It was hard to pinpoint a specific quote from the article
Tall Tales of Appalachia written by John O'Brien in the Opinion section of
The New York Times. As a true West Virginian born and raised under the stereotype of "hillbilly", I tend to be sensitive to how the rest of the world perceives us. I work hard to make sure my dialect or drawl is nearly invisible to others for fear that I do not sound educated. I think about each phrase I use in my conversations for the fear that "y'all" will pop out at any moment. In fact, I wince when it does rear its ugly head during informal conversation with other West Virginians thinking to myself, "Well that stereotype just rang true and clear."
I feel my parents did the best they could to make sure I used "proper English" but at times what is declared cultural "proper English" can be abstract; dialect combined with slang sometimes takes over. In fact, I once sat through a meeting in Pennsylvania to hear my boss declare that people south of where I was sitting did not have a proper or professional dialect. I gulped and became infuriated immediately. He proceeded to tell us that we needed to watch our accents and present ourselves in a professional manner. Ouch! That stung, if I weren't already self-conscious - that just did it. It confirmed what I already knew about the rest of the world and how the southern states were perceived. If you are wondering - Yes, I did confront him at that moment in front of everyone in the meeting. I had worked too hard all my life to present myself in any other way than professionally; to sit and listen to such nonsense was unexceptable. To this day, that comment still stings.
Quote:
Reporters from the big cities wrote about ''white savages'' and ''West Virginia barbarians.'' (The New York Times, for example, said of people in eastern Kentucky: ''They are remarkably good shots and effective assassins,'' adding that they ''are so accustomed to murder that they do not look upon it with the horror with which it is regarded in civilized communities.'') (O'Brien, 2003)
Reaction:
My Scot-Irish ancestors arrived in the hills of Nicholas, Greenbrier, and Pocahontas County (West Virginia) in the 1840's. They welcomed the beauty of these hills which mirrored the beauty of Ireland as their new home. As immigrants they weren't prosperous by any means and continued their farming heritage; happy with their surrounds as they became the McClungs of these three counties. I chose this quote simply because I have been embarrassed of my relatives that still linger in these same hills. I too have thought of them as barbarians. I have fallen to the same uneducated stereotype as the rest of the world. I did not want to admit that these same hills had a pull on my heart and my being. They feel incredibly liberating. When I step out of my car and I breath in the sweet air of the trees, the dirt, the flowers, the mountains - I feel like I've come home. I know what attracted my ancestors, I know what still attracts my family but the stigma that follows is also powerful. Sometimes I feel as if I live in two worlds. The one I know in my heart (the one that pulls me home) and the one that the rest of the world sees.
Related Source:
( kittehcat101 )
I chose this picture because I think it best represents how the rest of the world views or wants to view a "hillbilly", "hick", "mountain folk", or "Appalachian" - as an uneducated, unkept, toothless joke. While there are people who do represent this stereotype all over the world, there are also people that represents West Virginians as intelligent, professional, and successful:
("Jennifer garner eyelid," 2011)
Of course, West Virginians are not all as glamorous all as successful as Jennifer Garner. Maybe this pictures represents a typical West Virginian family:
References:
O'Brien, J. (2003, May 10). Tall tales of appalachia. The New York Times
kittehcat101 [Web log message]. Retrieved from
http://cheezburger.com/View/3432621312
Jennifer garner eyelid surgery: Go away eye bags. (2011, October 8). Retrieved
from http://celebquestion.com/jennifer-garner-eyelid-surgery-go-away-eye-bags/
