Cord Byrd: “for more than a century now, national commentators of one type or another have stereotyped, mocked, and ridiculed the…”

“for more than a century now, national commentators of one type or another have stereotyped, mocked, and ridiculed the people of Appalachia. They continued to do so even as the region and its people were savaged by Northeast industrialists, and as economic forces beyond their control resulted in massive gaps of poverty in the region. When I say ``their control,'' I refer to its being beyond the control of the people of Appalachia. The stereotyping of the Appalachian people as dim-witted, barefooted hillbillies who thrive on incest and moonshine allowed the Nation to laugh at and turn its back on the plight of a people who were being robbed of their land and its resources. It prompted the Nation to perceive and to dismiss Appalachians as the instigators rather the victims of their plight. Television has certainly been a part of this Appalachian bashing. ``Green Acres'' featured farming mountain folks conversing with a talking pig. The ``Dukes of Hazzard'' featured stereotypical mountain folk jumping into and out of cars, without bothering to open doors, and a car horn that played Dixie. Even ``The Waltons,''--remember the Waltons?--a series with numerous morally uplifting episodes and storylines that promoted hard work, love of family, honesty, patriotism, and spirituality, can be faulted for its beautifully romanticized version of poverty.”