Apr 25, 2009

NYT's Gail Collins Disses Wisconsin Slogan

Popular New York Times columnist Gail Collins hits our state slogan, "Live Like You Mean It,” today.

Wisconsin has unveiled a new official state slogan, much to the dismay of some Wisconsinites who wondered why their tourism department spent $50,000 to come up with a catchphrase that used to be in a Bacardi Rum ad campaign. ...

I know, I know. Don’t write to me, Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois. I don’t want to hear about how you have so much original thinking and creativity it’s sloshing over the border. Tell it to the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.

I went to school in Wisconsin, and it never struck me as the sort of place where people were worried about living like they meant it. But they were so deeply into being the nation’s dairy capital that they once banned the importation of margarine across state lines.

Then, in 1985, Gov. Anthony Earl of Wisconsin decided America’s Dairyland' was boring and sponsored a contest for a new state slogan, which drew an avalanche of suggestions. A screening committee declined to consider the popular favorite: 'Eat Cheese or Die.' I truly believe that nothing has gone right for Wisconsin on the slogan front ever since.

Maybe we could do better. For $50,000 I surely could.

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