Confronting Stereotypes: Appalachia

1. Confronting Stereotypes:Appalachia Tara Hannum C&I 689 Summer Session

2. Welcome to

3. Where is Appalachia? • What is considered to be Appalachia- • The Appalachian Region includes all of West Virginia and parts of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. • The Region is home to more than 25 million people and covers 420 counties and almost 205,000 square miles.

4. Appalachia

5. Different Subregions These subregions were developed by the Appalachian Regional Commission as a basis for analysis. The creation of the five subregions on this map were completed in 2009 for the purposes of generating more detailed research. This map is based on current economic and transportation data. The Appalachian subregions are contiguous regions of relatively homogeneous characteristics (topography, demographics, and economics) within Appalachia.

6. What Makes this Region Different than other areas in the U.S? Its History And Statistics

7. History

8. Education Statistics

9. Educational Attainment • Percent of Working-Age Adults (Ages 25 to 64) With a Bachelor's Degree or More, by Appalachian County Type, 2006-2010

10. Learning Opportunity America’s Favorite Joke is Anything but Funny: Why are jokes and stereotypical portrayals of Appalachians acceptable?

11. Fact vs. Fiction • Ask students what they know about Appalachia and the people that live there? • What are they using as a basis for this “knowledge”?

12. Is it Appalachian Culture or a Stereotype?

13. 10 Common Characteristics of Appalachia 1. Individualism, Self-Reliance, Pride - most obvious characteristics; necessary on the early frontier; look after oneself; solitude; freedom; do things for oneself; not wanting to be beholding to others; make do2. Religion - values and meaning to life spring from religious sources; fatalistic (outside factors control one's life, fate, believe things happen for a reason and will work out for the best); sustains people in hard times3. Neighborliness and Hospitality - help each other out, but suspicious of strangers; spontaneous to invite people for a meal, to spend the night, etc.4. Family Solidarity or Familism - family centered; loyalty runs deep; responsibility may extend beyond immediate family; "blood is thicker than water"5. Personalism - relates well to others; go to great lengths to keep from offending others; getting along is more important than letting one's feelings be known; think in terms of persons rather than degrees or professional reputations6. Love of Place - never forget "back home" and go there as often as possible; revitalizing, especially if a migrant; sometimes stay in places where there is no hope of maintaining decent lives7. Modesty and Being Oneself - believe one should not put on airs; be oneself, not a phony; don't pretend to be something you're not or be boastful; don't get above your raising8. Sense of Beauty - displayed through folksongs, poems, arts, crafts, etc., colorful language metaphors, e.g. "I'm as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a roomful of rocking chairs."9. Sense of Humor - seem dour, but laugh at ourselves; do not appreciate being laughed at; humor sustains people in hard times10. Patriotism - goes back to Civil War times; flag, land, relationships are important; shows up in community celebration and festivals

14. Appalachian Culture • Positive attributes associated with Appalachian Culture emphasize perceived traditional community values—a strong commitment to land, kin, and religious beliefs, an emphasis on self-rule and social equality, and patriotism. • What are the negative characteristics associated with the people living in Appalachia?

15. Stereotypes

16. Stereotypes

17. Stereotypes • “On the one hand, Appalachian culture has been viewed by Americans as backward, incestuous, isolated, and poverty-stricken. Billings (1999, p. 6) referred to this view as "a traumatized culture where withdrawal, depression, inertia, self-blame and resignation rule." On the other hand, Appalachian people have also been romanticized as "'strong women, noble African Americans, and virtuous Indians' and 'a fierce and solitary people' (p. 10). Witness the differing worlds of Deliverance and Andy Griffith (Herzog, 2004).” For a quick explanation on this dichotomy, read: http://paws.wcu.edu/mherzog/AppalachiaPresentation.htm For a more in depth introduction to this topic, read: Billings, D., Norman, G., & Ledford, K. (Eds.) (1999). Confronting Appalachian stereotypes. Lexington: The University of Kentucky Press.

18. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLkc6LJmtNs

19. Appalachia in Popular Culture • http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/appalachian-emergency-room/1388531/

20. "Is it pronounced "Ap-uh-lay-chuh" or "Ap-uh-lach-uh?” • Those outside the region use the former • Those inside the region use the latter.

21. Learning Opportunity Dialects

22. The Appalachian Dialect • In an article for the Smoky Mountain News, Gary Carden recalls the words of his own grandmother: “Every time you open your mouth, you will be weighed and found wanting.” Her message is clear: every time you speak in this dialect, people will immediately take stock of you, your intelligence, your integrity, your manners, and will conclude that you, as an Appalachian, are backward and inferior (Chapman, 2009). • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03iwAY4KlIU

23. Lesson • The United States is a vast country with many different cultures living within its borders. Often the manner in which someone talks or the words they choose can offer assistance in determining what region of the country or what culture someone was raised. • Dialects are fundamental to our identity and our community’s identity. • There are many stereotypes associated with dialects.

24. Lesson • This lesson is designed to teach students to appreciate the differences in dialects and understand that a particular dialect does not indicate prejudice or intelligence. • Use the following links for an explanation of American dialects and their origins. • http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/vajda/ling201/test3materials/AmericanDialects.htm • http://robertspage.com/dialects.html

25. Lesson • For a fun and interactive classroom (or at home) experiment, have students take a dialect quiz. • Here are some options (these are not scientific and are missing many of the less common dialects). • http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofamericanenglishdoyouspeakquiz/ • http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have * • Ask students if they can identify different regional dialects. • Have students take this quiz from PBS • http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/map/map.html

26. Lesson • Ask Students about their own experiences • Ask students if they have heard words or pronunciations different from their own? • What did these words convey? • Has anyone ever asked the student where they were from because of the dialect they spoke was different than the other persons? • Have students ever heard classmates use a word that was different than the one they were familiar with?* • What might explain the differences?

27. Questions • What does a dialect tell us about someone? • What doesn’t a dialect or accent tell us? • How do we combat stereotypes associated with regional dialects?

28. Treatment of Appalachians

29. Education Ideas

30. Questions • How is it possible that we, as educated individuals, allow such images of Appalachians to exist? • Furthermore, do we let such images that are being propagated alter our views on the entire Appalachian population based solely on their dialects?

31. Appalachians are not only fighting the coal conglomerates and out-of-state landholders in their struggle to end strip mining, but are also struggling against cultural assumptions that mark them as expendable. If we are choosing to fight injustice and exploitation, whether generally or in their specific manifestations through the destruction of the globe’s most ancient mountain range, we must examine our own understandings and popular representations of hillbilly culture. To win this struggle and any other that impacts Appalachia, it is imperative that we stand in solidarity with its people and call on our comrades to do the same.- Wren Awry

32. “The stereotypes of Appalachia, the idea of Appalachia have prevented us in understanding that the problems of the mountains are not different from those of the larger society, but are in fact intertwined with the challenges facing the rest of the nation as a whole. Appalachia, as I argue in my most recent book, Appalachia is not the other America. There are no easy solutions to poverty and inequality in Appalachia unless we confront some of the fundamental challenges facing America today, problems of building a sustainable economy, assuring social equity, protecting the land and the environment, valuing family and community, respecting diversity, acknowledging civic duty and responsibility and placing people over profit. In that respect we are all Appalachians and the hidden America is all around us.”- Eller

33. Role of Educators • Educators must teach students the history and characteristics that set these students apart from others. • Help them appreciate their culture in spite of constantly being a punch line. • Educators must emphasis the importance of diversity and demonstrate an appreciation for what the region offers to the country. • This emphasis will eventually weaken the allure of stereotyping people from this region. • Educators must continue to teach these students and help them gain access to college. • Educators must help combat the stereotypes that surround these people especially that they are unintelligent.