Al White, Colorado Tourism Director, Draws New Mexico's Ire After Humorous Jab In Wall Street Journal

In New Mexico, when someone stares at you in an angry, direct manner, it's known as "mad dogging." As in, 'That guy is mad dogging me after I insulted his green chile.')

The next time he visits New Mexico, Al White should expect to be seriously mad dogged.

White, the director of the Colorado Tourism Office, was quoted in the Wall Street Journal riffing on our neighbor to the south's rebranding campaign. The state recently pledged $2.5 million to the cause, to which White responded:

The [recent article about] New Mexico's rebranding says that the state is looking to Colorado, which "routinely gets praised in focus groups," as a model. So how about this for a theme: "New Mexico . . . just south of Paradise!" That would have saved New Mexico the $2.5 million it spent on the effort.

Reached for comment by New Mexico's KRQE, White clarified his statement was meant only as a joke. He also added the comment wasn't his to begin with -- someone in Wyoming had chided Colorado with the same expression a couple years ago. Still, White apologized for the wisecrack.

At a function Monday, White said he had yet to hear from the New Mexico Tourism Department, but according to Westword, some attendees did ask him about the matter.

Also on HuffPost:

Flickr photo via bad9brad

Comments

[pfreddie88]

10:41 AM on 01/27/2012

No No No! Colorado is terrible! Do NOT move here under any circumstances. We have enough people!

[ProCynic]

10:38 AM on 01/27/2012

Saw a lot of signs on I-10 in NM.

"Lordsburg - Seriously, don't stop here."
"Demming - Yeah, we are better than Lordsburg."
"Los Cruces - Keep driving, for the love of god, keep driving"

[dayzee10]

10:13 PM on 01/26/2012

How about......New Mexico (At least we are not Arizona!!)

[dbrett480]

06:16 PM on 01/26/2012

Who cares, it's just a joke. If New Jersey residents have gotten used to being laughed at, I'm sure the New Mexicans can as well.

[auroraguy]

04:53 PM on 01/26/2012

How about NM saying, "We have Trader Joe's and Colorado doesn't"?

[yurakraphed]

01:07 PM on 01/26/2012

Why is everybody so uptight about everything - geezzzzzzzzzzz - i'm sure worse things have been said - how about New Mexico the only state where our troopers will let you pay your fines on the side of the road or behind a wall while bein filmed

[yurakraphed]

01:04 PM on 01/26/2012

i thought this article was about babies born in Mexico

[yurakraphed]

01:02 PM on 01/26/2012

well thats no different than sayin " ya know why all the trees in west virginia point north ? - cause ohio suxxxxxxx "

[RockyMissouri]

01:09 PM on 01/28/2012

That's funny...!

[floorme1955]

12:25 PM on 01/26/2012

So how about this for a theme: "New Mexico . . . just south of Paradise!"
THAT'S FUNNY:
he could have suggested:

New Mexico:: Mostly Populated by NEW mexicans;
New Mexico:: Birth place of Jalepeno -on a stick: ( reference Jeff Dunham)
New Mexico:: where our BORDERS are clean and safe- cause it's a really cool BOOK STORE
New Mexico:: Future home of America's fastest track team- can you Yell:
Here comes immigration!
New Mexico:; Lots of Jobs: providing US Guns to Mexican Drug Cartels:
It's okay:: President Obama says so:
Maybe you can think of a few

[all im sayin is]

12:48 PM on 01/26/2012

Can't think of anything through the laughter!!! Comments made up for this (use your own adjective/expletive) article!!!

[yurakraphed]

01:05 PM on 01/26/2012

lol

[flyingout]

12:13 PM on 01/26/2012

Oh yeah? Well, we got prettier tornadoes in Oklahoma. Must be the red dirt.

[RockyMissouri]

01:14 PM on 01/28/2012

We've got lots of ice storms, tornadoes, bible-thumpers AND ticks, to boot! (and our dirt is red and rocky!)

[kagu632418]

12:10 PM on 01/26/2012

I worked in New Mexico .. Loved it all the way...

[zellacious]

12:01 PM on 01/26/2012

For all those Texans, New Yorkers, and anyone else wondering as to why one would want to live in Colorado or New Mexico, these God-forsaken places? because it's really ugly, the weather sucks, and the people are really unfriendly. Oh, and the food? ugh. The culture? what culture? Terrible place to "be". So is you're considering a move, please DON"T. And for those in the know, we'd rather have all this "misery" to ourselves!!!

[mansobravo]

05:21 PM on 01/26/2012

Sorry but you can't keep the Rockies to yourselves. We Texans thank God for US 287, our escape route to Colorado, Wyoming and Montana, with a jog over to New Mexico along the way. Hard to believe, but some folks like to go the reverse route. We met some teenage girls living in a Colorado resort who said they liked Dallas and wanted to spend their next vacation there. I said what on earth for, and they said "The Malls!"

[zellacious]

08:18 PM on 01/28/2012

Well said...and well taken.

[scott mccarthy]

11:59 AM on 01/26/2012

Great. The media on the internet is now like the kid in the schoolyard trying to instigate something between two other guys.

"Did you hear what so-and-so said about you?"
"Oh man! Are you going to stand for that?"
"Oh snap (yeah, snap - not sure where the kids get that one), he just called you a what?!"
"Damn, that's messed up!"

Etc., etc., etc...

Thanks internet media for sucking. Now we have to sift the mindless dribble to decipher what is decent what is, well, what this article is.

[all im sayin is]

12:45 PM on 01/26/2012

...just to keep it going...let's see...aha! Irish-Irish name? Nice pic!!! Your comment...dead on!!!

[OpoopDeDo]

11:53 AM on 01/26/2012

Wow, there are still folks in Mexicans in Mexico? I thought they were all here. Hmmm!

[LindaK9975]

12:07 PM on 01/26/2012

You seriously need to get an education! New Mexico is IN THE UNITED STATES!

[bigbe]

12:17 PM on 01/26/2012

WHAT!!!! Folks in Mexicans???

[PAULETTEJACK]

11:53 AM on 01/26/2012

Anytime you live close to another state you seem to make fun of that state. I lived in Ky and we made fun of Indiana and Ohio and knew further south they made fun of Tennessee. Same held true when I lived in west Texas, we made fun of New Mexico. When I lived in Amarillo, Texas I would hear the young guys brag how they got gas for their car last night using their Oklohoma credit card. I am sure all these states made fun of where I was living. Plus the comment they made was not that bad and kind of cute.

[all im sayin is]

12:43 PM on 01/26/2012

Don't take this to be personal. I'm only trying to have fun due to the lack of...really anything...that came from this story!!! Making fun of the state next to you...you say? I've been to lots of states waaaayyyy far from Ky, yet it seems I can't go anywhere without hearing jokes about...Ky...or WV!!! We all just need to get over ourselves.

[PAULETTEJACK]

04:32 PM on 01/27/2012

No chance I would take your comments personal but thanks for saying. Sad to say but the reason you hear so many jokes about KY and WV is most tend to be true. The old saying where there is smoke there is fire comes to mind. When you go back up into the hills of eastern KY & the part of WV that borders that, it is like going back in time. They do marry their sisters or at least have sex with them as it is not that unusual for them to be PG by their brother. There are a lot of other things that they say go on but I will only speak about what I am aware of first hand. Some of the other is hard to believe but of course I did not believe about the brothers and sisters until I met some of these people. This is one of two.

[PAULETTEJACK]

04:34 PM on 01/27/2012

This is two of two. They do not even act ashamed. I am only speaking about KY but when you are up in those mountains there are no signs saying leaving KY and entering WV but my friends say we did. I was up there deer hunting with some friends and when they saw I was not believing them they took me around to some of the family's. They are some of the nicest people you would ever meet. Dirt poor but would give you the shirt off their back. They are just real backward and most have not had much schooling. We ended up giving the deer away that we killed because we did not want to have to carry the deer out. Believe me, it is another world back up in those hills. This was 20 odd years ago but do not think anything has changed. First time I ever drank moonshine and saw a real still.