Learn from Everyone

Last Friday, the UofA welcomed a new director for its oral history center. Being the history geek, of course I dropped by the reception. Former US senator David Pryor is the money and force behind the center, and he gave some brief comments.

What you might ask can a senator do to help sports information? He told the story of why he and his wife decided that Arkansas needed a center for oral history. They attended the opening of a colleagues' papers at a neighboring state's flagship university library. Impressed with what they saw, they began to wonder what could be done in Arkansas.

The kicker, however, was why they wanted to do it. Stop me if this sounds familiar, but Arkansas has a huge inferiority complex. Some of it deserved. But the Pryors realized that as long as outsiders were defining the state, it was always remain some haven for the Dogpatch-cum-trailer park mystique.

To paraphrase, it was at that point David Pryor realized that unless he did something to let Arkansans tell their story in their own words, who would? If he didn't give voice to the good things about Arkansas, how could we expect to change the state's image?

Smack between the eyes. So, if you're tired of what's being said about your school, your coach, yourself on the internet, until you are willing to tell your own story -- the good stories -- why are you thinking it will somehow get better on its own.

Go forth and tell your good stories.