Hillbillies

 

Beverly Hillbillies Theme Song

Well now it's time to say good bye to Jed and all his kin.
And they would like to thank you folks fer kindly droppin in.
You're all invited back next week to this locality
To have a heapin helpin of their hospitality
Hillbilly that is. Set a spell, Take your shoes off.
Y'all come back now, y'hear?

And we need some of that hospitality!

Hillbilly is a derogatory term applied to the residents of Appalachia and the Ozarks  I have worked for the Appalachian Regional Commission as a consultant. There I learned that I married into a family that grew up on Appalachian Highway Corridor Z. One of the people whom I admire most in the world is Dolly Parton. I love the performers of American Roots music.  What I am about to say is NOT intended to disparage those people.

But it has to be noted that the leaders of the House Republican Freedom caucus are from Appalachia. The headquarters of the Aryan Nation, a white supremacist hate group, was for years in Appalachia. Marjorie Taylor Greene represents Northeastern Georgia, which is geographically in Appalachia. Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri is heavily supported by the Ozarks. Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio is famous for writing the Hillbilly Elegy.

One of the hallmarks of the People of the USA is a support for the system that is America, . This includes ALL Americans, including blacks, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and immigrants who are not heavily represented in Appalachia, the Ozarks, or rural America.  It depends on a belief in the truth, as it is presented.

The hollers of Appalachia, including those of my wife’s family, have limited resources to be exposed to others and learn the truth. News and rumors in these isolated mountain hollers mean that they are limited to the media that is presented to them. They may see only major cites on television, have seldom visited those cities, and a “If it bleeds, it leads” news media gives a distorted picture of what life is like in major metropolitan areas.

A fear of strangers, coupled with a media presence that presents them with a distorted picture of life and the residents of those cities, is a difficult barrier to overcome. But when confronted with those who are strangers, and correct information about those who are strangers, my experience is that “hillbillies” are incredibly welcoming and supportive. We need some of their hospitality, not to exclude them, Y'hear.