Why people in Pittsburgh don't like the term Appalachia (Wilkes-Barre: wedding, universities)

[Bayarea4]

Betty Rubble in "The Flintstones."

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by Copanut

For 1000 bucks, what cartoon character did she voice?

Originally Posted by Bayarea4

Betty Rubble in "The Flintstones."

I did not know that.....

[Copanut]

Barney Rubble, what an actor!

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by Copanut

Barney Rubble, what an actor!

Hell yeah! Mel Blanc was number one in my book!!

[ditchdigger]

Even though he worked in a quarry, and not in the actual excavating business, I do sorta feel a kinship with Fred...

[ki0eh]

...and if you go to Flintstone, MD that's definitely Appalachia too!

[CookieSkoon]

As an Appalachian man from northern Appalachia with strong rural roots and ties to those hills, I'd like to get in on this.

What people forget is that "Appalachia" is only a sub region in the "Appalachians" and neighboring plateaus of the Piedmont and Allagheny.

The full list of Appalachian states reads very different than the ARC served areas.

Appalachian states (and states with areas inside the Appalachian region):

North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine (arguably northern Rhode Island as well).

Mississippi is only included in the ARC for economic reasons, it does not share geography with the Appalachians or plateaus.

Notice how many states are actually in the mountain chain?

Much of the New England culture is in fact, Appalachian. Distinct from the south for certain, but Appalachian nonetheless. Appalachian culture does not hold only one definition, it is in fact a range of cultures, urban and rural (although the majority in area is rural).

As far as the region of Appalachia, it just happens to be the most impoverished region in the overall mountain range. And as a result, has a strong romantic draw for the populace. Drama sells. So most people forget that these are mostly counties in the Appalachians, not the entirety of the Appalachians.

Hillbillies? BELIEVE ME they exist as far north as Maine. Probably into Canada as well. I grew up in New York, I've lived in Steuben, Schuyler, Tompkins, Seneca, and Yates counties. We were dirt poor most of the time, and boy howdy were we rural. I've been called a hillbilly, a redneck and a hick, but I don't go out of my way to act as such. Just my roots I guess. There were bills in them there hills even up north. But it's not the only kind of folk you'll find. And hillbilly isn't always a bad thing, many are just friendly, simple country folk.

Poverty? Well... like I said we were poor. New York wasn't as bad off as Kentucky for sure, but people were still struggling all over. The worst part was having wealthier people from the big cities shoving their nice houses and cars in your face. :P Then their mere presence made land values rise, and cost of living rose as well, thus causing even more trouble for the people already living there.

So I think the counties in southern NY surely need the ARC at this point (in reference to the ARC being over-inclusive). However, like I said earlier, the term Appalachian truly extends beyond these areas, beyond these kinds of folk, and beyond these problems.

If you are from the Appalachians, the real, overall Appalachian region, you should be proud of it. From Alabama to Maine it contains some of the most beautiful land in this country and some of the richest cultures as well.

The term Appalachian should not have a negative vibe. It should have a feel of brotherhood, of pride. It is a thing that should bring the region together across state lines.

Let's pull it back from the sewers and revitalize it. I am an Appalachian man, and damn proud of it.

[PeterRabbit]

In elementary school in the 1950s when we were taught about Appalachia, there wasn't anything to identify with as a kid growing up near Pittsburgh. Those folks had very little except for plenty of hard times and outhouses. Around here we had flush toilets plus TVs and a lot of those areas didn't even have electricity yet. Text books at the time had only black and white photos which made the sad situations look worse.

It may not be that we don't like the term Apppalachia as much as we can't relate to it. Tallysmom summed it up well, "... Pittsburgh may be in Appalachia, but it's not in an Appalachian state of mind..."

[rhondee]

Originally Posted by PeterRabbit

In elementary school in the 1950s when we were taught about Appalachia, there wasn't anything to identify with as a kid growing up near Pittsburgh. Those folks had very little except for plenty of hard times and outhouses. Around here we had flush toilets plus TVs and a lot of those areas didn't even have electricity yet. Text books at the time had only black and white photos which made the sad situations look worse.

It may not be that we don't like the term Apppalachia as much as we can't relate to it. Tallysmom summed it up well, "... Pittsburgh may be in Appalachia, but it's not in an Appalachian state of mind..."

I grew up in the mountains of central Pa near State College in coal country and it was very much Appalachian experience with the level of poverty being there. Even during the 1980's during high school,friends of mine poached deer to stretch family food budgets making 50% ground beef and venison mixtures to store in the freezer.It was just something everyone did and didn't think too much about it.
Funny thing is, I see now how impoverished everyone was, but no one noticed at the time because ( most) everyone else was poor.. Also, for the most part, everyone was basically happy and we always had alot of fun! As long as people have the basics like food,shelter,healthcare then being poor doesn't necessarily mean you have a poor quality of life.

[CookieSkoon]

We didn't have health care, barely any food, and sometimes were homeless (Lived in an old mini-van once), but we still managed to joke with each other and laugh. We were happy whenever possible.

When you're poor, the trick is to just enjoy what you've got. It's amazing how many simple joys of life people miss in exchange for video games and TV.