. So living around all this Elitism has made me hate ole miss more than anything in the world.

 

[Crazy Cotton]

It's kind of like interacting with my Republican or forced birther friends

My wife is from Oxford (but went to State). I like most of her family who are still there, and her dad and I have a good relationship and enjoy cooking BBQ and drinking beer. But, we have pretty much learned to keep some subjects out of our interactions, including politics and football, because it can go from good natured ribbing to nasty pretty quickly. I did get to spend this Thanksgiving with her family in Oxford (thank you Whitley) and I managed to keep it to benign comments about every player has that game when nothing goes right and complimenting their defense, etc. But it did feel pretty good, particularly after spending a few hours in downtown Oxford surrounded by obnoxious students in red and blue pants.[SIZE=-1]
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"Observe your enemies, for they first find out your faults." Antisthenes
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[2001OleMiss]

I feel the same. I get the whole elitist thing, but I went ole miss with about $40 in my pocket and that was it (1997 so im not talking about the 40s)My dad went to UGa, but I was about 700 points away on the SAT from even being considered, so Ole Miss was the next best think in my 17 year old opinion. I met my fair share of the "elite" at ole miss. In case you don't know, most of these "elite" are only elite in their own minds. To be honest, the majority of alums and fans can't stand those idiots. I'm not from Mississippi and would rather beat Georgia, but we rarely play them. I guess you guys get tired of being portrayed as "rednecks". Well hell I AM a redneck. Not like coach34 type redneck, but I buy my underwear at wal-mart and most of my nice clothes comes from bass pro shop. Now, I could afford I J crew boxers and $500 pink polos, but that's just now who I am. The "ole miss elite" look down on me as well I guess, but I could care less. The point I would make is its hard for me to believe State doesn't have their share of them as well. Am I wrong? ******** are ******** no matter where they went to school. Maybe y'all need to get out and meet some normal ole miss grads. Like I said it makes the rivalry fun and you don't have to worry about coach34 burning down your house because ole miss won.

 

[paindonthurt_]

I met my fair share of the "elite" at ole miss. In case you don't know, most of these "elite" are only elite in their own minds.

We know.

To be honest, the majority of alums and fans can't stand those idiots.

Not true. The majority (50% rule) are this way. Not all but a large majority.