Thanks for posting.

I despair of ever teaching those from outside our area about the people of Appalachia.

To so many, we are a joke, a bunch of uneducated, shiftless, incestuous hillbillies. They do not see the beauty of the region, the strength of our people, the importance of family. My family settled in what is now West Virginia in the late 1700s. I have deep roots here. And despite job promotions and other opportunities elsewhere, I have chosen to spend my life here. (Oh, and I'm the least educated in my family -- I only have a bachelor's degree. My sisters both have masters.)

Those who treat us as a joke are helping to fuel the shift to the Republican party here. They keep saying "the coal industry is dead", without providing an immediate and viable alternative for the 40,000 folk here in West Virginia who make their living from that industry.

"Oh, but they should have known it was a dying industry! They shouldn't vote for the Republicans -- their statements on reviving the coal industry are just pandering!" But if you are a 50 year old coal miner, looking forward to retirement in ten years, how are you supposed to retrain yourself? What kind of jobs are going to be available in the hills of Mingo and Logan and McDowell Counties? Don't say "move to where the jobs are". West Virginia's cost of living is among the lowest in the country. Telling someone to sell their house (to whom? remember, the industry is dying!), and pack up and go . . . where? Where are there jobs for this 50 year old, with great skills as a coal miner but nothing else, jobs that will pay $20 to $30 per hour for the least skilled workers (and over $100k for foremen and engineers)?

I'm sorry for the rant -- you don't deserve it. But I'm so tired of butting my head against the wall of ignorant outsiders, trying to tell us poor hillbillies how to live our lives.

wonderful OP, many on here feel like this I think, I certainly do. And there is a LOT of buz right now about WV and KY with candidates campaign stops for the upcoming primaries in those Appalachian states. Next Tues. May 10 is WV.
I've posted recent WV Bernie events in his group, and there are many Videos of Bernie and the Clintons campaigning in Appalachia now, posted in Video & Media.



PS. Like your WVU logo, I lived there briefly when young with students. Love Marshall too.

How are you defining this region? Just the coal mining areas?