DISCLAIMER: I have a substantial number of loyal readers from the great state of West Virginia. I want to reassure them that none of the stereotypes mentioned in this post have anything to do with them, unless they do. I should also point out that I don’t have a lot of readers from Kentucky, so I’m going to have to side with the Hatfields on this one.
I have been watching the mini-series “Hatfields & McCoys” on the History Channel. Lots of great actors, interesting story, but at the end of the day, I’m finding it hard to root for either side. Vengeance is not endearing. And apparently, life back then was very, very slow. But it is nice to see a movie where Kevin Costner can believably portray the smartest man in the room.
While the movie is kind of a downer, the plus side is that you get to see a lot of Hillbillies – shaggy, dirty, pig-thievin’, tabacky-spittin’, bootleggin’ Hillbillies. As with most history, or historical fiction, it makes me glad that I live in the here and now. It was a rough life back then. I imagine it’s changed somewhat by now. The show does a marvelous job of showing what it looked like in the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia/Kentucky back in the late 1800s. If by Appalachia you mean Romania, because that’s where they filmed it. Apparently it’s easier and cheaper to film Romanian hillbilly shacks than good old American hillbilly shacks.
I haven’t seen the last part of the miniseries yet, but I’m sure it ends badly for somebody. When God said “Vengeance is mine,” he meant it. (Mormon 8:20)
Whether you like Hillbillies or not, I must admit that I have a soft spot in my heart for them. They are great characters, and are apparently responsible for one of the more important creations in culinary history. I have had an on-again-of-again relationship with Mountain Dew for most of my adult life. Sometimes I am strong, and am able to resist its siren song, other times I succumb to the glorious ambrosia that it is. Don’t judge me.
Since all of you may not have the time, or the desire, to watch the entire six-hour miniseries “Hatifields & McCoys”, I have posted this brief video of what life is like in Hillbilly Country. It is only one minute long, and is equally instructive – and there’s several Hillbillies. God bless ’em!
I could go for getting my innards tickled about now.
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“But it is nice to see a movie where Kevin Costner can believably portray the smartest man in the room.”
Ha! That was a good one.
Speaking of Kentucky and West Virginia hillbillies, did you see this: http://www.ksl.com/?sid=20640892&nid=1016&title=veteran-snake-handling-pastor-dies-after-bite&s_cid=queue-10
I watched the miniseries, too . . . I am sure the story has been Hollywoodized (AKA bears no real resemblance to the actual story) but it HAS been an interesting character study . . . So sad, all the hatefulness, in all kinds of different forms . . . I feel bad for the wives . . .
And I REALLY hate lawyers even more now . . .
I try very hard to not get bothered by certain things, and really try to laugh it off, but that commercial….boy, oh boy, as a West Virginian that commercial is…..
I do hope that people understand that West Virginia girls do not walk around dressed like Pebbles Flintstone.
A lot of girls wear even less in my town…
I can’t believe that they gave up on that slogan, “It’ll Tickle Your Inards!” Do you have any idea how much that would sell these days with a slogan like that?!
So much to think about.
First, this: “But it is nice to see a movie where Kevin Costner can believably portray the smartest man in the room.”
I’m not sure why that’s nice, but at least he can get the accent better than when he played Robin Hood…
I had my first taste of Mt. Dew when returning home from a scout campout. I was from a non-caffeinated home — we shed our cola drinks with my parents’ coffee when we joined the church, and I was so disappointed when my mother told me a week or two later that Mt. Dew had that stuff in it. Have managed to live without it since…
(Now, thanks to my diet and my health-conscious wife, I don’t drink ANY soda.)
As for the WV/KY issue — I was born in Kentucky, and we have family from WV, as well. As near as I can tell, however, we’ve generally been city-folk.
If political correctness matters, we have to call redneck hillbillies Appalachian Americans.
I saw the previews for that series and it looked pretty good, but I don’t want to invest too much time in a violent story about people who hate each other and want to kill each other off. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to go read my scriptures. PS-I’m at Ether 15.
Hysterical! Laughed loud enough that my kids asked me what was so funny, and I couldn’t tell them.
I’m from Kentucky! Can’t stand the Dew… but I love me some Dr. Pepper!
By the way, I gave it up for My New Years Resolution (after drinking an entire 2 liter all by myself on New Years Eve). I am still Dew free and it’s almost June. I’m kind of afraid to go down that road again; I’ll be back to Mtn Dew rehab all over again.
Mmmm Mt. Dew!
As the commercial shows, we sexy girls have always loved the Dew.
Hopefully your husband “Clem” does too.
I’ve never had Mt. Dew…I can bounce off the walls without it.