I am not deleting any of this, even though most of it violates NPOV. That doesn't bother me so much as the extraordinary lack of knowledge on display. For suggestions, it would be good to note that hillbillies as a term is no longer perjorative, "hillbillies" can be found in Texas, Arkansas, Southern Indiana etc. Historically, in Appalachia, the role of (king) coal and mining towns cannot be overlooked. And of course, Junior Johnson, Dolly Parton and a host of others hailing from Appalachia, who have so greatly enriched modern culture, should certainly be discussed here, in context.
I'm not going to defend my writing in this case as expert, but lets look at a few things. most people still consider hillbilly to be an insult. just because alcohol is illegal, doesn't make it nonexistent. The reason that its production was popular in the mountains was exactly because it was so isolated.
- I never said non-existent. Just off the top of my head I could give precise directions to the remains of a still in Scott's Gulf, White County, Tennessee, walk you right there. (From Crossville, take a left on Stringtown road, drive to the gravel road on the right leading to Virgin Falls, continue on this road past Virgin Falls to the edge of the Cumberland Plateau, call me on your cell phone from there... I will walk you in...:) The issue was occurrence and motivation.
I tended to focus on the extreme examples, but that is what is interesting to me. It probably is more folkloric than factual. If you hate it so much, then fix it or remove the parts you think are false. you have demonstrated some personal knowledge, so lets see it.
- Relax. This will be as hard to write as white trash, but there is no particular hurry. Couple of things need to be done: Most of our discussion needs to move to a talk page, where anyone interested can hammer out the details. Quite a bit of what you wrote could be resurrected as popular folklore associated with hillbillies. The main subject matter needs to wikied to Appalachian folk life and customs, etc. And there surely must be links to [Li'l Abner]? and [Snuffy Smith]?.
Oh, and another thing. Who said the article was done? write about the damn coal mines and dolly parton.
- Slow down! Stop ranting! Presenting what you wrote as "Folklore associated with hillbillies" or some such thing sounds like a great idea. It would much more accurate, and would help flesh out a better article. Dolly Parton and [King Coal]? deserve (long) first class articles, but both subjects will difficult and time consuming to write.
I'm sorry, the quality of my judgement in writing tends to wax and wane. I was already mad about a particular argument in
Osama Bin Laden, so I flipped out. Please accept my apologies.
- No problem. I pledge to _not_ use the word "ridiculous" to characterize an argument anymore. :) I did do some work on Dolly's page...
I think I have an old national geographic (one of many hundreds I now own I'm afraid) that details appalachian life in the 1960's, and my old college had a book on appalachian english "dialects" so maybe I'll dredge up some unique info after all.
--Alan D. (not sjc)
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