The boys from Appodlachia (Big John and Chuck) and I have come together in a hurry for a meeting of the minds and the accents. In this episode, we discuss our experiences growing up Appalachian and how different, yet similar, that shared experience is. From this, we talk about why JD Vance's book (and the movie) is a massive problem- i.e. the fact that he throws an entire group of people under the bus, and calls his experience THE experience. BUT, we also discuss some of the positives that can come from this- especially if we as Appalachians allow this to be a learning experience. We can take this opportunity to say "I don't like being thrown under a bus for someone else's gain" (I mean we have been for 200 years idk why it's taken us this long) "so I'm going to stand up for other communities that are misrepresented, as well." I've certainly been inspired in that way. So, if you're Appalachian, I hope this resounds with you. If you're not, I hope you listen to our experiences and opinions on the situation and come away a little more educated on an often misrepresented people. :)
recommended alternatives to Hillbilly Elegy:
Appodlachia:
https://www.appodlachia.com/hillbilly-elegy -their responses to the book
https://www.appodlachia.com/community -their compilations of Appalachian businesses and authors
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