If you grew up in Starkville or for some other reason have a deep affection for this town, I’d advise you not to read on.
Not only should you not read on, but you should also contact me with a list of all the lovable things about Starkville, to educate me on whatever unique, appreciable assets I’m apparently missing out on. I’d like to think there is some secret underground cultural scene, even if it’s one of which I’m unaware.
I grew up in Birmingham, a city of about a million people, metropolitan areas included. Not a “big city” on the scale of Atlanta (5 million) or Chicago (10 million) but enough to dwarf Starkville, which tabulated just over 22,000 inhabitants in 2005.
When I chose to attend MSU, I thought I would find Starkville a quaint college town, at least for the four years I’d be spending here. Going home, though, after enough time in Starkville, more and more often makes me realize that Starkville is not the refreshing change of pace I hoped it would be.
And just how much exactly is enough time spent in Starkville? How much time can a person unaccustomed to small town life spend here before they begin to feel themselves drained to the very soul?
To answer this question I performed an experiment. I was both anthropologist and guinea pig in the experiment, which involved me enrolling here at MSU. The answer? Exactly six semesters. I realized the feelings I’ve been having lately that I dubbed senioritis are actually misinterpreted feelings of get-me-the-hell-out-of-Starkville-itis.
Perhaps lifelong residents of a small town like Starkville, or even most other “cities” in Mississippi, are unaware of what it is lacking. To those whose move to Starkville is a significant downsize in town size, though, it’s apparent what is lacking. It’s culture.
If you want to listen to the radio, I hope you like rap, gospel or country, because otherwise you’re out of luck. Thank goodness for MPB Radio, with its symphony performances and programs like “All Things Considered” and “This American Life.”
If you want to go out to eat, you can choose either Mexican, sandwiches, Mexican, sandwiches, Mexican or, well, sandwiches. Why we need Sweet Peppers, Bulldog Deli and McAlister’s within a short ride of each other is unbeknownst to me.
If you’re going to a nice restaurant, you can go to Harvey’s or Old Venice. After three years, though, these restaurants have entirely lost their “fancier” status and have little more appeal than Barnhill’s. No, I retract that statement. Any restaurant has considerably more appeal than Barnhill’s, but you get my point.
Shaherezad’s was a breath of fresh air, but other than that, where is any genuine, quality ethnic food? And don’t even try to pull the “But we have a sushi restaurant!” card.
One positive thing small town cuisine has going for it is those few wonderful hole-in-the-wall restaurants that ooze charm and history. If you’ve ever eaten at Sonny’s, you know what I’m talking about.
If you’re looking for the fine arts, you’re pretty much out of luck, with the exception of the McComas Art Gallery, the Starkville Community Theatre and whatever bands are featured at the bars on the weekends. (Everclear is still around? Really?) With such a dearth of culture, it’s hard to feel that Starkville has any value or history at all.
If a visitor drives down Miss. Highway 12 and sees nothing but Applebee’s, Amoco and Wal-Mart, what is there to make him want to stop and appreciate the town? What evokes curiosity? What landmarks claim to have a story? The town is almost completely generic. Except for the MSU campus, nothing sets Starkville apart from any other small town.
What bothers me is that people seem content with this. I say this not only because of the diverse culture Starkville lacks, but also because when we are occasionally visited by an influential cultural figure, no one takes advantage.
Two weeks ago a thick line of people crossed the Drill Field to meet the guy who lost 150 pounds by eating Subway sandwiches, but when reknowned poet and president of the Guggenheim Foundation in New York, Edward Hirsch, came to speak here last spring, barely a roomful of people showed up, and most of them were faculty and adults.
Starkvillians and MSU students should not be content with mediocrity. We should demand more. Rather than spending the university’s entertainment allowance to ship in an artist like Will Hoge or Edwin McCain to play for the semi-conscious drunken masses, why not bring more authors, politicians, artists and musicians with half an ounce of credibility?
I was able to stomach it for the past three years, but this last year is going to be a struggle. I’m not a person who is content to stagnate in a town that considers itself thriving without any real cultural growth, and I know I’m not the only one. It saddens me to admit that I won’t take anything from the town of Starkville with me when I leave. And until Starkville has something substantial to offer, no one will.