'''Local color' writers made brief visits to the mountains, then wrote fanciful books about the queer, violent mountain folk. As realistic as Harlequin romances, local-color books like Mary Murfree's ''In the 'Stranger People's' Country'' were read and reviewed as journalistic accounts.
College professors began to use them as textbooks in sociology classes."
For some reason, this quote made me cringe, especially the last sentence. "Tall Tales of Appalachia" (link to the article is here) points out how ignorant of the Appalachian culture people are. I certainly have noticed how people discriminate and ignore people from West Virginia, and I agree that there exists very little I know of to have created such scathing feedback from the media.
I cannot believe that college professors would use such utter nonsense as textbook material. (pardon my language) Unless sociology teachers used these books as an example of how not to view things, I do not see the point of bringing books such as these into discussion. I was trying to keep a positive outlook on sociology, but this article may have crushed it.
Reference:
"Truth if Fight or Flight" (link is here) has a different opinion when it comes to Appalachian stereotypes. This blogger believes there is a grain of truth in the stereotypes and she approves of some of them because of her own experiences. She says that the stereotypes used to anger her, but she admits that they still have some truth. I am not sure I agree with the author, but it is of interest.
Reference:
Kelli (2010, June 13). Truth in appalachian stereotype- fight or flight. Retrieved from http://eastkentuckygal.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/fight-or-flight/ |
I love that you chose the same quote as I did. I'm not sure if its the fact that in Library Science classes they teach completely against this in researching. The added resource was a good and refreshing look of how the writer views her heritage and stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that it is sad that people would use this book that discriminates against Appalachian culture. Having lived in West Virginia for my entire life it is upsetting when people have such a horrible picture of what they think we are like just because of something they read about. It is sad that we can't change they way people think about our state.
ReplyDeleteMuch like you, I’m not certain I would agree with the author of “Truth in the Appalachian Stereotype” on every point in her post, but I understand and agree with her on that there is a little truth in a stereotype. A group of people tend to adapt to their shared environment in a similar manner, thus creating a stereotype, and according to this author, mountain people developed a willingness to fight. When we think back to people crossing the mountains to fight weather, neighbors, bureaucrats, and nature once they got here just so they could barely survive, I can see where we may have that in our system, and be easily recognized by it. However, Mary Murfee must have had a bit of an eye problem to not see that West Virginians do more than fight, to not see that any people or person is capable of doing more than one act.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the fact that they used these folklorist exaggerations as textbook material is ridiculous and played a part in further perpetuating the stereotype.
ReplyDeleteThe additional resource you choose was very interesting. The author of this article viewed the Appalachian stereotype from a different perspective, embracing the stereotype. “There is a part of us that is prideful of being in that state of misunderstanding – it is comfortable to us. It has been our way of life for generations.” (Kelli, 2010) This article suggests that the Appalachian culture, although grossly misunderstood, is a product of evolution and evidence that many take pride in their Appalachian roots.
Resource:
Kelli (2010, June 13). Truth in appalachian stereotype- fight or flight. Retrieved from http://eastkentuckygal.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/fight-or-flight/