"Reporters from the big cities wrote about ''white savages'' and ''West Virginia barbarians.''
(O'Brian)
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I find the above quote to be very insulting to West Virginian's. When I first read the quote, I thought "We are being classified as being "uncivilized" and "untamed". Many people from other states, usually, seem to think we marry our cousins, have no teeth, and are poor because we are from West Virginia. We are called hillbillies and made fun of for our "accents". What about people from Tennessee? Do people not realize many great country singers come from Nashville? They have a similar "country" way of living, just like us West Virginian's. I am proud to be born and raised in the mountains and hills of West Virginia. At least we know how to hunt for our food, farm, and better yet survive in this terrible world we are living in today. Hank Williams says it best when he sings his famous song “A Country Boy Can Survive.”
Reference:
O'Brian, John. "Tall Tales Of Appalachia." New York Times. New York Times Company, May 10, 2003. Web. 24 Aug 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/10/opinion/tall-tales-of-appalachia.html?src=pm.
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After responding to the quote I chose, I began to wonder if people in West Virginia and Tennessee are ever compared to each other. I came across a hillbilly joke website. The site is directed to people from Tennessee. However, in the joke titled "Hillbilly Letter From Home" West Virginia is mentioned.
I didn't find anything of much worth that compares the two states. So, I decided to include the joke website. It's kind of humorous.
http://www.guy-sports.com/months/jokes_hillbilly_drunk.htm
Reference:
Baker, Will, and Guy Thomas. "Tennessee Hillbilly Jokes." N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Aug 2011. http://www.guy-sports.com/months/jokes_hillbilly_drunk.htm.
I wouldh have expected it would be easy to find an article that compared the two. I had thought Kentucky was very close to the same culture.
ReplyDeleteI think more people should try to live the way West Virginians live. Although I think as soon as winter hit they would be running back to their beach houses!
ReplyDeletePersonally, I would think self sufficiency would be a characteristic that all people would strive for; however, maybe that's my inner West Virginian talking! This is just one of the many reasons why I'm so proud I was born and raised here; because, by golly, we can survive! :)
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