How do you pronounce Missouri? And why do you say it that way?
Legend has it former Gov. and Sen. Kit Bond took a poll during his gubernatorial races during the 1970s and '80s to see what Missourians preferred to say and how his pronunciation could help his strategy to win his election.
In our latest episode, Show Me The State digs into that legend while examining how politicians, like former Sen. Claire McCaskill and former Gov. Jay Nixon, use their pronunciation to signal certain values to their constituents.
From politicians to everyday Missourians, there are specific reasons why people pronounce the state differently and it's not exactly why you may think. The argument runs deep throughout the state going back more than a century. And even today in the Trump era, the debate has taken on a different connotation.
Listen while we break down the history of the argument and how that's shaped the polticial and cultural landscape today.
