West Virginia – Appalachia in general – is full of a rich and unique culture. Though some of our traditions are different from the rest of the United States, we aren’t the backwards rednecks we have been portrayed to be.
Yes, we have regional dialects and accents. Doesn’t every state? Put one person from every state all in one room, and after speaking for just a few minutes, you can probably discern where each person is from. So please stop mocking our accents. We don’t mock yours.
The one common trait amongst all Americans is that we very rarely speak in grammatically correct sentences. It’s not a trait limited just to Appalachia. Everyone does it. Ever heard of slang?
Appalachians do in fact own and wear shoes. Hard to believe but true. I can honestly say the only people I’ve ever seen barefoot in Wal-Mart were babies. Every child has played barefoot at some point in their lives – no matter where their childhood was. I’m willing to bet in adulthood or young adulthood – again, it doesn’t matter what state you live in – you’ve gone out into your backyard and walked around barefoot because you were too lazy to put on shoes.
Now, I will present the reason for my rant. The Elvis Duran Show, which airs nationally, made a social faux pas the other day, and it still has my blood boiling. One of the cast members was complaining that her co-workers had taken pictures of her dirty bare feet and posted them on the internet. Without missing a beat she exclaimed, “I might as well live in West Virginia where they don’t wear shoes.” (This is not the exact wording, but close enough for our purposes.)
It is those types of misconceptions and stereotypes that make me blow my top. We are not heathens here in West Virginia or anywhere in Appalachia! Poking fun at us was funny for a few decades, but two-hundred-some years later, the jokes have grown old and tired. Grow up!
What makes it worse are outsiders coming in looking to verify those stereotypes. Journalists and newscasters from out of state will come into a town and find the one person with no teeth, can’t speak, has no hair on their head, and a beard so long it touches the ground. This is not an accurate depiction! So many documentaries have tried to portray all of Appalachia as living in poverty and squalor. Yes, we have poverty, but so does every other state in the Union! You cannot show a minority and let them represent the whole region or state.
Case in point: if you google search images of ‘appalachia,’ there are two primary types of pictures that appear. The first are beautiful scenic pictures of natural wonders like waterfalls or fields filled with bright, colorful flowers. The others are black and white portraits of dirty farmers wearing ripped clothes, children with barely any clothes, all obviously living in poverty. Like the picture to your right. That came from an actual google search of ‘Appalachia.’ There are more facets to our culture! Don’t drink the Kool-Aid and believe poor farmers and a pretty view are all this region has to offer.
We have such a beautiful and unique culture here in Appalachia. We love our neighbors and smile at strangers. Our music ranges from blue-grass to country to rock to pop. Family is important, but we don’t have to be constantly breathing each other’s air. Yes, we have some “rednecks,” but we accept them as a permenant fixture in our society and a reminder of an older way of life that some days seems like something we should get back to. Most importantly, we wear our West Virginia heritage like a badge of honor. Hopefully one day the rest of the world will see what we’ve always known: being Appalachian isn’t something to feel ashamed about, it’s a source of pride.
-J
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