Mississippi is far from perfect, but many of the people who mock it constantly have never stepped foot in this state. Yes there is some inherent and implied racism around the state, but that's not exclusive to us, and generally speaking the quality of people in MS is higher than people in many of the states that stick their noses up at us.
I grew up in a nice all-white neighborhood, went to an all-white church, went to a mostly white school, have always had mostly white friends, etc, so much of my upbringing was in a bubble and that can cause you to lose some perspective about others whose situations are different from your own. I would have never described myself or my family as racist, but there are jokes, comments or even just thoughts over the years that in hindsight I regret. I work at a job where many of my clients are African American, and my wife teaches at a school with a mostly black students and an African American assistant. All most people want these days is to be treated with kindness and respect, and that's all you can do as a human being. And in spite a lot of the negatives about Mississippi, I do feel like we are one of the better states when it comes to basic human decency.