Friday, June 20, 2008
Stop being so ignorant about 'rednecks'
From the RoundTable blog
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Theresa L. Burriss
Burriss, of Radford, is an assistant professor of English and Appalachian studies at Radford University.
"Does that make me a redneck, sort of bordering on Appalachia? If you have an engineering degree and an advanced degree from prestigious institutions and you live in Appalachia -- are you still a redneck?" Such was my brother William's witty response to Andrea Mitchell's ignorant, disparaging remarks about Barack Obama's appearance with Senate hopeful Mark Warner in Bristol on June 5.
On MSNBC Live later that evening, anchor Mitchell remarked, "Interesting images today. Barack Obama, Mark Warner in Southwest Virginia. This is real redneck, sort of, bordering on Appalachia country. This is not Northern Virginia, you know, sort of high-tech corridor. And these are voters that he would not logically be, you know, gravitating to. This is the beginning of a pivot."
Obviously, Mitchell needs an education, and I'm just the redneck to provide it, especially because I voted for Obama in the Virginia primary. Her first lesson is dedicated to geography. According to the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Appalachian region extends from New York to Mississippi. Bristol clearly is located within Appalachia. In fact, the city sits squarely in the heart of Central Appalachia and is touted as the Birthplace of Country Music, where the Carter Family first launched its public singing and recording career.
Mitchell might be quick to dismiss country music as low-culture, "real redneck," but the tunes and melodies have roots that extend to Scots-Irish/Ulster-Scots ballads and African tribal traditions. The amalgam of cultures in and the evolution of this music have fascinated folklorists and anthropologists for close to 100 years, with Englishman Cecil Sharp typifying the interest.
Mitchell's second lesson should focus on cultural sensitivity and cultural competency. Vice President Dick Cheney would do well to join her, especially in light of his recent inbreeding and incest allusions to West Virginians. During his speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on June 2, Cheney answered a query about his distant relationship to Barack Obama. As he explained his mother and father's lineages, Cheney quipped, "So, I had Cheneys on both sides of the family, and we don't even live in West Virginia."
Fortunately, both Democratic and Republican representatives from West Virginia have publicly criticized the vice president's blatant disrespect for their citizens. And though Cheney's office issued an apology, many of my West Virginia buddies have dismissed it, noting that the vice president's true sentiments came through spontaneously and unfiltered.
As Jeff Biggers noted in a May 22 Charleston Gazette article, "Hey media: lay off Appalachia," hillbillies serve "as the last acceptable slur in the country." Why is this acceptable and to whom?
Appalachia boasts a rich heritage that is as diverse as the greater United States, for Native American, Eastern and Western European, African, Central American and Asian influences have shaped the region's cultural mélange. Yet even into the 21st century, negative, reductive and erroneous stereotypes prevail.
As Mitchell revealed, many Americans outside the area view all Appalachians as "real rednecks," which translates as white, racist, uneducated, uniformed, ignorant, inbred, moonshine-drinking, lawless feudists. Picture Dickey's "Deliverance." I'm sure Mitchell did.
Both my brother William and I were born and raised in Bristol. Though we did attend colleges outside the region, we came back to Appalachia -- by choice. William returned to Bristol to work for the family construction company and I came to Radford, where I earned my master's degree and now teach. I also received my doctoral degree from an institution within the region. William and I proudly claim our Appalachian roots. We celebrate the region's beauty. I have devoted my career to doing so.
The only characteristic we identify with in the above "redneck" list is white, but then again, we even defy that limited category, or at least I do. In the summer of 2006, I was tapped as an Honorary Affrilachian by Frank X. Walker, who coined the term, due to my extensive scholarship and publications on the Affrilachian Writers.
So enough with the Appalachian bashing. It's high time that folks with such incorrect perceptions of the region stop demonstrating their ignorance, whether on national television or on the street. We "rednecks" in Appalachia have endured enough of your ignorance and exploitation.
And one last lesson, Mitchell: Learn how to pronounce Appalachia correctly.
