Hillbillies, Unite!

by Kelsey Nunn

Hillbilly, white trash, hick, redneck. We’ve all heard these terms. “Oh, you’re from Kentucky, why don’t you have an accent?” The term hillbilly is a derogatory term that refers to the people of Appalachia, and the lovely stereotypes that come along with this term. Overalls, no teeth, drink moonshine, or socially backward are all stereotypes of the common hillbilly. The term hillbilly came about during the Great Depression when many people from the Appalachian region moved west to find work, only to find out that their culture was vastly different from the people of cities like Detroit and Chicago. While other parts of the country were becoming technologically and socially advanced, their area stayed the same. Soon, TV shows, like The Beverly Hillbillies, were making these differences public, causing people from the Appalachian area to seem poor and ignorant.

            Some people from Eastern Kentucky still live up to these stereotypes.  The population in Appalachia still remains very poor, only relying on logging, mining, and illegal moonshining to make a living.  Kentucky also ranks 50^th in the nation for the number of adults who cannot read. 60% of the counties in Eastern Kentucky are consistently poor. The unemployment rate is 45%, leaving many people to rely on welfare or other federal aid, or the selling of prescription drugs, to survive. Poor dental hygiene and diabetes are prevalent.

            Despite these alarming facts, the Appalachian region of Kentucky has developed since the Great Depression. Some parts may still remain undeveloped, and many areas in Pikeville have yet to be established. Regardless, we should be proud of our state and our heritage. We have attractions like Lake Cumberland, Mammoth Cave, and the Red River Gorge. Our state is known for bourbon, whiskey, mint juleps, horse racing, and college basketball. The Wildcats, Hilltoppers, and Cardinals are among the most tradition-rich college basketball teams in the US, with a combined 9 championships, and 22 NCAA National Championships. Even though people from Kentucky are often stereotyped as hillbillies, we still share a common heritage we can all be proud of.