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Although the OP completely "misrepresented" the book, I want to thank him or her for the recommendation, which I have now ordered from the library. For those of you who would like a review:
From the Wikipedia summary (excerpted) --
QUOTE: "Alongside his personal history, Vance raises questions such as the responsibility of his family and people for their own misfortune. Vance blames hillbilly culture and its supposed encouragement of social rot. Comparatively, he feels that economic insecurity plays a much lesser role. To lend credence to his argument, Vance regularly relies on personal experience. As a grocery store checkout cashier, he watched welfare recipients talk on cell phones while Vance himself could not afford one. This resentment towards those who apparently profited from misdeeds while he struggled, especially combined with his values of personal responsibility and tough love, is presented as a microcosm of Appalachia's overall political swing from strong Democratic Party to strong Republican affiliations. Likewise, he recounts stories intended to showcase a lack of work ethic including, the story of a man who quit after expressing dislike over his job’s hours and posted to social media about the "Obama economy", as well as a co-worker, with a pregnant girlfriend, who would skip work.[1]" ENDQUOTE
The main flaw I found with "Hillbilly Elegy" was that the author seems to generalize, whether intentionally or not, with the result that many readers not too familiar with Appalachian culture and the history of outmigration to the industrial cities to the north assume that his family is typical of all of the many Kentucky mountain families who followed that migration path.
They're not. They're, well, trashy. Potty mouthed. Alcohol abusers. Violent towards one another. Unstable. Erratic. Inconsistent. Loving, well, yes, sort of, but self-centered, and easily triggered
[SNIP]
I heard Vance speak at a book fair a couple of years ago, and since this was the Kentucky Book Fair, he drew a large audience of readers, literate and articulate people - Kentuckians - many of whom questioned him closely about just these issues. He seemed much more moderate in person than in his writing, I was glad to see, but time ran out before all the questions got asked and answered.
My father's family is from West Virginia, my grandfather moved to Akron, Ohio about 1910 when he was a young man, and my father moved to SoCal in 1963. Based on my 64 years of life experience, I am convinced that people from and living in the Appalachia and the Midwest are like those in or from other regions in the U.S. -- some are good, hardworking, and intelligent citizens, and some are not. I am just so tired of all the stereotyping that some people do, no matter what "kind" of people are being discussed.
My father's family is from West Virginia, my grandfather moved to Akron, Ohio about 1910 when he was a young man, and my father moved to SoCal in 1963. Based on my 64 years of life experience, I am convinced that people from and living in the Appalachia and the Midwest are like those in or from other regions in the U.S. -- some are good, hardworking, and intelligent citizens, and some are not. I am just so tired of all the stereotyping that some people do, no matter what "kind" of people are being discussed.
A lot of people seem to enjoy stating stereotypical hateful things on the internet about people all over. I dunno why.
In what redneck Bizarro-world alternate universe does that come across as... uh... "bashing?"
Exactly. In fact, it was the same exact response I had when I read the book and I'm white.
It's the culture of poverty and ignorance that poor rural whites have in common with poor urban blacks. Very similar bad behavior but small town USA doesn't get much media coverage and El Chapo seems to have limited his cartel's activity to large cities - so gang wars over drugs isn't an issue in small towns.
Last edited by MPowering1; 05-18-2018 at 10:25 AM..
Exactly. In fact, it was the same exact response I had when I read the book and I'm white.
It's the culture of poverty and ignorance that poor rural whites have with poor urban blacks. Very similar bad behavior but small town USA doesn't get much media coverage and El Chapo seems to have limited his cartel's activity to large cities - so gang wars over drugs isn't an issue in small towns.
Yep, dodged bullets in an urban area- gang war. Dodged bullets in rural area - dumbass hunting where he should not have been. Same result, innocents caught in the crossfire of idiocy. Why specifically pick on rurals as liberals and those who have left rural areas do. If you had a bad childhood in a rural area it doesn't mean you would not have had a bad childhood in the city. Yet they cling on to their distain of rural people, particularly white rural people as an example of the worst of America.
Now all manner of idiocy is spreading to the suburbs. Let's not point fingers in any one direction.
Seems like Democrats intend to win by bashing rural America.
I wonder how their rural bashing strategy is going to do in November. Especially the large rural populations in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan and other former swing states.
I wonder why a senator who represents this and was mayor of this.
Hillbilly Elegy written by Republican JD Vance obviously did not intend his book to be about BASHING Appalachia - where he grew up. Vance lives in Ohio and has every intention of running for office as a Republican.
Perhaps you should tell him what you think of his book.
Hillbilly Elegy written by Republican JD Vance obviously did not intend his book to be about BASHING Appalachia - where he grew up. Vance lives in Ohio and has every intention of running for office as a Republican.
Perhaps you should tell him what you think of his book.
Exactly. A Republican and grandchild of poor Appalachian transplants to blue-collar Ohio wrote the book. There's nothing in Booker's reading of Vance's book that could be misconstrued as bashing. To paraphrase Martha Stewart, books are "a good thing," especially when it involves reading beyond your comfort zone. Booker is to be applauded. He's getting outside the echo chamber that prevents American politicians from reaching across the aisle and moving toward concensus.
To the persons bashing Cory Booker, at least Booker is trying to understand. At least he's trying to educate himself to understand things better. What more do you want from Cory Booker?
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