What is WV like? (Hinton, Madison: home, movies, shopper)

[redwine]

I really don't mean to be rude but everytime I hear something about WV it is something crazy that make my jaw drop? In my head I picturing WV as the most "country" place in United States? Now, I don't really believe this but why has it stuck to my mind?

[Blacknblue]

Google: "Country Roads lyrics" Grasshopper and all your questions will be answered.

[redwine]

Originally Posted by Blacknblue

Google: "Country Roads lyrics" Grasshopper and all your questions will be answered.

That' s all I needed. Thanks!

[Buzz123]

The best work I've read that nails the actual West Virginia persona, and explains the myths that created the misconceptions you've probably heard, is At Home in the Heart of Appalachia by the late John O'Brien. Below is part of what he said, but he goes into it in more detail in the book...

...conclusion is that the myth of Appalachia was created in the late 19th century—partly by reporters and practitioners of the local color literary movement who fed the desire of the nation's emerging middle class to elevate itself above an imagined hillbilly class, partly by politicians and business people as a way of avoiding the real problems facing the region, and partly by well-intentioned missionaries who, in an attempt to raise funds, exaggerated the backward nature of the people they came to help.

"Appalachia and hillbillies became fixtures in America's imaginary landscape," O'Brien said. "Hillbilly cartoons appear in major magazines again and again. They also appear in movies and in jokes that are repeated endlessly. In a sense, the existence of cartoonish hillbillies makes the American middle class feel more secure about their sophistication and arrival."
At Home in the Heart of an Appalachian Writer

I must have given my copy to someone to read so I just ordered a paperback version on Amazon. It's a really good book and I refer to it a lot when people ask about WV.

[Hinton Bound]

Originally Posted by redwine

Now, I don't really believe this but why has it stuck to my mind?

...because the propaganda is working... staaaaayyyy a waaayyyyyyy....WV iiisssss eeeeeeviiiillllll.

[JMadison]

Originally Posted by Hinton Bound

...because the propaganda is working... staaaaayyyy a waaayyyyyyy....WV iiisssss eeeeeeviiiillllll.

Have some family in Bucks and Montgomery County, Pa. Is WV at all like those places?

[snorpus]

Do they refer to raw fish as sushi? ... or bait?

Do they think of cow manure as smelly? ... or as fertilizer?

When's their next Road Kill Cookoff? the next Ramp Festival?

[Retired Navy]

Originally Posted by JMadison

Have some family in Bucks and Montgomery County, Pa. Is WV at all like those places?

I went hunting in Bucks County PA. when I was stationed in Philly. The few people I met there were friendly and helpful and reminded me a lot of West Virginians. Same as Southern Illinois....the people, accents and even the landscape made me feel I was home.

[JMadison]

Originally Posted by Retired Navy

I went hunting in Bucks County PA. when I was stationed in Philly. The few people I met there were friendly and helpful and reminded me a lot of West Virginians. Same as Southern Illinois....the people, accents and even the landscape made me feel I was home.

Well, that's what I'm wondering. Once you get out into the country, Pa. can be pretty nice, despite some of the carping that went on pre-election, LOL!

Just looking at the map, seems like WV and back country Pa. might be somewhat similar.

[Retired Navy]

Originally Posted by JMadison

Well, that's what I'm wondering. Once you get out into the country, Pa. can be pretty nice, despite some of the carping that went on pre-election, LOL!

Just looking at the map, seems like WV and back country Pa. might be somewhat similar.

Having been in both I can assure you they are VERY similar and in the hilly areas virtually identical.