Fifty years ago, white American poverty was synonymous with rural Appalachia, just as black American poverty was (and still is) with urban despair; LBJ's "War On Poverty" was a two front war. The worst Appalachian poverty was in eastern Kentucky. Nobody writes about that much anymore--instead we learn about it from shows like Justified.*
An ugly face was put on the people there sometime ago, perhaps after the movie Deliverance --mountain people become derisional characters, all too much to blame for their own misery.
I googled "Appalachian poverty" and the first hit is National Geographic piece called A Fresh Look At Appalachia--50 Years After The War On Poverty. If you're like me, you no longer trust National Geographic for impartiality. This is sad because the magazine was a part of our growing up. Sure enough, the first photo does not disappoint:
The father of the young woman writes in the comments to the hit piece:
My daughter is the young lady getting out of the racecar, Kealey Lowe. She is not a hillbilly or a red neck. She races cars and she is also a member of the cheer leading squad at her high school. She has been involved with a ballet studio right here in Cumberland County since she was 2 years old. We have lived in Cumberland County all of our lives. I think parts of this story are great, but I feel as if there is not enough positive involved. There is still a lot of poverty in this area, but we are not backwards hillbillies. I work at Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Admissions. We are a technical college. We have the technology to educate people and the students to prove it, but the jobs are just not in the area. We need to start showing more of this side of Appalachian areas and the growth that has come and stop dwelling on the negative. We need to help the area grow with positive images and industry to attract companies to our area.Bravo, dad!
[Added] I think the banjo player shuns the guitar player in the Deliverance scene because the latter breaks the 3rd Commandment (twice).
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*Justified is the story of a US Marshall who comes to tame the worst of Appalachian crime and poverty. In that sense it is the "Federalization" of law enforcement that Obama and Holder are all for. Maybe they're fans of the show?
On the otherhand, it's too bad there isn't a cable show about some black U.S. Marshall who goes into Baltimore et al. and sets things straight.
Or am I confusing reality and fiction?
The Whites of Boone County, West Virginia.
Depression, misery and hellacious fun.
BTW, maybe it's just the crowd I hang with but there's nothing quite like listening to someone successfully middle-class, who consider his or herself Irish Catholic, going on about how the media is biased in favor of blacks and how they're trying to destroy the church.
I think it is Michael Medved who's got the tagline "I am not a victim."
Sometimes I think it's some kind of a weird contest but I have no idea what the prize might be for such complaining except maybe you get to have more friends than you would otherwise.
Perhaps I should add, it's not the point of view I find mind-boggling. I think there's considerable truth to it. What gets me is the anger. I'm like, "What the hell are you so mad about?" But that's on the inside, in all candor. Outwardly I smile politely and do my best to agree dispassionately with the underlying points I think valid.
But hey, that's just me.
I've driven through Eastern Kentucky. A problem, perhaps an insurmountable problem, is the geography or topography of the area. Incredibly narrow valleys separated by steep hills. Each valley has little in the way of decent arable bottomland and each is isolated from every other valley. It's just a hard area to get into or out of or even get around in. Other than mining there hasn't been much in the way of economic development (or exploitation if you prefer) because of the prohibitive costs the isolating topography would add to normal business expenses.
A new show I would like to recommend to fans of Justified which has ended its run.
Set in rural New Jersey it is called "Red Road" and stars the Conan guy who was also in Game of Thrones.
Highly recommended it is on Nefflicks.
And Eric you are not paranoid if you really have enemies who are out to destroy you. Pay attention buddy.
Lefties and their racist assumptions. Poor whites are evil. Poor blacks are pitiful.
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