| Author | Message | ||
     Glitch |
I'm old enough to remember these days. I remember The Southern Appalachians getting drafted to the wars more than any other place. I've seen them forgotten first also. This was filmed in 1970, and this is how I remember those times. Notice the abundant white privilege, and the rampant racism. This is where I'm from, albeit from the next mountain over. If you know me, this will explain some of the reason I am what I am. I'd rather have a handful of Mountain People on my side than a hundred rioters. | ||
| Ratbuell |
I'm sorry. You make excellent points, and I have massive respect for thr Hillbilly (not rednecks...hillbilly - there's a difference)...but when i saw the thread title, this was my first thought   | ||
| Zane |
After watching the video it reminded me of how I lived in Ohio as a child. I was in rural western Ohio, not eastern, so the land was different, but the people were similar. Men in their 50's being completely worn out. Crushing poverty but through it all, there was a certain quiet pride and self reliance. edited because I can't spell... (Message edited by Zane on September 24, 2020) | ||
| Pwnzor |
I also thought of The Jerk when I saw this... I don't reckon I'd have any quarrels with hill folk. When I was a kid I didn't know we were poor until my mother remarried into some money and suddenly we had meat on the table 7 days a week. And... my brother and I had our own rooms, our own bikes, etc. | ||
| Glitch |
You got the joke, Joe! But seriously, I knew folk that had dirt floors as late as the mid 70s. You got the point, Zane. "The less you have, the less you have to worry about." I've seen more genuine appreciation from poor folk than rich folk. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Just watched the video... I love that the kids were playing with rocks, and generally getting bumped around. That was my childhood too, rocks and sticks were the toys. We'd have gotten whooped on for throwing them on the roof though... | ||
| Ourdee |
I was introduced to Appalachians around 68. I was 8 years old and my Dad married a 15 year old girl from Indiana. He was born in Arkansas. They moved to Kingsport, Tennessee. I would spend a month every summer with him. Her parents bought a piece of land in the hills and he put a trailer up on the side of the hill. I remember when we went to the trailer lots lookin' at them. They got a very basic one and had it drug in with a dozer after I was gone that year. At the beginning of 6th grade I got dropped off down there by my mom and stepfather. The stepfather had planned on taking me to a military school and some one from school spilled the beans that I was running away. So, I graduated the 6th grade from Mcpheeter's Bend Elementary School in Hawkins County, Tennessee. I learned later on that most of the folk in that area were very poor. My dad had a factory job at Kodak, but he wasn't rich. When I was dropped off my clothes didn't help me fit in. I had striped flared pants and paisly print shirts with a pair of Florshiem boots. It was just explained that his mother dressed him like that. Some of the best living I ever did was with the folk in those hills. I look at the schools website and the kids I see look nothing like the kids I went to school with there. The area has become populated with northerners and a lot of the empty roads are lined with dwellings. You can never go home. | ||
| Glitch |
You can never go home.  Yep, and my hometown has been taken over by meth. | ||
| Gusm2 |
https://youtu.be/cCEHQ_nhxOA Don't know if anyone is familiar with these guys but they do make good music | ||
| Blake |
Thanks for sharing. I really appreciated that. You come from good people, even with Uncle Woodrow in the mix.  | ||
| Glitch |
Speaking of the Wilson's, I have a story about that. Its a story about a school teacher that came down to teach the poor illiterate children. She wasn't received very well in the hills, and it was probably worse in the mountains. She wass headstrong and really wanted to help. It was in her heart. Actions speak louder than words, so the Mountain Folk saw this and the attitude change from dislike and fear to indifference and appreciation. I'm gonna ahve to write a little piece at a time. But its worth the wait. I need to get my notes together, and my proofreader is busy right now. Be right back | ||
| Ourdee |
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| Glitch |
I hadn't forgotten, just going through some stuff right now. There was this True Mountaineer, logger, had a sawmill, house & barn builder, and a hell of a carpenter. His family was going Out West when the wagon wheel broke in the North Carolina mountains. They settled in what was known as Herren Gap, since they were the only one's around I reckon. Well his son was a true rebel (small 'r') had a strong work ethic a strong will and was pretty adventurous. The School Teacher and the young Mountaineer met (I'm not sure how) and they fell in love. Holy cow! It was a controversy! From what I've heard no one in Herren Gap was happy, and neither were her family. His family were suspicious of outsiders, and especially strangers tryin' t' come in and put iders in chiluns heads. Her family, well, they were/are Wilson family. "The Woodrow Wilson's" My Great Aunt is directly related to Woodrow. She hated my dad. His family were farmers from...Alabama (of all places!) I was her favorite, and sincce she hated my dad, she called me Johnny (my middle name is Jonathan). She was a true Wilson. She probably rolled in her grave when Aunt Betty married A JEW! The people in Herren Gap welcomed as they got to know her, and my Great Aunt settled in Fairview NC, and in her last years the Mountaineer made sure she was comfortable and needed nothing. She died happy and I loved her. The Mountaineer and the School Teacher were my Grandparents.  |
